Online Voter Registration Legislation in 2015

Online Voter Registration Legislation in 2015

Twenty states offer voters the opportunity to complete and submit a voter registration application online. And as of today, 11 more are considering legislation to create online voter registration systems. 

This includes three of the most populous states, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas, where proposed legislation would allow voters to complete and submit registration applications online and would require that the information be verified with the state's motor vehicle agency. If passed, these proposals promise to make the registration process simpler for voters and more cost-effective for the states.

A 2014 survey conducted on behalf of The Pew Charitable Trusts by Public Opinion Strategies and The Mellman Group showed that a majority of voters in all three states—57 percent in Florida, 65 percent in Pennsylvania, and 61 percent in Texas—want to be able to register to vote online through an official website.

In addition to these three states, Iowa recently approved a rule to create an online voter registration system and similar legislation is pending in Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Ohio.

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