As America has become ever more digitally interconnected and additional routine tasks and functions are now being carried out over the internet, the prospect of allowing individuals to register to vote online has become increasingly desirable. Online voter registration provides a cost effective, secure, and convenient avenue for many citizens to register to vote and to update their voter registration information. Twenty states permit online voter registration by law or administrative rule and policies in five more states are pending implementation.
This year could see two new states begin to implement online voter registration. On March 11, the State Senate of Oklahoma, by an overwhelming 37-2 margin, passed SB 313 which would permit citizens to submit voter registration applications electronically by November 2015. In Florida, Representative Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) has introduced HB 161, which would create an online voter registration system by 2018. Although each bill must face serious hurdles before becoming law, it is encouraging to see these state legislatures undertake common sense steps to ensure that the public has access to modern and convenient voter registration opportunities.
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Keir Lamont is a legal intern with Project Vote.