1. Voter Registration for Participants in the Attorney General Address Confidentiality Program
Ken Detzner, Secretary of State
Maria Matthews, Director, Division of Elections
(Updated September 2017)

2. History/purpose

3. Address Confidentiality Program History
Created in 1998
Statutory Authority: Chapter – , Fla. Stat.
Administered by the Attorney General Office.
Division of Victim Services and Criminal Justice Programs/Bureau of Advocacy and Grants Management.
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Available to registered participants who are relocated:
Victims of domestic violence and
Victims of stalking (added in 2010)(See Florida Statute ).

4. Program Purpose It is a public records disclosure protection program
It is not a “witness protection program”

5. Program – Major Components (for voter registration purposes)
Formal designation as participant in the Attorney General’s Program for Address Confidentiality.
Registration handled manually outside of registration database
Confidentiality of information in public records.
Substitute mailing address.
If ACP participant registers, he or she will need to vote-by- mail.
The Attorney General defines a ‘Protected Records Voters’ as: a program participant who is registered and qualified to vote and has requested a vote-by-ballot pursuant to s , F.S., and will vote in the same manner as an absentee voter. Source: See Chapter 2A-7, Florida Administrative Code)

6. Attorney general office program role

7. Duties Designates person as participant with:
An ACP authorization card
A blank acknowledgment form (not available online)
A substitute residential address (723 Truman Avenue, Tallahassee)
Instructs person to “not register” through DHSMV/tax collectors’ office or any means other that going in person to Supervisor of Election’s office
Specifies that participant will only be able to vote by mail.

8. ACP Card and Form
ACP ‘Authorization Card
Acknowledgment Form

9. ACP Participant/ VOTEr’s Role

10. Applies for designation as ACP participant
Registers to vote in person at county Supervisor of Elections’ Office
Presents ACP Authorization Card to SOE
Requires ACP voter to vote-by-mail
Completes voter registration form with actual residential address
Signs Acknowledgment Form at SOE office
Re-applies for ACP participant status every 4 years
Notifies SOE of address change or ACP status change
If moving to another county, must re-register with that county

11. ACP Participant Renewal
An ACP Participant must renew his or her certification with the OAG every 4 years.
The process for renewal is the same as the process for initial certification.
Participant is responsible for providing the updated ACP card to the Supervisor.
Participant should minimize disclosure of his or her ACP status other than as needed.
Participant is responsible for notifying to Supervisor if he or she is no longer in the ACP program, and whether he or she wishes to remain registered to vote.

12. Supervisor of elections’ role

13. Registrations
Designate yourself or staff to securely handle these types of in-person registrations
Copy ACP authorization card
Return original to voter for your files (assists for ACP tracking)
Obtain signed Acknowledgment form.
Obtain completed ACP participant/voter’s registration application including legal residential address (necessary for proper precinct assignment for ballot)
Ask ACP participant if registered in another Florida county (assists for ACP tracking)

14. Registrations (cont’d)
Provide copy of records to participant for his or her records
Direct ACP participant to new county Supervisor of Elections’ office directly if ACP voter re-locates
If ACP participant is registered in FVRS, remove all registration, voting and vote-by-mail request records from local databases
If one or more records in FVRS, coordinate with other counties to remove records similarly from local databases

15. Registrations (cont’d)
Send the following to Special Attention: Chief, Bureau of Voter Registration Services, Division of Elections, Florida Department of State (mark confidential):
Acknowledgement form (signed copy)
ACP authorization card (copy)
Voter registration form (signed copy/redacted address)
Include FVRS name and ID # if applicable).
Conduct periodic check of county registration database to identify potential ACP participants who have not followed normal process
Addresses to look for in residential or mailing fields:
723 Truman Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida
PO Box 6298, PO Box 7327, and PO Box 7297, Tallahassee

16. Voting
Mail ACP voter’s vote-by-mail ballot to AG’s post office address. (ACP program will forward to Participant.)
Process returned VBM like any other voted VBM ballot including providing notice to the voter if the ballot is rejected as illegal
Check your county registration rolls periodically to identify potential ACP participants who have not followed normal process by looking for these addresses in the residential or mailing fields:
723 Truman Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida
PO Box 6298, PO Box 7327, and PO Box 7297, Tallahassee

17. Division of elections’ role

18. Searches FVRS for prior registrations and remove from FVRS
Cross-checks existing hardcopy ACP files to prior registration
Contacts county to remove name from local database files
Creates hard-copy/manual registration record and securely store
Forwards signed Acknowledgment form to the Office of Attorney General
Verifies personal identifying # (DL, State ID or SSN4 through DHSMV/SSA
Notifies SOE if person is ineligible to initiate notice and removal under s (7), F.S.
Runs monthly ineligibility maintenance cross-checks
Sends credible and reliable ineligibility file to SOE initiate notice and removal under s (7), F.S.

19. Removal of acp voter from Rolls

20. Removal from Registration Rolls
Conduct address list maintenance per section , F.S., and process as inactive voter if applicable
Initiate notice under s (7), F.S. for ineligibility, if applicable
Do not publish ineligibility notices if mailed notice is undeliverable --coordinate with AG’s office to extent possible
Use AG’s post office address to mail notices
Notify the BVRS of the outcome

21. Removal from ACP Program
Circumstances that may result in change of ACP protected voter status
ACP status is cancelled, expired without renewal or is otherwise no longer valid
ACP participant requests removal
AG notifies BVRS and BVRS notifies SOE
SOE outreach to ACP voter to determine if he or she wishes to remain registered
Enter registration record into FVRS
If yes, coordinate between SOE and BVRS to ensure that voter is given proper registration date

22. Office of the Attorney General Address Confidentiality Program
PL-01 The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL
Phone (850) ; Fax (850)
*********
Christine Harris: Bureau Chief/Program Oversight
Rule References:
Rule Chapter 2A-7 Address Confidentiality Program
Rule 1S (11) FVRS Vote Registration Procedures