FAQs

Q: Is there a way to be sure not to duplicate efforts from people in the same state?

A: Challenged records are updated in real time and will be “pulled out” of the sift as citizens work on and challenge each individual record.

Q: Challenged records may be pulled out of the sift, but how do we know they have been followed through with?

A: Our team works behind the scenes to ensure that the challenged records have been submitted successfully.

Q: I’ve signed up on the website many times both prior and after live but never received a response.

A: As long as you have filled out all your information including a valid ID on https://app.iv3.us/registration then you are in the system. We are working diligently to validate each registration. As soon as we are able to verify your information, you will receive an email to continue your registration.

Q: What if I have access to more recent data than what I'm seeing in IV3? Can I send IV3 my updated data?

A: We understand that many of you have access to other voter databases and sometimes your data is more current than what is reflected in IV3. We appreciate the offer but in order to ensure the quality of our data, we are not able to receive any outside data. Our sources are accredited and come directly from the state and we update it periodically. Our next update will be after the Primaries.

Q: What is a challenge?

A: A challenge is a request made by a registered voter to their local elections administrator to review a potentially ineligible voter registration record. A challenge is not a request to remove a registration, it is simply a request that it be reviewed by your county election office to see if it meets the criteria to be included in the county's process for reviewing and cleaning voter rolls. This is very important to note as counties will often push back if they are requested to "remove" a registration and rightfully so. We are not asking them to bypass their existing process. We are asking if we can assist and provide registrations that may not have already been flagged.

Q: Where do the "challenged" records go after I click on "Challenge this Record?"

A: The challenged records remain in the IV3 database until you download and submit your challenges to your local county elections office. You can find your state challenge guidelines HERE as. You can view your challenges in the My Challenges section of your dashboard.

Q: Does the “My Challenges” list only contain the records that I have challenged in IV3?

A: Yes. You will only see the records you have challenged. The pie chart however will show all records challenged in your county by yourself and other volunteers.

Q: When do you click "No Challenge" versus "Skip?"

A: If you don't feel there is enough evidence to challenge a record then we recommend you select skip. If you select "No Challenge" you can add notes as to why you felt this record did not meet the criteria for a challenge. Other users who come across this record will see your notes.

Q: How do I challenge more than one record at a time?

A: You must look at and challenge each record individually. As you challenge records they will accrue in your account.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of challenges I can submit in a day/week?

A: You will need to check with your county elections office regarding this question. We suggest that you do not submit more than 100 records at a time.

Q: I have now challenged multiple records. What is my next step?

A: Click on the red "Export" button in your My Challenges section. Check for the file in your downloads folder. The spreadsheet will contain all the voter registrations that you have challenged in IV3. Start by checking your state challenge guidelines spreadsheet. Next, reach out to your local county elections board office and ask them what their process is for submitting challenges. You may need a cover letter and/or affidavit along with your challenge spreadsheet which may be available on the state guidelines spreadsheet. We recommend printing the "Data Details" PDF that is available next to the export button and submitting it with your challenges.

Q: What is the title of the person that we should ask as to the correct process for challenging a record?

A: The Secretary of State is generally familiar with the process in your county and state. You can also reach out to your local county election board for information.

Q: Can I challenge and/or check voter registrations in another county/state?

A: No. You are only permitted to view and challenge records in the county in which you are registered to vote.

Q: Do challenged records show up on the challenged voters’ records?

A: The state will typically send a notice to the voter that they have been challenged which gives them the opportunity to respond. Some counties will hold hearings where the voter and challenger may be required to show up. In all cases, the voter will be notified in some way. IV3 supports the county process for voter roll cleanup and trusts that the counties will follow their process so that only invalid registrations will be processed and valid registrations will remain untouched. It is the responsibility of the county to ensure this.

Q: Can you get sued for incorrect challenges?

A: It can happen. With that said, if you properly manage the process, remain respectful, and are simply providing information to your county in the hopes that they take action, the odds of being sued decrease.

Q: What is IV3 searching for?

A: IV3 is searching for voter registration records that should be considered for a challenge on the basis of one or more disqualifying conditions.

Q: What factors does IV3 check when inspecting voter rolls?

A: IV3 reviews records for a variety of criteria, including duplication of records, residency status, phantom records, and insufficient completions. Our initial query cross references a voter's registration address with the USPS NCOALink database address. If the system finds a substantive discrepancy it will flag the record in the IV3 Identified Records for Review. IV3 is continually expanding and we plan to offer more queries in the future.

Q: What would I use’ search by name’ or ‘search by address’ for?

A: These searches allow you to search for specific records in your local voter rolls.

Q: Does IV3 flag addresses that do not have a USPS delivery address?

A: Yes. Those are flagged as “invalid addresses”. Not all invalid addresses meet the criteria for a challenge. It is up to the user to do their due diligence and research the registration in question. Assumptions should never be made that just because USPS has it listed as invalid that all registrations at that address are therefore invalid. Instead of an official challenge, you can also bring any registrations that are suspect to your county elections office to bring to their attention. They can confirm or deny if the registration meets the criteria for a challenge.

Q: What does it mean if it says “N/A” next to last voted date?

A: N/A means Not Applicable. We would need to look into this voter's record and determine what is causing their last voted to display as N/A.

Q: Why am I not seeing my most recent voted date represented as my “last voted date”?

A: There are several reasons why this could occur. The most common reason is that the date we received data from the state predates the most recent election. You can determine this by the ‘as of’ data associated with the state data, as shown on your dashboard. It is also possible that there is an error in the state’s recording of your vote. If your record does not reflect your vote, and the ‘as of’ date is after the most election, then we encourage you to select ‘challenge’ and add this information as a note in the record. This will flag our team to take a closer look.

Q: How do we look up a record for a deceased individual?

A: If you are personally aware of a family member, friend, neighbor, or someone by name who is deceased, you may choose to use Search by Name to locate that person's record and file a challenge if their record is listed as Active. You will need to upload additional information such as an obituary, nature of relationship, and any other relevant information pertaining to how you became aware of the voter's death. You can add this information to the free text box that will appear once you select challenge.

Q: Does the IV3 system update in real time?

A: In IV3, the Pi chart updates in real time as people are challenging records. The records themselves are updated approximately twice a year and the data comes directly from the state.

Q: Are property tax records included in the database?

A: No.

Q: Can I use IV3 to remove illegal immigrants?

A: IV3 does not check for citizenship. There are federal databases with that information, but no state has access to the level of necessary in order to make an educated decision about citizenship. They are given access to a database called SAVE (or something similar) that only provides the last 4 digits of a SSN.

Q: If I am searching by address do I put in the abbreviated street such as ‘Dr’ for drive or do I type it out?

A: You may need to try both. Start with one option and if that doesn’t work try the other. IV3’s search feature uses only the data provided to us by the state or county, which can vary in format and accuracy.

Q: If I am searching by name, do I use the individual’s full legal name or what they commonly go by?

A: You may need to try both. Start with the person’s full legal name and if that doesn’t work try the other. IV3’s search feature uses only the data provided to us by the state or county, which can vary in format and accuracy. Middle name and suffix are not required fields.

Q: When a voter lives at a multi-unit housing complex, but does not provide a unit number, is that grounds for a challenge?

A: No

Q: Are we supposed to copy/paste the Address Notes into the "Please add any additional information..." box before clicking submit?

A: No, address notes will automatically accompany the challenged record.

Q: Do I need to visually confirm that the individual is no longer permanently residing at that address?

A: NO. Please DO NOT contact any voter whose record appears in IV3 in any attempt to resolve accuracy. Directly contacting voters using IV3 information is a violation of our terms of service/user agreement and will result in the immediate termination of the volunteer's account. This is for your safety, the citizen's safety, and the integrity of True the Vote and the IV3 program.

Q: Are commercial or business addresses acceptable for a voter’s registration?

A: There are many instances where commercial addresses can be used for a voter registration. This often included apartment buildings, dorms, government offices, homeless shelters etc. If it is unclear whether it meets the criteria for a challenge we suggest reaching out to your county election office and asking vefore you submit an official challenge. With business addresses, it can be tricky. With the Covid-19 pandemic came an increase in the number of people working from home offices or running small businesses from their homes. We ask that you use your best judgment when reviewing business and commercial addresses and determining a residence compared to a place of business. Please review our help desk article on non-standard addresses for more details.

Q: How do college students register to vote if they live at college?

A: College students have some flexibility when it comes to their registration location, depending on the state. Students can choose to remain registered at their home address OR they can update their registration to their address where they attend school and vote there. Either option is legal, and they can legally be registered in both (though not ideal) but can not vote in both. Click here to read our article on college students.

Q: How are military voter registrations handled?

A: We recognize that military residence addresses can be confusing. Our databases do screen for military addresses, but there are still exceptions that can result in inaccurate military record challenges. Our guidance is to skip these addresses whenever possible. Click Here to read our article on military personnel.

Q: Do voters need to register a move even if it is within the same county?

A: If a voter moves, it is a best practice to notify the county of the new address. This ensures that correspondence will be directed to the correct address.

Q: Is the registration date the date on which a voter first casts a vote, when they first became eligible to vote, or when they were registered to vote?

A: The registration date reflects the date on which a new voter registration application is approved.

Q: Are IV3 challenges relevant to the 2020 election?

A: No, IV3 Challenges do not have anything to do with votes cast in the 2020 General Election. All challenges are based on current record information.

Q: Can a voter be registered in two counties?

A: Yes. Voter registration records are notoriously inaccurate. In the interest of voter tool accuracy, a voter should be registered only once. Unfortunately, multiple registrations are all too common.

Q: Why are there not more registrations available for review?

A: IV3 presents all records that have been flagged for review according the selected query (ex. Residency based reviews). If no records are available for review it is either because all records have already been reviewed by other volunteers in your county or that there are no records for review, though this would be highly unlikely.

Q: When I search for myself it says NA next to last voted date even though I have voted in recent elections. What does this mean?

A: Not to worry, NA just means the voting date didn’t transfer with the voter file from the state. There is nothing you need to do.

Q: When does one use IV3 vs Ground Fusion?

A: Ground Fusion supports not only election integrity efforts but also campaigns. It holds 211 million voter records and each record has several hundred data elements attached to it for “microtargeting”, from a national level down to a household level. Users can ID individuals who are registered in more than one state. Ground Fusion also makes it possible to move at a much bigger, faster scale. (This platform is subscription based and designed for smaller grassroots organizations, bigger organizations, and political groups. We've supported efforts that enable smaller groups at no cost to make this as accessible as we possibly can.)

Q: How can I reach out to you directly?

A: You can reach us directly via the red chat box in the lower right corner or by emailing us at [email protected]

Q: How do I access the help desk?

A: A link to the help desk is located at the top of your IV3 page. You can also click HERE.