By Rosemarie Clouston, Marissa Leibling, and Archita Taylor
Though we have 14 months until the next presidential election, debates are already starting and candidates are in the news daily. State and local governments are already preparing – getting all their voters on the books and machines ready, trying to make sure their area is not the next one with eight-hour lines.
Notably, states are also overcoming partisanship to update their practices in ways that will strengthen and improve their election administration ahead of the 2016 election. One of those practices is online voter registration..Since its debut in Arizona in 2002, online voter registration has spread to 23 states. Last month, Pennsylvania became the most recent one to allow its eligible voters to complete and update their registrations quickly, easily, and securely online. Already, 5,000 Pennsylvanians have used this new tool to complete or update their registrations. Five other states and the District of Columbia have taken steps toward offering online registration as well.
Importantly, leaders from both major political parties have supported and implemented online registration. And when the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration issued its recommendations to improve access last year, online registration was at the top of the list.
One of the reasons this state-led innovation has taken off is that it makes registering to vote easier and more convenient for the citizens, saving them valuable time and effort. It also saves taxpayer dollars. Based on other states’ experiences with online registration, a recent report by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law projected that Pennsylvania’s taxpayers could save up to $1.1 million through 2016, and even more in future years.
Arizona and California’s online registration systems quickly reaped these savings for their citizens. In one Arizona county it costs 83 cents to process a paper registration form, compared to as little as 3 cents for some online applications. As a result, both the state and its counties have enjoyed significant savings from online voter registration. For example, Maricopa County, which includes the city of Phoenix, saved $1.4 million from online registration between 2008 and 2012. California saved $2.5 million in just five weeks when it introduced online registration prior to the 2012 election.
In addition to tremendous cost savings and increased convenience, online registration helps ensure that all citizens, including seniors, veterans, persons with disabilities, and working people, have an equal opportunity to make their voices heard. For too many citizens, the registration process itself acts as a barrier to participating in elections. Online registration allows eligible citizens to complete or update their registrations from the convenience of their own homes in a matter of a few moments, bringing more people into our electoral process and strengthening our democracy.
Online voter registration also has increased the efficiency and integrity of elections. With online registration, election officials don’t have to decipher as many handwritten forms, which can cause delays and even disenfranchisement on Election Day. Plus, states employ significant security measures to safeguard voters’ personal data. These same security measures guard against fraud by preventing and monitoring unauthorized access to the system. In sum, states can enjoy the cost savings of online registration while maintaining, and potentially improving, the security of voters’ personal information and the accuracy of the voter rolls.
This update of Pennsylvania’s strong voting system came about thanks to the hard work of the Wolf administration’s Department of State, led by Secretary Pedro Cortes. Supporters in the legislature, led by Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R., Lancaster), played a key role in laying the groundwork for online registration. Pennsylvania-based voting rights advocates were also integral to achieving this advancement and our national organizations are proud to support and celebrate their efforts to make online registration a reality.
Online voter registration is an important first step for Pennsylvania and other states to reflect the needs of how people live today. There is still work to do, but Pennsylvania is a praiseworthy example of how states are championing the cause of bringing our elections into the 21st century.
Rosemarie Clouston is national coordinator for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Legal Mobilization Project. rclouston@lawyerscommittee.org Marissa Leibling is legislative director for Project Vote. mliebling@projectvote.org Archita Taylor is a staff attorney with the Fair Elections Legal Network. ataylor@fairelectionsnetwork.com