Election Law Toolkit: Registration, Challenges, Recounts, and Campaign Compliance

Summary. Forms, letters, and worksheets for voters, candidates, observers, and anyone testifying about a map.

Tool 1 — Household registration verification log

Do this every January. An inactive status, a stale address, or a changed signature is trivially fixable in January and a crisis in October.

Tool 2 — Absentee ballot request and tracking

To: [County Clerk / Election Office] Re: Request for absentee/mail ballot — [name], DOB [ ], registered address [ ]

I request an absentee/mail ballot for the [date] election. [If required: my reason is ___.] Please mail it to [address], and please confirm receipt of this request.

[If eligible:] I request to be placed on the permanent/annual absentee list so that a ballot is sent for each election in the cycle.

Please advise: the date my ballot will be mailed; the return deadline and whether it is receipt or postmark; the ballot tracking method; and the procedure and deadline for curing a signature or envelope defect.

Tracking log

Tool 3 — Ballot cure response

To: [County Clerk], Re: Cure of ballot defect — [name], voter ID [ ], election [date]

I received notice dated [ ] that my ballot was [rejected / flagged] because [signature mismatch / missing signature / missing witness / other].

I affirm that I am the registered voter named above and that I personally completed and returned this ballot. Enclosed is [the completed cure affidavit / a copy of my identification / an updated signature exemplar].

I request that my ballot be counted. Please confirm in writing that the cure has been accepted and the ballot counted, and advise if anything further is required before the cure deadline of [date].

Act the day you learn of the defect. Cure periods are measured in days.

Tool 4 — Polling place incident report

Date/time: [ ] Location: [ ] Precinct: [ ] Poll worker name(s)/badge: [ ] What happened: [Exactly what was said, by whom, and what occurred. Quote where possible.] What I requested: [Provisional ballot / emergency paper ballot / assistance / supervisor] What was provided: [ ] Provisional ballot issued? ☐ yes ☐ no — receipt/tracking no.: [ ] Wait time: [ ] Number in line: [ ] Witnesses: [names and contact] Reported to: ☐ county election office ☐ election protection hotline ☐ [state] Secretary of State

Follow-up: Was the provisional ballot counted? [ ] If not, reason given: [ ]

Tool 5 — Accommodation request

To: [County Election Office] Re: Accessibility accommodation request — [name], precinct [ ], election [date]

I am a registered voter with a disability affecting [mobility / vision / hearing / dexterity / cognition]. For the [date] election I request: ☐ Confirmation that an accessible voting system will be available and operational at my polling place; ☐ Curbside voting, with the procedure for requesting it on site; ☐ Assistance from a person of my choosing; ☐ An accessible absentee ballot delivered in [electronic / large print / other] format; ☐ [Other: ___]

Please confirm in writing what will be provided and the procedure to follow on election day, and provide a contact number I may call from the polling place if the accommodation is unavailable.

Tool 6 — Public records requests (election records)

Voter file

I request the statewide voter registration file [or: the file for (county/district)], in electronic format, including for each record: name, residence address, mailing address, registration date, status, party affiliation where recorded, precinct and district assignments, and vote history for the past [N] elections. Please advise of any fields restricted by law, the applicable fee, and any use restrictions.

Election administration records

I request: the procedures manual and poll worker training materials for the [date] election; the polling place list and any consolidation decisions; the chain-of-custody logs for [precincts]; the provisional ballot log, including the number issued, counted, and rejected with reasons; the mail ballot rejection log by reason; the canvass and certification documents; and any post-election audit reports.

Note the use restrictions. Many states restrict commercial use of the voter file and require an affirmation. Read and comply.

Tool 7 — Candidate filing checklist

File early in the window. Curable defects are curable only while the window is open.

Tool 8 — Petition validation worksheet

Running totals: raw ____ · valid ____ · required ____ · ratio ____

Circulator affidavit audit

A defective affidavit can invalidate every signature on the sheet. Audit these first.

Tool 9 — Petition challenge response outline

1. The challenge is untimely / insufficiently specific. [The statute requires a challenge within ___ and requires identification of each signature challenged and the ground. The challenge does neither as to ___.] 2. Presumption of validity. [Under (state) law, signatures are presumed valid and the challenger bears the burden as to each.] 3. Signature-by-signature response. [Table: challenged signature, ground asserted, our response, evidence.] 4. Circulator testimony. [Circulator ___ will testify that they personally witnessed each signature on sheets ___.] 5. Rehabilitation. [Where permitted: affidavits from ___ voters confirming they signed.] 6. Sufficiency. [Even accepting the challenger's position as to ___, ___ valid signatures remain against a requirement of ___.]

Tool 10 — Committee registration and contribution intake

Registration checklist

• Committee registered before the first dollar raised or spent
• Separate bank account opened (never a personal account)
• Treasurer appointed; personal liability understood
• Assumed name / DBA filings if required
• Federal employer identification number obtained
• Reporting schedule entered on a calendar
• Recordkeeping system in place before the first contribution

Contribution intake form

Prohibited source screen: ☐ corporation (where prohibited) ☐ foreign national ☐ contribution in the name of another ☐ government contractor ☐ anonymous over the threshold ☐ cash over the threshold

Tool 11 — Excessive contribution refund / reattribution

Refund

Thank you for your support. Your contribution of $[ ] received [date] exceeds the limit of $[ ] applicable to this committee. We are refunding $[ ] by [check no. ___ / the original payment method]. We are grateful for your support within the limit and we are required to make this refund within [period].

Reattribution (where permitted)

Your contribution of $[ ] exceeds the individual limit of $[ ]. Where a contribution is made from a joint account, the excess may be reattributed to the other account holder. If you and [name] wish to reattribute $[ ] to [name], please both sign and return this letter within [period]. If we do not hear from you, we will refund the excess.

Tool 12 — Disclaimer language and placement

Paid for by [Committee Name]. [Add "Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee" for independent expenditures, and the address or web address where required.]

Placement checklist

• Print: legible, contrasting, in a box where required, minimum type size
• Signs and billboards: per the size rules
• Digital display and video: on-screen for the required duration
• Audio: spoken, with the required "I approve this message" statement where applicable
• Text messages and robocalls: per the rules, plus separate telecommunications requirements
• Email and website: footer on every page and message
• Platform political advertising verification completed (separate from legal requirements)

Tool 13 — Coordination firewall memorandum

To: All staff, consultants, and vendors Re: Independent expenditure firewall

Federal and state law treat an expenditure coordinated with this campaign as a contribution subject to limits. To prevent inadvertent coordination:

1. No one associated with this campaign may discuss with any independent group, or its agents, our plans, projects, activities, needs, strategy, timing, targeting, message, media buys, or polling.
2. Do not respond to inquiries from independent groups. Refer them to counsel.
3. Shared vendors are prohibited without prior written approval by counsel and a documented firewall within the vendor.
4. Former staff. Anyone leaving for an independent group must not carry material non-public campaign information. Exit interviews will document this.
5. Public information. Do not "signal" through public communications, and consult counsel before publishing anything resembling strategy, targeting, or media plans.
6. Report contacts. Any contact from an independent group must be reported to [name] the same day.

Acknowledged: ____________________ [name, date]

Tool 14 — Reporting calendar

Tool 15 — Recount observer instructions and ballot objection log

Instructions for observers

1. Bring credentials, identification, and the contact number for counsel. Sign in.
2. Do not touch ballots or equipment. Do not speak to voters or workers except through the designated coordinator.
3. Record: seal numbers on containers before opening; chain-of-custody log entries; the number of ballots in each batch; the running tally.
4. Watch for: containers opened without seal verification; ballots duplicated (damaged ballots re-marked) without both originals and duplicates being tracked; inconsistent application of voter-intent standards across tables.
5. Make objections through the coordinator, on the record, identifying the specific ballot.
6. Photograph nothing unless expressly permitted.
7. Report anomalies immediately; do not confront.

Ballot objection log

Tool 16 — Election contest outline

1. Jurisdiction and timeliness. [Statute; the certification date; this filing within ___ days.] 2. Standing. [Candidate / elector, as the statute requires.] 3. The margin. The certified margin is ___ votes. 4. Ground one — ineligible votes counted. [Identified voters, by name and basis of ineligibility, totaling ___ votes. Evidence: ___.] 5. Ground two — legal votes excluded. [Identified ballots, by identifier and reason for exclusion, totaling ___ votes. Evidence: ___.] 6. Ground three — error in tabulation or custody. [The specific batch, the specific failure, the number of ballots affected. Evidence: ___.] 7. Materiality. The identified votes total ___, which exceeds the margin of ___. 8. Relief. [Correct the count / count excluded ballots / (rarely) new election.]

The burden is the case. Without identified ballots totaling more than the margin, a contest fails regardless of the law.

Tool 17 — Redistricting testimony template

My name is [ ]. I live at [ ], in [precinct/neighborhood], and I am testifying about the [congressional / legislative / county / city / school board] map.

The community. The neighborhoods of [name them] function as a single community. We share: [the school attendance zone / the hospital and clinic / the transit line / the watershed or floodplain / the commercial corridor / the library district / the same emergency services].

Evidence of shared interest. We have organized together on [the specific issues], through [the specific organizations], as reflected in [attendance at these meetings, this petition, this coalition].

The problem with the proposed map. The proposed [District ___] splits this community at [the specific street or boundary], placing [these neighborhoods] with [that distant area], with which we share [nothing / only this].

What I am asking for. Keep [these neighborhoods] together by [the specific change: moving the boundary from ___ to ___]. I have attached [a map / a proposed alternative] showing that this change [maintains population equality within ___ / preserves compactness / respects the county line].

Attachments. [Map; population figures; supporting documentation.]

Be specific. "Keep our area together" changes nothing. A named boundary, a named alternative, and evidence of shared institutions changes maps.

Related documents

• Election Law and Voting Rights
• Voting and Running for Office
• Election Administration and Voter Rights Checklist
• Administrative Practice Toolkit
• Self-Represented Litigant Toolkit
• Nonprofit Formation and Tax-Exempt Status Under Section 501(c)(3)

Templates are starting points, not filings. Election law is state and local law; deadlines are extremely short and rules change between cycles. Verify with your state and county election authority before using any of this.