Secretary Cortes: 5,000 application milestone shows Pennsylvanians welcome online voter registration

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of State Pedro A. Cortés today announced that the state's new online voter registration site has tallied nearly 5,000 applications since its launch less than a week ago.

Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary Cortés announced the launch Thursday morning, Aug. 27, moments after the application site went live at register.votesPA.com.

Just before 3 p.m. today, the total number of users stood at 4,920. Cortés said the total was expected to hit the 5,000 mark by the end of the day.

"We were confident that Pennsylvanians would welcome online voter registration," Cortés said. "The numbers in the first days bear witness to what we predicted – that the online application will soon become the preferred option for eligible citizens who wish to register or make changes in their registration."

With the launch, Pennsylvania became the 23^rd state to offer online voter registration. The measure has been approved but not yet implemented in another five states plus the District of Columbia.

The new site, available in English or Spanish, also allows currently registered voters to more easily make updates to their voter record, such as a change of name, address or party affiliation.

"Online Voter Registration is about making the voting experience more convenient and more accessible," Governor Wolf said on the day of launch. "It is about giving citizens an easier way to exercise their right to vote and establishing a clearer connection between the political system and the citizens."

The new system has received broad support from county commissioners and election directors from across the Commonwealth, who agree the electronic applications will improve accuracy, increase the integrity of the voting rolls, reduce time-consuming data entry and yield considerable cost savings.

"Pennsylvania's counties have the primary responsibility for managing voter registration and conducting our elections, and we strongly support measures such as this that facilitate and improve our citizens' access to the polls," said Lancaster County Commissioner Craig Lehman, President of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

A May 2015 report by the Pew Charitable Trusts said states using online voter registration had seen per-application savings ranging from $0.50 to $2.34. In Arizona, which in 2002 became the first state to implement online voter registration, election officials report their cost is 3 cents for each online application versus 83 cents for a traditional paper form

When an applicant completes the online form, the information is forwarded directly to the appropriate county voter registration office for processing. There, election staff no longer have the problem of trying to decipher illegible handwriting. Additionally, county election staff will not have to follow up on missing information on the electronic applications, because the online form cannot be submitted if any required data fields have not been completed.

Counties receive the applications through the same system which forwards Motor Voter applications from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, so minimal training was needed for county election workers.

The online system is more secure for applicants because the form is transmitted directly to the proper county voter registration office for processing. In contrast, a traditional paper application containing personal information might pass through several hands before the registration is complete.

The latest protocols in data security have been built into the system and will be constantly monitored and updated. The Pew study reported that there have been no security breaches in any of the states already using an online system.

Because the online voter registration site is directly linked to PennDOT's Motor Voter system, if an applicant has a driver's license or PennDOT ID card, the signature already on file with PennDOT can immediately be linked to the voter record.

Applicants who do not have a driver's license or PennDOT ID card can print, sign and mail the completed online application to their county voter registration office. If they are not able to print the application, they may request that the Department of State mail them a signature card to complete and return to their county office.

To learn more about online voter registration, check the frequently asked questions at www.votesPA.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:   Wanda Murren, (717) 783-1621

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of State

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us