The Promise of Automatic Voter Registration‏

Automatic and Permanent Voter Registration: How It Works [Full Document]

Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law

The ultimate goal of reform is universal voter registration, where every eligible voter is on the rolls, only eligible voters are on the rolls, and the government takes responsibility to build the rolls and automatically updates voters’ records where possible. To achieve this goal, states must take concrete steps to modernize their voter registration systems. A fully modern system has the following features:

1. Automatic Registration:  State election officials automatically register all eligible citizens who interact with government offices, using reliable information from those government lists. All are given the chance to decline registration — nobody is registered against their will. Many states have already taken one important step in this direction: adopting electronic, paperless, and seamless registration at agencies, and reaping substantial benefits. Automatic registration takes this one step further by shifting the onus of voter registration to the government.
2. Portability: Once an eligible citizen is on a state’s voter rolls, she remains registered and her records move with her.
3. Online Access: Voters can register, check, and update their registration records through a secure and accessible online portal.
4. Safety Net: Eligible citizens can correct errors on the voter rolls or register before and on Election Day.

Related:

First national conference on automatic voter registration Brennan Center for Justice

 

RI, HP reach deal to finish long-delayed DMV computer project [Full Story]

By Ted Nesi

 Published: November 11, 2015, 6:11 pm  |  Updated: November 11, 2015, 9:20 pm

After nearly 10 years, officials insist $16.5M system will launch in September 2016