The energy generated for such Election Day excitement comes, in part, from the grass-roots function of political blogs that, be they left or right in nature, report daily the ins and outs of the political climate. Some observers argue that the craze has played a positive role in the number of citizens that actually show up at the polls to cast their ballots.
Perhaps the next step is to allow people to register to vote online. It's safe to argue that making it simpler to register to vote, by providing online registration access, the number of registered voters should increase, and more people would pack the polls for elections at all levels.
Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed said he wants Washington citizens to have the opportunity to use the Web to register to vote, and he plans to take the proposal to the state Legislature in mid-January.
"Citizens already enjoy the ability to file taxes online, renew car tabs and a driver's license online, bank from their computer and handle stock transactions through the Internet," Reed said, adding that two-thirds of political candidates who have filed to run for office in Washington state do so online.
Reed said statistics point to a trend that online voter registration will happen because citizens want it to happen, and that it's a matter of when, not if.
"Currently, one-third of the weekly registration forms received by our office are forms that are printed off the Web site," he added. "If those same voters were able to register online, it would save time and money for both voters and government."
Better Than Paper
Though the current paper system is sufficient, Reed said, the new system will make voter registration easier and more accessible. "All citizens with a state driver's license or state ID card will have to do, is log on to a computer," he said. "If they don't have a computer at home, they can log on at a local library."
Reed said Washington state has already put one important step in place: the backbone needed to support an online voter-registration system. The state recently created a single, highly secure, statewide, consolidated voter-registration database that retains registration records.
Another important step to creating an online voter-registration application will be the ability of the secretary of state's office to verify the information submitted by state residents using that application. Reed said accessing the state's driver's license database would give the secretary of state's office a way to cross reference data submitted via the online voter-registration system.
Under an online registration system, Reed explained, a person registering to vote online would do so by inputting his or her address, date of birth and other necessary information, such as party affiliation. The secretary of state's office would then match registrants' records with the information in the driver's license database, as well as pull the signature, to complete the registration.
If an inconsistency is found in a particular voter registration, the secretary of state's office would send the registration to the county election office where the citizen resides, and county elections employees would have to track down the information.
For those concerned about fraud, Reed argues this is a better system than what the state now has -- anybody can fill out a paper voter-registration form they pick up from anywhere and sign it and mail it. By comparison, he said, the measures required to obtain a driver's license, including the multiple points of identification, the photo and most importantly, a required signature provided in front of a state employee, make the driver's license database a powerful tool to validate information submitted via the proposed online voter-registration system.
Second Time
Reed's visit to the Legislature in mid-January won't mark the first time the secretary of state's office has approached lawmakers with this issue. During the 2006 legislative session, Reed said, the state had bipartisan support and sponsors in all four caucuses, for a bill that would create an online voter-registration system.
"However, last year was a short 60-day session," he added. "The bill got to the Senate floor, but was not acted on before the end of the session."
If it passes this year, the state hopes to have electronic voter-registration functionality ready for 2008 and the November Election Day festivities. Reed said getting the system ready won't be too complicated because it's a matter of developing a fairly straightforward online application for prospective voters to fill out.
While allowing citizens to register online could put Washington state one step closer to making online voting a reality, Reed said the state isn't quite prepared to contribute to the chatter surrounding that controversial topic.
"We did participate in the Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment in 2004, which allowed military and overseas citizens (approximately 5 million of them) to register and vote online in participating states and counties," he said. "Washington state had seven counties that participated. Most of the jurisdictions included a military base or were near a base. We would consider doing something similar for military and overseas citizens, but only if the security concerns can be resolved."
Regardless of the direction online voting takes, it's the electronic voter registration Reed said he'll be focusing on. It's about providing options, he said, and simply keeping up.
"We need to take our office to the next level and keep up with changing technology. Providing citizens with easy options to register will increase voter registration. With this system, people won't have to pick up a form from a post office, and they don't even need a stamp."
