CERA Records Management and Public Records 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), how long must a state retain voter registration records and related materials?
- At least 12 months
- At least 22 months (Correct answer)
- At least 36 months
- At least 48 months
Correct answer: At least 22 months
The NVRA requires states to retain voter registration records for at least 22 months after a federal election.
Question 2: Which federal law primarily governs public access to federal agency records but also influences state-level public records practices in election offices?
- Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (Correct answer)
- National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)
- Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)
Correct answer: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
FOIA governs federal agency records and serves as the model for many state open-records statutes that election offices must comply with.
Question 3: A records retention schedule in an election office primarily serves to:
- Limit public access to sensitive documents
- Define how long specific record types must be kept before disposal (Correct answer)
- Ensure all records are digitized within one year
- Restrict staff access to voter data
Correct answer: Define how long specific record types must be kept before disposal
A records retention schedule specifies the mandatory storage period for each category of record and authorizes their destruction once that period expires.
Question 4: When an election office receives a public records request for a voter registration list, which type of information is most commonly exempt from disclosure?
- Voter's name
- Voter's registered party affiliation
- Voter's Social Security number (Correct answer)
- Voter's voting history
Correct answer: Voter's Social Security number
Social Security numbers are protected personal identifiers and are universally exempt from public disclosure in voter registration records.
Question 5: Which term describes the documented chain of custody showing how a record has been handled, transferred, and stored over time?
- Audit log
- Provenance record
- Chain of custody (Correct answer)
- Disposition authority
Correct answer: Chain of custody
Chain of custody documents every transfer and handling of a record, which is critical for demonstrating its integrity and authenticity.
Question 6: An election office wants to destroy paper voter registration forms that have exceeded the retention period. What must the office obtain before destroying these records?
- Approval from the Secretary of State only
- A disposition authority or records destruction authorization (Correct answer)
- A court order authorizing destruction
- Written consent from affected voters
Correct answer: A disposition authority or records destruction authorization
A disposition authority (destruction authorization) from the appropriate records management body must be obtained before official records are destroyed to ensure legal compliance.
Question 7: Which type of records management system stores documents in their original digital format and allows for keyword searching and retrieval?
- Microfilm archive
- Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) (Correct answer)
- Physical filing cabinet index
- Optical character recognition (OCR) only system
Correct answer: Electronic Document Management System (EDMS)
An Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) stores digital documents with metadata and full-text search capabilities, improving efficiency for election offices.
CERA Records Management and Public Records 1
Under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), how long must a state retain voter registration records and related materials?