October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we’re reminded that some victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking or stalking decide not to register to vote out of fear their perpetrator will track them down through voter registration records.

 The Office of Secretary of State can help. We have a program that allows  victims to register to vote without their addresses being found.

The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) works with community domestic violence and sexual assault  programs in an effort to keep crime victims safer. The ACP provides participants with a substitute address that can be used when conducting business with state or local government agencies. ACP participants are also eligible to register as Protected Records Voters, meaning the registration info is not public record. To register as a Protected Records Voter, you must first be enrolled in the ACP and then complete an ACP Protected Records Voter registration form. Forms are available from the ACP and from authorized personnel in each county elections office.

To apply for ACP services, a person must have recently relocated to an address unknown to the abuser and undocumented in public records and must be referred to the program by a local domestic violence or sexual assault advocate who can help develop a comprehensive safety plan.

If you’re a domestic crime victim who has never registered to vote in Washington, you have until October 26 to do so in person at your county elections office if you want to vote in the November 3 General Election. If you’ve registered before but have changed your address or name and haven’t updated your registration info accordingly, you missed the October 5 deadline to do that. But you can still vote next month, although your old address will appear on the envelope carrying your mail-in ballot and you’ll be voting on items specific to where you used to live.

People should know that if a person is currently registered to vote at his or her current address, joining the ACP and registering as a Protected Records Voter will not erase the information that’s already a public record.

For more info, call the ACP toll free at (800) 822-1065 or go here . If you are being stalked, you may wish to call the ACP for information as the confidentiality of e-mail can’t be guaranteed.