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National Change of Address (NCOA) Cards
Each year the Secretary of State, as required under the National Voter Registration Act
of 1993 ("Motor Voter"), mails notices to voters as part of the
annual National Change of Address (NCOA) program. This mailing was processed in
late January 2010 but cards have not yet been mailed.
If you reported a change
of address to the U.S. Postal service in the last year, and the voter
registration address on file in our office does not match this address, we are
required by law to update your address and send you an NCOA notice.
Postage-paid reply cards are sent to your new address, as reported by the
U.S. Postal Service. This allows you to make any corrections and return
the card to our office.
Notice are also sent each year to voters who
have shown no activity in four years.
Important Facts
- NCOA only updates voter registration addresses within Johnson County.
It does not register you to vote in another county or state.
- The NCOA procedure only updates your address. It will not
update any other information such as a name change, party affiliation, or
phone number. (For example, if the NCOA procedure updates your address
from Lone Tree to Swisher, your old Lone Tree phone number remains on our
files with your new Swisher street address - unless you change it.)
You may indicate such changes on the reply card, even though no blanks are
provided.
- If you return your card with any corrections, you must sign
it. If you return a card with corrections but fail to sign it, we are
not allowed to make the corrections.
If the new address as reported by the U.S. Postal Service is within
Johnson County:
Your voter registration address will be updated to the address reported by
the U.S. Postal Service.
If the new address is correct and within Johnson County, no further action
on your part is required. You may sign and return the card if you
wish. You will also receive a new voter card within a few
weeks. If all the information is correct, again no action on your part
is needed.
If the postal address is incorrect and your correct address is within
Johnson County, write down your correct address, sign the card, and return it
to our office. Your voter registration record will be updated and you
will receive a new voter card.
If the postal address is incorrect and you have moved outside the county,
write down your correct address, sign the card, and return it to our
office. Your Johnson County voter registration will be cancelled.
This does not register you to vote in your new community. You
will need to contact your local voter registration office to register if you
have not yet done so.
If the new address as reported by the U.S. Postal Service is outside
Johnson County:
Your voter registration record will be placed on inactive
status. This is a preliminary step to cancellation of your record.
Records inactivated in this year's NCOA update will be cancelled
following the 2012 presidential election.
If your new address outside Johnson County is correct, you may sign and
return the postage-paid card. We can then cancel your
Johnson County voter registration. This does not register you to
vote in your new community. You will need to contact your local voter
registration office to register if you have not yet done so.
If your new address outside Johnson County is incorrect, and you have moved
outside Johnson County, write down your correct address, sign the card, and
return it to our office. Your Johnson County voter registration will be
cancelled. This does not register you to vote in your new
community. You will need to contact your local voter registration office
to register if you have not yet done so.
If your new address outside Johnson County is incorrect, and you have not
moved outside Johnson County, write down your correct address, sign the card,
and return it to our office. Your Johnson County voter registration record
will be returned to active status.
Post Office Boxes and Mail Drops
In order to register to vote, you must provide our office with a street
address. This allows us to assign you to the proper precinct.
Voters who receive their mail at a post office box, or a commercial mail drop
such as Mailboxes Etc., are asked to provide both a street address and a
mailing address. (The only exception is the Domestic Violence Shelter.)
Voters who are homeless must specify the location to which they most often
return.
If the new address as reported by the U.S. Postal Service is a post office
box or mail drop within Johnson County, this information will be added
to your existing voter registration record, and your physical address will not
be changed. If you have moved to a
different physical address, make any needed corrections and return the signed
card to our office. If you have not physically moved, and have simply chosen to
receive your mail at a mail box, no further action on your part is needed.
If the new address as reported by the U.S. Postal Service is a post office
box outside Johnson County, your voter registration record will be
placed on inactive status.
What if I get a card at my house for someone who no longer lives here?
You may indicate on the reply card that the person does not live at your
address, sign the card, and return it to our office. If you know the
person or they are a family member, you may wish to contact the person. We
cannot cancel the voter's registration without their own signature.
Most Common Problems
- An address change by one family member may have been reported by the U.S.
Postal Service as a change for the whole family.
- Two people may have the same name and address. (John Doe Sr., John
Doe Jr.)
- People who maintain a winter residence outside Iowa and have reported a
long-term address change to the Postal Service often receive NCOA notices.
- Cards or other voter registration materials that are returned without
signatures cannot be processed.
These problems can be fixed by returning a corrected, signed card to our
office.
Please contact our office with any questions.
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