On May 8, 2003, I got the following information from Toni in the County Clerk's office.

There are three ways to register: Motor Voter, Registration, and Application for Registration.

Motor Voter registration is done only at Secretary of State facilities, DOT in particular. A person may register there while taking care of other business. They get a receipt of their registration.

Voter Registration forms are completed together by the person and a Deputy Registrar. The Deputy Registrar checks the person's IDs right away to authenticate them.

Application for Registration forms may be distributed and completed by anyone and then mailed in to the Clerk's office. Unlike the above, the person is not authenticated until they present the necessary IDs in person when they appear to vote. They must appear in person the first time they vote, even for absentee ballots; after that first time they are fully registered and may vote absentee by mail.

The Clerk's office does not encourage groups to just hand out Application for Registration forms. They believe that people don't understand that they are not fully registered after submitting the form, and must (as above) appear in person to vote the first time. Also, the Clerk's office is concerned that people won't fill out the forms properly, such that the office will reject the form and leave the person ineligible to vote.

To become a Deputy Registrar, a person needs a letter of recommendation from a "bona fide civic organization", such as the League of Women Voters. The Clerk's office has a large list of such organizations. When a person has the letter, they must appear at the Clerk's office to be trained, a procedure that takes about 15 minutes. Deputy Registrar status, once obtained, does not need to be renewed regularly, but contact information must be kept current with the Clerk's office.

When a registrar requests more than 100 Registration Forms at one time, the Clerk's office wants a letter explaining the need. There are rules about how voter registration drives may run.

Precinct committeemen are entitled to be deputy registrars by virtue of their office.