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Annual Street List

QUESTION AND ANSWERS ABOUT

THE ANNUAL STREET LIST FORM

What is the history behind the census?

Now known as the annual street list, the Massachusetts annual town census goes back to the 1600s, when men who wished to become registered voters were qualified to vote if their property was of sufficient value. By 1860, the qualifications had changed from just property value to also include a man’s length of residency and having paid taxes. By 1890, women were also allowed to vote, under the same requirements, but only for members of the School Committee! The law requiring an annual Town census has been amended over the years, and currently Massachusetts state law Chapter 51 requires that the Board of Registrars conduct the annual town census. In

Tyringham, as in most towns, the Town Clerk’s office does the work, under the direction of the Board of Registrars. While it was originally done house-to-house, since 1974 the information has been gathered primarily by mail.

Is it confidential?

In each town only a few persons are authorized to have access to the information that you provide, and there are multiple layers of password protection on the computers where the information is stored. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts maintains the security of the system in accordance with Massachusetts data security laws. Information about minors on the street list is never released to the public. Additionally, there are a few specially protected classes of residents whose names do not appear on the public street list, such as public safety personnel and residents of shelters. There are no Social Security numbers or financial information tied to the census.

What if this is not my primary residence?

You are still required to complete the Annual Street list. This will not affect your voting status in another location. This list is required so we can account for each home.

How is the information used?

The information from the returned street list forms has many different uses. These are some of them:

  • The Town Clerk uses it to maintain the list of registered voters and to help the town keep an up-to-date list of where residents live.
  • The School Department can request reports to help them to project future levels of school enrollment.
  • The Council on Aging uses the information when applying for grants and to estimate the possible demand for services to those over age 60.
  • The Office of the Jury Commissioner uses each community’s street list to compile a list of residents for jury duty. An accurate list provides for a fair and representative jury pool.
  • The Veterans Agent receives a list of the U.S. Military veterans in Town, so he can help veterans with their needs.
  • The presence of a persons’ name on the street list may also be used to establish residency for a number of things: to qualify for in-state college tuition; for job applications or special low-cost loan programs; even for adoption applications.
  • It’s important to return your street list, because years from now, you may need to prove that you or your children lived in Tyringham or resided in Massachusetts at a certain time, and the street list for that year is the proof of residency.

What happens if I don’t return the form?

Registered voters who do not return the Annual Street List Form and do not respond to a follow-up mailing must be designated as inactivate voters on the street list. All the registered voters at the address will become inactive. Such persons will only be eligible to vote after they fill out an “Affirmation of Current and Continuous Residence” the next time they come to vote. Every household that fails to complete the form has to be contacted a second time, which takes additional time, paper and postage. Completing the Annual Census is an expense every year and that expense can be decreased by increased compliance with completing the Annual Cencus within ten days of receiving it. 

Last year I indicated that someone moved out, so why are they are still on the form?

A registered voter who moves and does not register to vote in another community cannot be removed from our street list for three years. That is why you may have told us someone moved but they still appear on your form. Tell them to register in their new community, and when they do, their name will disappear!

Who should complete the street list form?

Any adult residing in the home can complete and sign the form.

What do I need to do with the form?

  • Please look over the names listed on the form. If there are no changes to the pre-printed information, simply sign and return the form to the Town Clerk.
  • Add any new people who reside at your address, and indicate with “M” or “D” if someone has moved away or died. Students away at school, people who have moved to a nursing home or those away in the military are still considered residents of Tyringham, and can remain on the form as well as remain active voters in our community as long as they do not register to Vote in another community.
  • Check to see that the date of birth is correct for each person. This is essential and needs to be added for each person added to the census. Your information cannot be added without a birthdate.
  • Please add or correct the occupations listed on the form.
  • The “Party” column tells you what each person’s voter registration status is. U stands for “unenrolled” which means not enrolled in any particular political party. This is what most people mean when they say “independent”. The other designations are: D for Democrat, R for Republican, L for Libertarian, and J for Green Rainbow. No letter in the “Party” column means the person is not registered to vote in Tyringham.
  • You cannot use the Street List Form to change your voter registration, to do that you need to complete a new Voter Registration Form. Please call the Town Clerk if you need one or you can register to Vote online at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/. The last day to register to vote or change your party for the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primaries is February 12, 2020, so please contact me or apply online. You can check to see if you are registered to vote and where at  https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

What if I have other questions or concerns?

Please feel free to call or email the Town Clerk’s office to ask for more information. The street list form is an important tool for the town, and the information needs to be as accurate as possible. The law regarding the annual street list can be found in M.G. L. Chapter 51, particularly sections 4 & 6, although other chapters of the law also apply.

 

I have taken the liberty of making searching for the Massachusetts General Laws and copy and pasting them, as written at https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVIII/Chapter51 on January 3, 2020 to make this easier for you. 

M.G.L Chapter 51                                                  

Section 4: Making of lists by registrars or boards

Section 4. (a) Registrars, assistant registrars, or boards having similar duties under any general or special law, except in the city of Boston, shall annually in January or February visit or communicate with the residents of each building in their respective cities and towns and, after diligent inquiry, shall make true lists containing, as nearly as they can ascertain, the name, date of birth, occupation, veteran status, nationality, if not a citizen of the United States, and residence on January 1 of the preceding year and the current year, of each person three years of age or older residing in their respective cities and towns. The police department of a city or town shall, upon request, have access to the lists. A list of all persons 3 to 21 years of age, inclusive, shall be transmitted by the board of registrars to the respective school committee not later than April 1 of each year. The list shall contain the name, residence and age or date of birth of each such person; but the names of persons 3 to 16 years of age, inclusive, shall not be disclosed to any person other than the respective school committee or board of trustees of a county agricultural school or a police department. That proportion of any expenses incurred by the registrars under this section, equal to the proportion that the number of persons under 17 years of age bears to the total number of persons listed thereunder, shall be carried as an item in the school committee budget.

(b) In the city of Boston, the registrars, assistant registrars or boards having similar duties under any general or special law, shall annually in January or February visit or communicate with the residents of each building in said city and, after diligent inquiry, shall make true lists containing, as nearly as they can ascertain, the name, date of birth, occupation, veteran status, nationality if not a citizen of the United States, and residence on January 1 of the preceding year and the current year, of each person 17 years of age or older residing in said city. The Boston police department shall, upon request, have access to the lists.

(c) In any city or town which communicates with residents by mail for the purpose of obtaining such information, the communication shall state in boldface type on the postcard, envelope and printed material contained in such communication the following statement: ''Warning - failure to respond to this mailing for 2 consecutive years shall result in removal from the active voting list and may result in removal from the voter registration rolls.''. Registrars, assistant registrars or boards in such cities or towns communicating with residents by mail for the purpose of obtaining such information may require a response under the penalties of perjury.

(d) The name and address of any person who provides the registrars with a copy of a court order granting protection, or evidence of residence in a protective shelter, or an affidavit signed by a chief of police or his designee that said person is entitled to have certain information withheld from the public under section 24C of chapter 265, or a program participant in the address confidentiality program established under section 2 of chapter 9A, shall not appear on the street list and such names shall not be disclosed to any person. The information collected under this section regarding a person's status as a veteran shall not be a public record and shall only be disclosed to the adjutant general, the secretary of veterans' services and local veterans' service officers.

(e) The name and address of any law enforcement or public safety personnel who so requests shall not appear on the street list and such names shall not be disclosed to any person.

Section 5: Repealed, 1963, 160, Sec. 5

Section 6: Street lists

Section 6. Except in any city or town as to which it is otherwise provided by special law, the registrars on or before April fifteenth in each year, shall prepare lists containing the names and addresses of all persons seventeen years of age or older listed by them under section four for the current year. Such lists shall be arranged in cities by streets, and in towns by streets or alphabetically by the names of the persons listed, and in cities and in towns of over five thousand inhabitants according to the latest national census, by the smallest subdivision of the city or town for the purpose of voting. On or before June fifteenth in each year, the registrars in all cities and towns shall cause a sufficient number of such lists to be printed, typed or mimeographed so as to furnish, free of charge, such lists, upon request, to all duly organized political committees and to all political candidates of the various districts in which the city or town is located. Such lists shall be made available by the registrars to business organizations and other nonpolitical committees and organizations at a fee to be determined by said registrars, and any such person or authorized representative of an organization or committee obtaining such list shall sign a log, maintained by the city or town clerk, placing in such log their names and addresses.