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Partnering with Motor Vehicle Offices and Public Assistance Agencies
FEBRUARY 3, 2010
Partnering with Motor Vehicle Offices and Public Assistance Agencies
Modernizing the process of voter registration requires coordination between election officials, motor vehicle offices, and public assistance agencies. Three states have already begun implementing their own modernization process, as highlighted by a Project Vote memo. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by Dēmoswith public assistance agencies in 40 states plus the District of Columbia probed the feasibility of using these agencies’ databases as the source for low-income citizens’ voter registration information. The results from these two studies demonstrate that upgrading the methods by which states collect and maintain voter registration rolls is not only less costly for the state but also easier than some might expect.
Featured Resources
Rather than submit a provisional ballot, some unregistered voters are able to both register and vote on Election Day. Same Day Registration has been enacted in nine states and the District of Columbia. This memo explores this policy’s effect on turnout.
Exploring the ways in which technology can be better utilized to improve the accuracy of voter registration databases can provide valuable guidance. Researchers undertook a pilot project to determine the feasibility of using database matching to identify voters in Oregon and Washington.
Convened to provide guidance to the state of Utah in the areas of election law, the Commission made recommendations regarding voter registration. Joining a number of other groups in proposing automatic voter registration, the Commission adopted all of its recommendations unanimously.
Ohio Senate Bill 8 | DECEMBER 2009
The Ohio State Senate approved legislation to reform various aspects of the elections process. Among the measures are enhancements to early voting rules, adoption of a matching system between voter registration files and driver’s license data, and compliance with the recently passed MOVE Act.
This report takes a comprehensive look at Ohio's election system, report highlighting both successes and failures and making a range of recommendations.
Research Projects
Dēmos is a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization founded in 2000. A multi-issue national organization, Dēmoscombines research, policy development, and advocacy to influence public debates and catalyze change.
FairVote develops and promotes practical strategies to improve elections at the local, state and national levels.
Center for Democracy & Election Management was established at the School of Public Affairs at American University in 2002. Their broader goal is to pave the way for and strengthen democracy through improved electoral performance.
electionline.org provides daily news updates on election reform issues, as well as deeper analysis of selected topics, including recent reports on voter registration, recount procedures, and the progress in implementing the Help America Vote Act since 2002.
Election Law @ Moritz, run through Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, contains both explanation and commentary on a wealth of election reform issues from a legal perspective.
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
www.aei.org
The Brookings Institution
www.brookings.edu
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