Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/17pdf/16-980_f2q3.pdf
Page Number: 37

10 

HUSTED v. A. PHILIP RANDOLPH INSTITUTE 

BREYER, J., dissenting 

likely  to  move  or  has  already  moved.    And,  as  the  Regis-
tration  Act  says,  “if  it  appears  from  change-of-address 
provided by the Postal Service that . . . the registrant has 
moved to a different residence not in the same registrar’s 
jurisdiction,” the State has a reasonable (hence acceptable) 
basis  for  “us[ing]  the  notice  procedure  described  in  sub- 
section 
(d)(2)  to  confirm  the  change  of  address.”  
§20507(c)(1)(B). 
  The  second  illustration  of  how  the  Confirmation  Proce-
dure  is  supposed  to  function  appears  in  a  portion  of  the 
statute  I  have  not  yet  discussed—namely,  §6  of  the  Na-
tional Voter Registration Act, which sets out the rules for 
voter  registration  by  mail.    See  §6,  107  Stat.  80,  52 
U. S. C.  §20505.    In  particular,  §6(d),  entitled  “Undeliv-
ered Notices,” says that, “[i]f a notice of the disposition of a 
mail  voter  registration  application  . . .  is  sent  by  nonfor-
wardable mail and is returned undelivered,” at that point 
the  State  “may  proceed  in  accordance  with  section  8(d),” 
namely,  the  Confirmation  Procedure,  and  send  the  same 
“last chance” notice that I have just discussed.  §20505(d) 
(emphasis added). 
  Note that §6(d) specifies a nonforwardable mailing—and 
not a forwardable mailing, like one specified in §8(d).  This 
distinction matters.  Why?  If a person moves, a forward- 
able  mailing  will  be  sent  along  (i.e.,  “forwarded”)  to  that 
person’s new address; in contrast, a nonforwardable mail-
ing will not be forwarded to the person’s new address but 
instead will be returned to the sender and marked “unde-
liverable.”    And  so  a  nonforwardable  mailing  that  is  re-
turned  to  the  sender  marked  “undeliverable”  indicates 
that the intended recipient may have moved.  After all, the 
Postal  Service,  as  the  majority  points  out,  returns  mail 
marked  “undeliverable”  if  the  intended  recipient  has 
moved—not  if  the  person  still  lives  at  his  old  address.  
Ante, at 6, and n. 3. 
  Under  §6(d),  the  Registration  Act  expressly  endorses