The Barrier

The first step in participating in our most essential civic duty of voting is getting registered. It’s simple: if an eligible voter can’t register, he or she can’t vote! Figuring out where and how to register to vote isn’t as easy as googling where to go out to eat for dinner. Unlike in most states, Texans cannot register to vote online. 

In the 2018 midterm election, Texas had a historic increase in the number of new registered voters. But our outdated registration system couldn’t keep up. Voters like us saw many issues that could have been solved by an online voter registration system, like when a post office in Dallas County post-marked 1,000 registration applications late— a whole week after the voter registration deadline, forcing those voters to vote provisionally. Not to mention reports of multiple elections administration offices running out of paper registrations during registration drives, where they were forced to expend huge amounts of resources to purchase and print more.

Even when paper registrations are turned in on time, there are still major issues with actually putting the information into Texas’ entirely online voter management system. In states with paper-only registration like Texas, 1 in 8 paper registrations are inaccurate and must be fixed before verifying eligibility to vote. 

More than 70% of all new registrations are turned in to the county in the two months prior to the registration deadline, putting a strain on many County Elections Offices. When these offices don’t have the resources to manually enter these registrations into the online database to be sent to the Secretary of State before the start of early voting, people are turned away at the polls or told to vote with provisional ballots.

The Solution

Let Texans register online.

Online registration is the modernization of voter registration that allows eligible voters to register online, update records, and register at anytime, anywhere. 

With online voter registration, information is instantaneously cross-checked between counties, and the voter would have immediate feedback on problems with their registration. Cleaning up our voter rolls of ineligible or inaccurate registrations, such as duplicates, deceased voters, and voters who have moved out of a county, is important, and the answer is not purges or voter intimidation, but to adopt online voter registration.

Registration of voters is a nonpartisan issue. Data shows that online voter registration does not alter the political balance of the registered population. It simply replaces insecure paper transactions with secure online transactions, increasing voter security and saving money. Results from other states suggest that up to 70% of Texans would eventually choose online registration over paper. 

Accessible

  • Organizations, government bodies, and parties around the state conduct voter registration drives every election season. But to use limited resources wisely, they often prioritize places with a high density of people, like urban areas and large cities. Online voter registration helps the state reach more people for less.
  • Online voter registration empowers people with visual impairments to participate in their civic duty when they can register themselves online, rather than rely on someone else for assistance.
  • Online voter registration benefits military and absentee voters who may otherwise miss a voter registration deadline. Online registration is accessible eligible Texans when they serve our country abroad.

Cost-Effective

Paper registration burdens already overstretched county budgets. Online voter registration dramatically cuts the costs of paper, printing, postage, and manual data entry, saving up to $2.34 per registration compared to paper procession. Savings in Texas would be millions of dollars each election cycle, with system implementation costing the state less than $250,000. Cost of implementation is lower now than ever since online registration systems already exist in 39 other states. 

Online voter registration avoids the sloppy handwriting, incomplete applications and data entry errors that plague paper registration. Manual data entry and back-and-forth with the voter causes delays and induces additional costs. 

We’re lagging behind as the technology in other states continues to improve. Texas can rely on our current online voter roll management system (TEAM) and simply add a new and more secure way for voters to be added to it. The best way to maintain an accurate voter roll, improve accessibility to the registration opportunities, and save our state millions,  is to adopt online voter registration.