LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas will begin ensuring that change-of-address information submitted for driver’s license purposes is used also to update voter registration records under an agreement with the federal government.
The state’s agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice is aimed at resolving claims that Arkansas didn’t provide certain opportunities to update voter-registration records as required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, the department said in a news release.
Under the law, states are mandated to offer voter-registration opportunities for federal elections when eligible citizens apply for or seek to review their driver’s licenses or other identifying documents, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Thursday.
The law requires states to update voter records when the address on the driver’s license or other IDs is changed, unless the person chooses otherwise.
But a Justice Department investigation found that Arkansas officials didn’t comply with the update requirements.
Secretary of State Spokesman Kevin Niehaus said the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, which oversees driver’s licenses, will provide an option for those updates.
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