Voter List Maintenance Dashboard Terms
Active voter – A registered voter in Georgia who has remained in contact with the election system in the last five years by voting, requesting an absentee ballot, signing a petition, or updating the residential address through either the Department of Driver Services or directly with the local elections office.
Best Practices – All best practices referred to in the dashboard are drawn from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Best Practices: Voter List Maintenance (March 2023).
Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) – The state’s agency that provides driver and identity credentials for residents.
Geographic Information System (GIS) – A mapping technology that integrates location and descriptive data to understand patterns, relationships, and geographic context. In addition to using GIS software (e.g., Esri), county election offices may incorporate GIS technology through various avenues (e.g., Qpublic, Georgia regional commissions, USPS).
GeorgiA Registered Voter & information System (GARViS) – A centralized platform hosted by the Georgia Office of the Secretary of State that is used for election administration, including storing information on voter account activity.
- GARViS Tiles – Workflows for managing election administration tasks, such as processing voter address or name changes submitted via DDS or My Voter Page or voter updates identified by the Georgia Office of the Secretary of State (e.g., felony convictions, duplicate records).
- Records to Review – A GARViS workflow in which county election staff must review records that have been flagged due to potential errors (e.g., missing addresses).
Help America Vote Act (HAVA) – Federal legislation passed in 2002 that established funding for states to improve federal election administration and replace punch card voting systems, established the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and established minimum election administration standards for state and local governments.
Inactive voter – A registered voter who has not had contact with elections officials for five years (i.e., not voted, signed petition, etc.). Inactive voters may vote, request an absentee ballot, or sign a petition.
List maintenance – The ongoing process of updating and removing voters from the registration database to help ensure a current and accurate voter list.
My Voter Page (MVP) – A website maintained by the Georgia Office of the Secretary of State that enables individuals to search voting related information such as voter registration status and mail-in application and ballot status.
National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) – Federal legislation passed in 1993 that established voter registration and list maintenance requirements for federal elections, such as requiring that states offer voter registration opportunities at motor vehicle agencies, certain state and local offices, and by mail.
Peak processing time – Periods characterized by high-volume workloads, such as near voter registration deadlines and when conducting statewide list maintenance activities.
Pending voter – Individuals whose voter registration applications are under review due to missing or incorrect information.
Secretary of State (SOS) – The state’s chief election official. The Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State provides voter registration information, maintains the official voter list, and performs other duties required by law.
Survey – The information presented in the dashboard is primarily based on a survey administered to all county election offices in September 2025. Of the 159 counties, 148 provided a response but two of those counties’ responses are not included in the dashboard.
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