Wisconsin bills for Online Voter Registration are AB-892 and its twin SB-645

The legislative session is ended, but look for an OLVR bill to be re-introduced in January 2011

Wis Radio News    Milw. Journal Sentinal

Section-by-Section Analysis of AB 892

Online Voter Registration Would Help Clerks, Help Voters, and Save $$

Wisconsin should improve the voter registration system by offering online real-time voter registration.  The direct financial payback will be immediate for municipalities, as it will save the clerk’s time by avoiding manual entry of data from a huge stack of paper forms.

See the 8-minute You Tube video - Online Voter Registration Wisconsin September 2009

Follow the successful model of other states

Arizona and Washington were first to successfully institute online voter registration (OLVR).   Arizona’s system has been in place since 2002, and in 2008, 60% of those who registered used the online system.  Washington’s system has been in effect since January 2008, and is highly acclaimed by their Secretary of State (see FAQ and testimony and attachments to congressional committee).  Kansas, Oregon, Colorado, Louisiana, Utah, and Indiana also have working systems.  North Carolina is developing a system.  California will have a system by the end of 2011.  To ensure an accurate and secure system, there are these limitations:

• Only those with a driver’s license or state identification card can use the online system.
• Most states require instant verification of information submitted before the application is completed
• Online registration closes when open registration closes (20 days before the election in Wisconsin).

HAVA checks

In 2008, Wisconsin had a well-publicized battle on how to handle the “HAVA checks”, the comparison of voter registrations to the driver’s license database.  In contrast, the states that have online registration handle this automatically as part of the process.  This minimizes the extra effort needed on either the part of the voter or the election administrator for the matching process, and minimizes controversy.

Benefits for election administrators

The data submitted online is more complete and accurate than on paper forms.  Online registration significantly reduces the costly and heavy workload of entering data from paper forms, most of which are received when other election tasks are mounting.  In 2008, clerks struggled to process forms in time to get voters on the poll list.  If the bulk of registrations are handled automatically, our election administrators will be able to deal promptly with the paper forms from other voters. 

From a report from PEW Center on the States, August 2009:  “In Maricopa County, Arizona, a paper registration form costs at least 83 cents to process, versus an average of 3 cents for a registration completed online.”

See a GAB report (large file) from January 2009: page 36 – basic data missing from forms.  Page 125 – illegible and incomplete.  Footnote page 38 – higher than normal date entry errors in October.

Benefits for Voters

For voters, online real-time registration means a more timely, accessible, and reliable way to register, with immediate confirmation that the registration has been accepted.  This eliminates worries about not being on the poll list due to faulty handling of a paper form, or failing the HAVA check.

Next Steps

AB-892 bill was introduced on March 24, 2010, and will be re-introduced in the 2011 session. The Government Accountability Board would work with the Department of Transportation on implementation.  These departments currently have some online capabilities.  The DOT offers online change-of-address and 6 other functions.  The GAB’s Voter Public Access offers lookup of polling place, representatives, and a sample ballot.

States that have systems or have passed bills, in order of activation

142 page report on Washington and Arizona's systems

Bills that have been introduced but not passed, alphabetically

From testimony of Katie Blinn, Assistant Director of Elections on behalf of Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed, to the Congressional Committee on House Administration, Oct 21, 2009:

“The online voter registration system has also been very popular with election administrators. It has reduced their workload because the information comes in electronically. They don’t have to spend so much time manually entering the information from paper forms. This also reduces the risk of mistyping a voter’s name, address, date of birth, etc.”

Web page by Paul Malischke malischke@yahoo.com  Last updated July 05, 2010