Arkansas Constitution of 1874 Amendment 51, § 5. Duties of registration officials

(1) The Office of Driver Services of the Revenue Division of the Department of Finance and Administration and all State Revenue Offices;

(2) Public assistance agencies, which shall mean those agencies that provide services under the Food Stamps, Medicaid, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs;

(3) Disabilities agencies, which shall mean agencies that offer state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities;

(4) Public libraries; and

(5) The Arkansas National Guard.

(b)(1) The Secretary of State is designated as the chief election official. The Secretary shall prepare and distribute the pre-addressed postcard mail voter registration application forms described in 51-6 of this amendment. Mail registration application forms shall serve for purposes of initial applications to register and shall also serve for changes of name, address, or party affiliation. Bilingual (Spanish/English) forms, braille forms, and large print forms shall be available upon request. The Secretary of State shall make the state mail voter registration application form available for distribution through governmental and private entities with particular emphasis on making them available for organized voter registration programs. Any person may distribute state registration cards. All registration cards shall be distributed to the public without charge.

(2) The Office of Driver Services and State Revenue Offices shall provide voter registration opportunities to those obtaining or renewing drivers licenses, personal identification cards, duplicate or corrected licenses or cards, or changing address or name whether in person or by mail. The Office of Driver Services and State Revenue Offices shall use a computer process, which combines the drivers license and voter registration applications, minimizing duplicative information, and shall have available the federal or state mail voter registration application form, which may be used upon request or when the computer process is not available. If a person declines to apply to register to vote, the Office of Driver Services or State Revenue Office shall retain the record of declination for two (2) years.

(3) All public assistance agencies shall provide a federal or state mail voter registration application form with each application for assistance, and with each recertification, renewal or change of address or name relating to such assistance. Public assistance agencies shall provide voter registration application forms as part of the intake process, or as a combined computer process when a computer process is available. Public assistance agencies shall use a process or form that combines the application for assistance with the voter registration application when available. Public assistance agencies shall also provide declination forms as described in 51-6 of this amendment, which shall be retained for two (2) years if an applicant declines to apply to register to vote.

(4) All disabilities agencies shall provide a federal or state mail voter registration application form with each application for services and with each recertification, renewal or change of address or name relating to such services. Disabilities agencies shall provide voter registration application forms as part of the intake process, or as a combined computer process when a computer process is available. Disabilities agencies may use a form that combines the application for services or assistance with the voter registration application when available. If the disabilities agency provides services in a person's home, then the agency shall also provide voter registration services at the person's home. Disabilities agencies shall also provide declination forms as described in 51-6 of this amendment, which shall be retained for two (2) years if an applicant declines to apply to register to vote.

(c)(1) Employees of the Office of Driver Services and State Revenue Offices shall provide appropriate nonpartisan voter registration assistance and provide all applicants with a receipt containing the applicant's name and the date of the submission.

(2) Public assistance agencies and disabilities agencies shall train agency employees to provide the same degree of assistance in completing voter registration forms as is provided with regard to the completion of agency forms, unless the applicant refuses such assistance.

(3) Each revenue office, public assistance agency and disabilities agency shall provide ongoing training for employees who will be assisting persons with voter registration applications and shall include information regarding training procedures in the report filed with the Secretary of State pursuant to 51-8(d) of this amendment.

(4) A person who provides voter registration assistance through any voter registration agency shall not:

(1) such Rules and Regulations supplementary to this amendment and consistent with this amendment and other laws of Arkansas as are necessary to secure uniform and efficient procedures in the administration of this amendment throughout the State;

(2) a Manual of instruction for the information, guidance and direction of election officials within the state; and

(3) detailed specifications of the registration record files, the voter registration application forms and other registration forms, including voter registration list maintenance forms, all of which shall be consistent with this amendment and uniform throughout the State.