by Tom Intorcio
Voter registration can sometimes be a highly charged and partisan issue, so it is worth noting that advisers from recent Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns have recently aligned themselves to propose a new system. Trevor Potter, former general counsel to Republican John McCain’s 2008 campaign and Mark Elias, general counsel to Democrat John Kerry’s 2004 campaign are co-chairs of the Committee to Modernize Voter Registration.
The group is “dedicated to bringing the voter registration system into the 21st century by automating the outmoded system that relies on paper forms being filled out by voters and manually processed by local election officials,” according to its inaugural press release. Specifically, the Committee proposes: automated (universal) registration, within a “portable” system to obviate the need to re-register after a voter moves, and a “fail-safe mechanism” for any Election Day problems. Ostensibly, the fail-safe component would be same-day registration, currently used in nine states. A recent story by Pam Fessler of NPR’s All Things Considered gives more background on the 13-member Committee.
Her story highlights Delaware as an example of automated registration. In February, Delaware launched a new electronic voter registration system – a partnership between its Department of Elections and the Division of Motor Vehicles. Dubbed “eSignature,” the system registers voters almost automatically when residents apply in person for new driver’s licenses, state IDs, or update their records. Using a signature capture terminal similar to those found in retail checkout lanes, the voter updates the DMV record and then is presented with a populated voter registration record on the screen.
He or she then uses the stylus to sign the electronic pad to affirm that the information is correct. A DMV clerk hits enter to input the data and the registration is instantaneously transmitted to the Department of Elections. Elaine Manlove, the state’s elections commissioner, noted that the eSignature conversion project was paid for with federal Help America Vote Act funding. The project also entailed legislative work — code changes authorizing her to implement a paperless registration system. At least eight other states have laws in place to streamline the process so that only one, dual purpose, form is used, though Delaware appears to be the first to use point of sale technology to interconnect the databases. “This project which began simply to ensure that Elections received every application from Motor Vehicles, evolved into a significant money and manpower savings initiative far exceeding those early goals,” Manlove enthusiastically added.
While the idea of universal registration has attracted vocal support in editorials and OP-EDs around the country, it has also received some criticism. Last year, for example, the Boston Herald characterized universal voter registration as a “costly federal mandate” proposing big government to the “rescue.” In Illinois, Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden recently described voter registration modernization as a “dangerous proposal” that reduces voter control and increases cynicism. Universal registration raises issues regarding cost, privacy, and federalism.
Stay tuned: NCSL will continue to track voter registration modernization efforts both here and in our election reform newsletter – The Canvass.
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