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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

DIVISION OF VICTIM SERVICES AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE

PROGRAMSAttorney General

Pam Bondi

BUREAU OF ADVOCACY AND GRANTS MANAGEMENT

ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM

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PROGRAM HISTORY

In 1998 the statewide Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) was created to be administered by the Office of the Attorney General.

Statutory Authority: Chapter 741.401 – 741.465Florida Statutes; gives authority to the Office of the Attorney General for the existence of the program.

In 2010, victims of stalking were added to the program per Florida Statute 97.0585.

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PROGRAM PURPOSE

The program’s purpose is to insure that perpetrators of domestic violence and stalking cannot use the state’s public records to locate their victims.

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PROGRAM SUMMARY

Two (2) components:

1. The use of a substitute address.

2. Confidentiality of voter registration information.

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PROGRAM DETAILS

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WHAT THE PROGRAM DOES DO

Prevents the abuser of a domestic violence or stalking victim from obtaining the victim’s address through a public records request.

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Help its participants “go underground.”

Hide its participants.

Keep the participant’s non public records confidential through internet or other types of searches

THE PROGRAM DOES NOT

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THE PROGRAM IS NOT

A witness protection program.

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PROTECTED RECORDS VOTER AS DEFINED BY

THE ACP

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WHAT IS A PROTECTED RECORDS VOTER?

A Protected Records Voter, (as defined by Chapter 2A-7, Florida Administrative Code), means a program participant who is registered and qualified to vote and has requested an absentee ballot pursuant to s. 101.62, F.S., and will vote in the same manner as an absentee voter.

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PROTECTED RECORDS VOTER:WHAT THE OAG TELLS

PARTICIPANTS

A Participant may apply to register to vote while in the ACP program.

If a Participant chooses to apply to register to vote, then he or she can only vote via an absentee ballet.

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PROTECTED RECORDS VOTER:WHAT THE OAG TELLS

PARTICIPANTS

The Participant must go to the supervisor of elections office to register to vote.

The Participant must present his/her ACP card.

The Participant should have an Acknowledgement of Understanding form that is provided by the OAG. The Participant will sign the form which becomes part of the voter registration paperwork.

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PROTECTED RECORDS VOTER:WHAT THE OAG TELLS

PARTICIPANTS

 If the Participant is currently registered to vote in another Florida county jurisdiction, the county of registration must be changed. If the Participant is registered in the statewide voter registration system, the registration record must be removed from the system and processed manually.

The Participant must provide his/her actual residential address to guarantee that he/she receives the correct ballot for future elections.

The Participant is instructed that he/she will only be able to vote via an absentee ballot. This ballot will be sent to the ACP Post Office address and then forwarded to the Participant.

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PROTECTED RECORDS VOTER:WHAT THE OAG TELLS

PARTICIPANTS

The Participant’s address is not entered into the voter registration data base (direction from the Division of Elections).

  Once all of the paperwork is complete, a copy is made for

the Participant for his/her records.

  All paperwork should be sent to the Division of Elections.

The Division will then forward the Acknowledgement of Understanding form to the Office of the Attorney General which will alert staff that the Participant has registered as a Protected Records Voter.

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ACP PARTICIPANT RENEWAL

An ACP Participant must renew his or her certification with the OAG every 4 years.

The process for renewal is the same as the process for initial certification.

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WHO TO CALL WHEN YOU NEED HELP

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Office of the Attorney GeneralAddress Confidentiality Program

PL-01 The CapitolTallahassee, FL 32399-1050

Phone (850) 414-3300Fax (850) 487-3013

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