Can the report be signed electronically?

Yes. Electronic signatures are legally valid under the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. ch. 96) and UETA in most states, provided intent, consent, attribution, and retention requirements are met.

Are notaries or RON required?

Not typically required for the report itself, but state rules may mandate notarized certifications; check your state notary and RON statutes and follow identity‑proofing where necessary.

How should I handle sensitive PII?

Limit PII in public versions, encrypt attachments in transit and at rest, and follow applicable privacy laws such as CCPA and, when health data exists, HIPAA (45 CFR §164.530(j)).

What if I discover an error after submission?

Notify the receiving authority promptly, prepare a corrected extract with a clear explanation, and follow state or NASS correction procedures for amended reports.

Who must sign the certification?

An authorized state or county official with delegated authority should sign; maintain delegation documentation to support signature authority in audits.

How long must I keep report records?

Retain signed reports, extracts, and audit trails per federal and state retention rules; federal guidance and relevant statutes such as IRC §6501(a) and 45 CFR §164.530(j) inform minimum periods.

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NASS Report Maintenance of State Voter Registration Lists

NASS Report Maintenance of State Voter Registration Lists

This template is fully customizable. Edit the text, fill out the fields, and send it for signature. Give it a try!

What the NASS Report Maintenance of State Voter Registration Lists Is

The NASS Report Maintenance of State Voter Registration Lists is a standardized report used by secretaries of state and election administrators to summarize procedures, changes, and quality controls for state voter rolls. It documents policies for adding, removing, and updating registrants; describes identity-proofing and list-matching procedures; and records any system changes that could affect list accuracy. The report supports intergovernmental transparency, helps identify best practices, and provides a common format for NASS and peer review of statewide registration maintenance activities.

Why the NASS Report Matters for Election Integrity and Oversight

Completing the NASS report clarifies how a state maintains voter lists, demonstrates compliance with applicable state statutes and federal standards, and enables comparative analysis across jurisdictions to improve accuracy and trust.

Who Prepares and Relies on These Reports

Agencies prepare this report for transparency and operational review; several stakeholder groups rely on its contents.

State election offices and secretaries of state who compile statewide maintenance procedures and metrics.
County and local election officials who supply data extracts, remediation actions, and process descriptions.
Researchers, oversight bodies, and policy organizations that analyze list accuracy and statewide trends.

Clear, consistent reporting helps administrators compare methods, identify weaknesses, and justify resource or procedural changes.

Core Sections to Include in a Professional NASS Submission

A complete report combines policy descriptions, technical procedures, data inventories, validation metrics, recent changes, and certification statements to give a full account of maintenance activity and controls.

Policy Overview

Describe statutory basis, internal policies, and organizational responsibilities governing voter list maintenance.

Data Sources

List source systems (DMV, voter registration database, federal lists) and formats used for updates and matching.

Matching & De-duplication

Explain matching rules, probabilistic thresholds, and procedures for resolving potential duplicates.

Removal Procedures

Document criteria for removals, inactivity processes, notifications, and appeals handling.

Audit & Quality Metrics

Provide recent metrics: rejection rates, match accuracy, corrective actions, and audit findings.

Certification

Include a signed attestation by an authorized official certifying accuracy and completeness of the report.

Stepwise Process to Prepare and Submit the NASS Report

Follow these sequential steps to assemble, validate, and submit the report efficiently.

01

Gather Data: Collect extracts, audit logs, and change summaries for the reporting period.
02

Validate Records: Run de-duplication, field-format checks, and reconcile counts against source systems.
03

Complete Template: Populate the NASS fields, attach supporting extracts, and prepare the certification block.
04

Submit & Retain: Transmit per NASS instructions and archive signed copies and audit trails.

How to Configure an Electronic Workflow for Online Completion

Design an electronic workflow that enforces required fields, captures an audit trail, and secures PII before submission.

Field	Configuration
Required Fields	Enable required validation for reporting entity, dates, and certification signature.
Authentication	Use email+SMS or advanced signer authentication for officials signing the certification.
File Format	Accept PDF/A or CSV extracts for attachments to preserve formatting and metadata.
Audit Trail	Capture timestamps, IP addresses, and action logs for each signer and reviewer.

Where to File, Send, or Submit the Completed NASS Report

Understand submission routing so data reaches NASS and any state-level repositories correctly.

State Submission Portal: Upload final PDF and supporting extracts to the designated state reporting portal.
NASS Central Repository: Send the standardized report copy to the designated NASS contact or data collection channel.
County Offices: Provide county-level summaries or supporting extracts when requested by local officials.
Public Release: Coordinate any public data release with legal counsel to avoid disclosing protected PII.

Distribution and eSubmission Requirements for Electronic Reports

Electronic distribution must protect PII, preserve signatures, and maintain an immutable audit trail.

File Formats: PDF/A for reports; CSV or XML for raw extracts.
Integrations: Integrate with document stores and systems such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or case management systems.
Access Controls: Restrict editing to authorized roles and enable role-based access controls for reviewers.

Use platforms that produce secure, tamper-evident signed PDFs and capture a complete audit trail for every submission.

Required Data Elements and Security Controls

Reporter Identity: Full agency name and authorized official

Reporting Period: Start and end dates in MM/DD/YYYY format

Registrant Counts: Totals by action type (add/update/remove)

Data Sources: Names of source systems and extract formats

Audit Trail: Timestamps, IP addresses, signer details

Encryption Standards: TLS 1.2/1.3 in transit; AES-256 at rest

Consequences of Inaccurate or Incomplete Reporting

Administrative Sanctions: May trigger state-level inquiries or corrective directives; remedies vary by statute.

Loss of Public Trust: Inaccuracies can lead to reputational harm and increased oversight.

Privacy Violations: Inadvertent disclosure of PII may create liability under CCPA or other privacy laws.

Operational Disruption: Incorrect counts or mismatches can require time-consuming data remediation.

Legal Challenges: Material errors may be cited in litigation or contested elections.

Audit Findings: Auditors may require corrective action plans and follow-up reporting.

Common Preparation Mistakes to Avoid

Submitting extracted files with mismatched identifiers or inconsistent column ordering that break automated imports.
Failing to reconcile action totals with source-system counts, creating discrepancies during review.
Including unsecured PII in unencrypted attachments or public reports that violate privacy controls.
Omitting the authorized official’s certification or using an unsigned PDF that invalidates acceptance.

Practical Tips for Accurate, Efficient Report Completion

Adopt consistent data standards and secure workflows to reduce errors and preserve a defensible audit trail.

Standardize Data Exports

Use consistent column names, formats, and identifiers across county extracts to simplify reconciliation and prevent import errors during compilation.

Validate before Submission

Run automated checks for duplicates, missing fields, and format issues; reconcile counts to source systems prior to finalizing the report.

Protect PII

Redact or encrypt sensitive fields for public versions and limit access to signed originals and raw extracts to authorized personnel.

Maintain an Audit Trail

Capture signer identity, timestamps, IP addresses, and version history to support later reviews, audits, or legal inquiries.

Two Typical Use Cases for the NASS Report

These short examples show how agencies document workflow changes and reconciliation outcomes for a reporting period.

State Elections Office

The office compiled monthly extracts and reconciled totals against DMV data for the year

Identified duplicate-removal improvements
The report described updated matching thresholds, documented remediation steps, and included a certified summary for NASS review that enabled peer comparison and process refinement.

County Election Administrator

A county submitted precinct-level updates and removal counts

Noted two-system sync issues
The case narrative explained corrective actions, attached corrected extracts, and provided assurance through a signed certification for state aggregation and inclusion in the NASS dataset.

Timelines and Typical Processing Expectations

Establish internal milestones to ensure timely data collection, validation, and submission aligned with NASS and state schedules.

Data Collection Window:

Allow 2–4 weeks to collect and reconcile county extracts before template completion.

Validation & QA:

Reserve 1–2 weeks for matching, deduplication, and auditor review prior to finalization.

Submission Lead Time:

Plan for at least 3 business days for final approvals and digital signature completion.

Correction Period:

Keep a 30–90 day window post-submission for minor corrections if state or NASS procedures permit.

Retention Start:

Start retention timelines from the document creation or signature date.

FAQs and Troubleshooting for Common Submission Questions

Answers to frequent questions about eSignatures, PII handling, authentication, corrections, and retention when preparing the NASS report.

Need help? Contact support

Can the report be signed electronically?
Yes. Electronic signatures are legally valid under the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. ch. 96) and UETA in most states, provided intent, consent, attribution, and retention requirements are met.
Are notaries or RON required?
Not typically required for the report itself, but state rules may mandate notarized certifications; check your state notary and RON statutes and follow identity‑proofing where necessary.
How should I handle sensitive PII?
Limit PII in public versions, encrypt attachments in transit and at rest, and follow applicable privacy laws such as CCPA and, when health data exists, HIPAA (45 CFR §164.530(j)).
What if I discover an error after submission?
Notify the receiving authority promptly, prepare a corrected extract with a clear explanation, and follow state or NASS correction procedures for amended reports.
Who must sign the certification?
An authorized state or county official with delegated authority should sign; maintain delegation documentation to support signature authority in audits.
How long must I keep report records?
Retain signed reports, extracts, and audit trails per federal and state retention rules; federal guidance and relevant statutes such as IRC §6501(a) and 45 CFR §164.530(j) inform minimum periods.

Comparing Common eSignature Options for NASS Report Workflows

Select an eSignature provider that supports secure PDFs, audit trails, and any required compliance (HIPAA/21 CFR) while matching your volume and integration needs.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free Trial	7-day free trial	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan
Bulk Send	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audit Trail	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA Compliant	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Envelope Cap	No cap	100 envelopes/user/year	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan

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