Voter Registration Modernization

As the gateway to voter participation, voter registration is at the core of America’s election system.  Voter registration serves both as a point of entry for eligible voters and a safeguard from ineligible voters, protecting the integrity of elections.  Yet despite this fundamental role in our democracy, the current system is costly, inefficient and frequently inaccurate.   The Pew Center on the States is committed to working with election officials, policy makers, technology experts, businesses and other stakeholders in the election process to modernizing the voter registration system.

Despite technological advances in other aspects of the election system and a handful of states moving toward online registration, voter registration data is primarily collected as handwritten paper forms that must be manually keyed into databases.  Consequently, the system is highly susceptible to error. 

As a result of these outdated practices, election officials often operate with strained resources due to the flood of registration activity immediately preceding elections, further increasing costs and the possibility for error. Compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) also complicate the ability of state and local election officials to maintain accurate voter rolls. 

The Pew Center on the States works with states that are taking the lead in identifying opportunities for reform.  We are studying cutting-edge efforts to innovate solutions by commissioning a range of rigorous case studies on initiatives underway.  One potential reform that is particularly promising is the use of existing governmental databases to populate the rolls with eligible voters and update that information regularly.  Such a system would likely streamline the process on the front end, accommodate a mobile society, increase efficiency, decrease costs and ensure integrity of the voter rolls.

Pew recognizes that modernizing the voter registration system requires a coordinated effort among states and election experts to identify new tools and best practices to plan and design a more efficient, accurate and cost-effective voter registration system and we are committed to the process.