When voters move away, their registrations can linger in the voter registration system for a decade or more — unless they submit a paper form to remove themselves. Most people are not aware of this requirement, so hundreds of citizens in Pennsylvania volunteered to change that. Secure elections begin with accurate voter rolls, and maintaining current lists of registered voters is critical to safeguarding the voting system.

In May of 2024, the Election Research Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, analyzed voter registration records in Pennsylvania and found that more than 200,000 individuals on the voter rolls had filed a permanent out-of-state change of address with the U.S. Postal Service. Hundreds of volunteers across the Commonwealth began mailing letters to those 200,000 potential out-of-state movers using the ERI letter template. (See example below.) The response was remarkable. A review of voter registration cancellations found that more than 20,000 individuals who were sent letters subsequently submitted the form requesting removal from the voter rolls. 

Over the previous five years, the average number of removals at the request of the voter was 4,125 per year. In 2024, Pennsylvania counties saw an increase of over 500 percent — astonishing results from a group of citizen volunteers. A report released on June 30 by the PA Department of State confirmed the extraordinary number of requests for removal.

Many letter recipients sent notes of gratitude to the volunteers who wrote to them. They reported that they did not know they were still registered in Pennsylvania and that they didn’t know they had to submit a form to remove themselves. Below are some of the letters:

The project made headlines in August of 2024. The Columbia County election director received five requests for removal in a single day. As reported by Press Enterprise, he told reporters that “the advice in the letters is sound” and that the letter to voters “correctly states” the federal law. But he still described the volunteers’ letters as “creepy.”

Under section (d) of 52 U.S.C. 20507 (“Requirements with respect to administration of voter registration”), “a State shall not remove the name of a registrant from the official list of eligible voters in elections for Federal office on the ground that the registrant has changed residence unless the registrant … confirms in writing that the registrant has changed residence to a place outside the registrar’s jurisdiction in which the registrant is registered” (emphasis added). In fact, due to blackout periods in the federal National Voter Registration Act, individual request for removal is the only option for reducing the bloated voter rolls within 90 days of a federal election.

Undeniable Effect

By June 30 of each year, the secretary of the Commonwealth must provide a report to the Pennsylvania General Assembly describing voter registration and list maintenance activities conducted throughout the previous year. The effect of the letter-writing campaign is undeniable when compared to the number of removals at the request of the voter over the last 12 years.

The first batches of letters were sent with handwritten addresses. That personalization increased the rate of response by approximately 15 percent. This response rate was calculated by comparing the percentage of removals for counties that received hand-addressed envelopes to the removal percentage for counties that received envelopes with machine-printed addresses. 

Bloated voter rolls create vulnerabilities in the system and impede efficient election administration. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, voter registration lists form the foundation for everything else in election administration. Under federal law, state election officials, like Secretary Al Schmidt, are required to take steps to ensure that the statewide voter registration database is accurate and up to date. The Department of State’s National Change of Address (NCOA) mailer process has been woefully ineffective over the last five years.

By adopting process improvements to list maintenance protocols, the department could enhance response rates and reduce costs for taxpayers. Secretary Schmidt should applaud the efforts of the volunteers and the positive effect that they had across the Commonwealth.

Notice: Registered voters who move out of state should complete the Voter Request to Cancel Registration form available on the Pennsylvania Department of State website.

Linda Sheckler and Heather Honey of the Election Research Institute conducted the research referenced in this article.