Information Collection Activity; Study of Voter Hotlines Operated by Election Offices, 28038-28039 [07-2466]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
28038
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 96 / Friday, May 18, 2007 / Notices
including six new questions. The
purpose of this notice is to allow an
additional 30 days for public comments.
Comments are encouraged and will be
accepted until June 18, 2007. This
process is conducted in accordance with
5 CFR 1320.10. Comments are invited
on: (a) Whether the proposed collection
of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the proposed
information collection; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information to be collected; and
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the
information collection on respondents,
including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before June 18, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations on the proposed
information collection should be sent to:
OMB Reviewer: Alexander T. Hunt,
Office of Management and Budget,
Room 10235, New Executive Office
Building, Washington, DC 20503, (202)
395–7316.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request more information on this
proposed information collection or to
obtain a copy of the proposal and
associated collection instruments,
please, write to the above address or call
Ms. Karen Lynn-Dyson at (202) 566–
3100.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title:
Study of the Feasibility and Advisability
of Establishing a Program of Free Return
or Reduced Postage for Absentee
Ballots—Survey of Registered Voters.
OMB Number: Pending.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Needs and Uses: Sec. 246 of the Help
America Vote Act requires the Election
Assistance Commission (EAC), in
consultation with the United States
Postal Service, to conduct a study of the
feasibility and advisability of
establishing a program under which the
U.S. Postal Service shall waive or
otherwise reduce the amount of postage
applicable with respect to absentee
ballots returned by voters in general
elections for Federal office. This study
does not address the cost to the U.S.
Postal Service for free postage for
sending absentee ballots but may
consider costs to election officials that
are related to implementing such a
program including the costs of sending
absentee ballots to voters. It also does
not include consideration of the 39
U.S.C. 3406 provisions for the mailing
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:06 May 17, 2007
Jkt 211001
of balloting materials for military and
overseas absentee voters. As part of the
study the Commission is directed to
conduct a survey of potential
beneficiaries, including the elderly and
disabled, and to take into account the
results of this survey in determining the
feasibility and advisability of
establishing such a program. At the
conclusion of the study effort, EAC is
required to submit a report to Congress
with recommendations for such
legislative and administrative action as
EAC determines appropriate. The report
shall contain an analysis of the
feasibility of implementing such a
program and an estimate of the costs.
Affected Public: U.S. Citizens.
Number of Respondents: 1,200.
Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Burden per Response: .25
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 300 hours.
Information will be collected through
a survey of U.S. citizens to determine
the possible effect that a free and/or
reduced cost absentee ballot postage
program would have on voter
participation. The sample will be
designed in such a way so as to afford
analysis of the results according to
significant sub-groups including those
living in states with high versus low
rates of absentee voting and states with
restrictive versus states with laws
favoring absentee voting. The surveys
will be representative of the U.S.
population in the fifty U.S. states and
will be conducted by phone using
random digit dialing (RDD) technology.
Within each contacted household, a
respondent will be selected among all
adults in the household aged 18 years
and older. The following information
will be requested from each respondent.
1. Background Information
The survey will gather data regarding
each respondent’s background.
Background information will include,
the respondent’s location, the location
of the respondent’s voter registration,
age, ethnicity, education, income
bracket, whether the respondent is
living with a disability, and whether the
respondent is currently an active-duty
member of the armed forces (or a
dependent thereof).
2. Voting Information
The survey will gather data regarding
the respondent’s voting history. Voting
information will include, registration
status, whether the respondent voted in
the 2006 Congressional election,
whether the respondent voted in the
2004 Presidential election, whether the
respondent voted in the 2000
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Presidential election, the method the
respondent voted in past elections (in
person, by mail, absentee), whether the
respondent is eligible to vote absentee
(or whether the respondent does not
know).
3. Program Effect
The survey will gather data from all
respondents regarding the various
effects that the establishment of this
program would have on the targeted
citizens. Questions on the program will
cover (1) Whether the program will
increase the likelihood that the
respondent would use the absentee
ballot process; (2) whether the program
will increase the likelihood that the
respondent would vote in a federal
election; (3) whether the program will
make it easier for the voter to participate
in elections.
Thomas R. Wilkey,
Executive Director, U.S. Election Assistance
Commission.
[FR Doc. 07–2465 Filed 5–17–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820–KF–M
ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Information Collection Activity; Study
of Voter Hotlines Operated by Election
Offices
U.S. Election Assistance
Commission (EAC).
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Election Assistance
Commission has submitted the
following information collection request
to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and clearance in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. The information
collection was previously published in
the Federal Register on February 7,
2007, at 72 FR 5682. No comments were
received during the 60-day public
comment period; changes were made to
collection instrument to improve and
clarify the data being collected,
including three new questions. The
purpose of this notice is to allow an
additional 30 days for public comments.
Comments are encouraged and will be
accepted until June 18, 2007. This
process is conducted in accordance with
5 CFR 1320.10. Comments are invited
on: (a) Whether the proposed collection
of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the proposed
information collection; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM
18MYN1
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 96 / Friday, May 18, 2007 / Notices
of the information to be collected; and
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the
information collection on respondents,
including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before June 18, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations on the proposed
information collection must be sent to:
OMB Reviewer: Alexander T. Hunt,
Office of Management and Budget,
Room 10235, New Executive Office
Building, Washington, DC 20503, (202)
395–7316.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request more information on this
proposed information collection or to
obtain a copy of the proposal and
associated collection instruments,
please, write to the above address or call
Ms. Karen Lynn-Dyson at (202) 5663100.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Study of Voter Hotlines
Operated by Election Offices.
OMB Number: Pending.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Needs and Uses: Section 241(b)(9) of
the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
requires the U.S. Election Assistance
Commission (EAC) to periodically study
election administration issues,
including methods of educating voters
about the process of registering to vote
and voting, the operation of voting
mechanisms, the location of polling
places, and all other aspects of
participating in elections. Furthermore,
Section 245(a)(2)(C) of HAVA indicates
that the EAC may investigate the impact
new communications or Internet
technology systems used in the electoral
process could have on voter
participation rates, voter education, and
public accessibility. In 2005, the EAC
undertook a research study of voter
hotline data available online to
determine trends. A voter hotline was
defined as a toll-free line that connects
voters with elections offices, which then
disseminate information and educate
voters. The EAC found several hotlines
in operation during the 2004
Presidential election, and their
sponsorship and capabilities varied to a
great degree. To build on and augment
these research findings, the EAC wishes
to conduct a study to determine the
current state of voter information
hotlines that are operated by Federal,
State, and local election offices.
Affected Public: Federal, State, and
local election offices.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
1937.
Responses per Respondent: 1.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:06 May 17, 2007
Jkt 211001
Estimated Burden per Response: .5
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 968.5 hours.
Information will be collected through
a survey of existing hotline services
operated by Federal, State, and local
government agencies and election
offices during the 2006 primary and
general elections. The data collected
will include information on voter
hotlines operated by election offices and
their features, including, but not limited
to:
1. Basic Information. Hotline hours of
operation, type of information available
through the hotline, automated or nonautomated service, links to other
sources of voting information.
2. Costs. Breakdown of cost based on
volume, cost of database maintenance
per record, and all personnel and
administrative costs of the service.
3. Features. Important factors include,
but are not limited to: (1) Languages
used, (2) disability-compliant features,
(3) touch tone and voice services, (4)
voice response options, and (5) ability
for interactivity with additional
databases (for example interactivity
with a voter registration database).
4. Network Capacity. Number of calls
capable of being routed per hour and the
number of incoming calls that can be
received.
5. Call Tracking. How calls are logged
or tracked, how they are routed, and the
types or categories of calls received.
6. Hotline personnel. Number of
hotline operators and methods by which
hotline operators are trained, the
frequency of their training and how they
are monitored for accuracy, currency,
security, and other critical performance
variables.
7. Methods by which the network
operator maintains the accuracy and
currency of the data. Important factors
include, but are not limited to how
regularly updates are made and qualitycontrol procedures.
8. Maintenance agreements with
service providers. Percentage of hotlines
that outsource all or part of the Hotline,
and experiences working with
contractors?
9. Timelines for database creation,
contractor integration, and final testing
before launch.
10. Security measures to ensure that
data in the call-routing network is
confidential.
11. Other information such as: Who
the intended audience is; demographic,
political and socioeconomic information
of the community served; cost of
publicizing the service and effectiveness
of various publicity methods; and
lessons learned.
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
28039
A report on the key findings of the
study, along with recommendations for
the development and implementation of
voter hotlines, will be made available to
election officials and the public at the
conclusion of this effort.The report will
include a state-by-state compendium of
the existing voter hotlines and their
features. The report will be made
available on the EAC Web site at
https://www.eac.gov.
Signed:
Thomas R. Wilkey,
Executive Director, U.S. Election Assistance
Commission.
[FR Doc. 07–2466 Filed 7–17–07; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 6820–KF–M
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP07–380–000]
Avista Corporation; Notice of
Abbreviated Application for Order
Authorizing Abandonment of Limited
Jurisdiction Certificates
May 14, 2007.
On May 7, 2007, Avista Corporation
(Avista Corp) filed an abbreviated
application pursuant to section 7(b) of
the Natural Gas Act (NGA), and part 157
of the Commission’s Rules and
Regulations, requesting authorization to
abandon limited jurisdiction certificates
of public convenience and necessity,
originally issued in 1983 and 1990,
under which Terasen Gas and Cascade
Natural Gas Corporation temporarily
used a portion of Avista Corp’s storage
capacity and deliverability at the
Jackson Prairie Storage Project.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest this filing must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and
385.214). Protests will be considered by
the Commission in determining the
appropriate action to be taken, but will
not serve to make protestants parties to
the proceeding. Any person wishing to
become a party must file a notice of
intervention or motion to intervene, as
appropriate. Such notices, motions, or
protests must be filed on or before the
date as indicated below. Anyone filing
an intervention or protest must serve a
copy of that document on the Applicant.
Anyone filing an intervention or protest
on or before the intervention or protest
date need not serve motions to intervene
or protests on persons other than the
Applicant.
E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM
18MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 96 (Friday, May 18, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28038-28039]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2466]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Information Collection Activity; Study of Voter Hotlines Operated
by Election Offices
AGENCY: U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has submitted the
following information collection request to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection was
previously published in the Federal Register on February 7, 2007, at 72
FR 5682. No comments were received during the 60-day public comment
period; changes were made to collection instrument to improve and
clarify the data being collected, including three new questions. The
purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public
comments. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until June 18,
2007. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity
[[Page 28039]]
of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden
of the information collection on respondents, including through the use
of automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before June 18, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations on the proposed
information collection must be sent to:
OMB Reviewer: Alexander T. Hunt, Office of Management and Budget,
Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, (202)
395-7316.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and
associated collection instruments, please, write to the above address
or call Ms. Karen Lynn-Dyson at (202) 566-3100.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Study of Voter Hotlines Operated by Election Offices.
OMB Number: Pending.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Needs and Uses: Section 241(b)(9) of the Help America Vote Act
(HAVA) requires the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to
periodically study election administration issues, including methods of
educating voters about the process of registering to vote and voting,
the operation of voting mechanisms, the location of polling places, and
all other aspects of participating in elections. Furthermore, Section
245(a)(2)(C) of HAVA indicates that the EAC may investigate the impact
new communications or Internet technology systems used in the electoral
process could have on voter participation rates, voter education, and
public accessibility. In 2005, the EAC undertook a research study of
voter hotline data available online to determine trends. A voter
hotline was defined as a toll-free line that connects voters with
elections offices, which then disseminate information and educate
voters. The EAC found several hotlines in operation during the 2004
Presidential election, and their sponsorship and capabilities varied to
a great degree. To build on and augment these research findings, the
EAC wishes to conduct a study to determine the current state of voter
information hotlines that are operated by Federal, State, and local
election offices.
Affected Public: Federal, State, and local election offices.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 1937.
Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Burden per Response: .5 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 968.5 hours.
Information will be collected through a survey of existing hotline
services operated by Federal, State, and local government agencies and
election offices during the 2006 primary and general elections. The
data collected will include information on voter hotlines operated by
election offices and their features, including, but not limited to:
1. Basic Information. Hotline hours of operation, type of
information available through the hotline, automated or non-automated
service, links to other sources of voting information.
2. Costs. Breakdown of cost based on volume, cost of database
maintenance per record, and all personnel and administrative costs of
the service.
3. Features. Important factors include, but are not limited to: (1)
Languages used, (2) disability-compliant features, (3) touch tone and
voice services, (4) voice response options, and (5) ability for
interactivity with additional databases (for example interactivity with
a voter registration database).
4. Network Capacity. Number of calls capable of being routed per
hour and the number of incoming calls that can be received.
5. Call Tracking. How calls are logged or tracked, how they are
routed, and the types or categories of calls received.
6. Hotline personnel. Number of hotline operators and methods by
which hotline operators are trained, the frequency of their training
and how they are monitored for accuracy, currency, security, and other
critical performance variables.
7. Methods by which the network operator maintains the accuracy and
currency of the data. Important factors include, but are not limited to
how regularly updates are made and quality-control procedures.
8. Maintenance agreements with service providers. Percentage of
hotlines that outsource all or part of the Hotline, and experiences
working with contractors?
9. Timelines for database creation, contractor integration, and
final testing before launch.
10. Security measures to ensure that data in the call-routing
network is confidential.
11. Other information such as: Who the intended audience is;
demographic, political and socioeconomic information of the community
served; cost of publicizing the service and effectiveness of various
publicity methods; and lessons learned.
A report on the key findings of the study, along with
recommendations for the development and implementation of voter
hotlines, will be made available to election officials and the public
at the conclusion of this effort.The report will include a state-by-
state compendium of the existing voter hotlines and their features. The
report will be made available on the EAC Web site at https://
www.eac.gov.
Signed:
Thomas R. Wilkey,
Executive Director, U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
[FR Doc. 07-2466 Filed 7-17-07; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 6820-KF-M
