Rep. Lofgren Introduces Online Voter Registration Bill
Bill Would Allow Voters to Register and Update Registrations Online
March 26, 2009
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), chair of theHouse Administration Subcommittee on Elections, introduced the VoterRegistration Modernization Act of 2009. The bill, HR 1719, would allowany eligible citizen to register to vote over the Internet for allfederal elections occurring after January 1, 2014. States would berequired to have online registration available on the official publicwebsite of the appropriate election officials. The bill would also:
Allow registered voters to updatetheir registrations over the Internet at any time including at thepolling place on Election Day
Create apermanent registration roll by prohibiting purging for non-voting. Avoter may only be removed from the rolls for moving outside the state,death or loss of eligibility under state law for commission of a felony
Require all states to enroll a voter who has fully completed the online or federal mail voter registration form
Require all states to notify electronically all voters of the location of their precinct and the voting hours
"For too long eligible voters have been denied the right toparticipate due to simple registration errors," noted Rep. Zoe Lofgren."The primary reason voters lose their eligibility is because theymove. Allowing a voter to change his or her address online will remedythis problem. This legislation will help free up electionadministration resources while at the same time protecting againstfraud. This is a common sense approach, if people can bank online andshop online, why not register to vote online."
