Senate Democrats support online voter registration
CONCORD, NH - It is 2018, you can do almost anything online. You can order your groceries, renew your driver's license, even spend your day watching a live stream webcam of tugboats in the Portsmouth harbor. Shouldn’t you be able to register to vote online as well?
Senate Democrats think online voter registration is a common sense move to being our elections into the 21st century, which is why they supported SB194 that would bring that into reality.
Online voter registration makes sense for New Hampshire. It saves taxpayer money, improves the flow at polling places on Election Day, and most importantly works to make our democracy accessible to all Granite Staters.
It is the duty of elected representatives to make sure everyone who is eligible can make their voice heard in an election. 38 states and the District of Columbia have already passed legislation creating online voter registration. Voters benefit from the system as online voter registration makes the process available to people who want to register 24 hours a day 7 days a week, at home, at work, or on the go. Online voter registration could also work to reduce lines at the polls on Election Day as fewer voters would need to take up election workers’ time to complete the registration process.
Online voter registration would cut costs for state and local governments. One study in Arizona as they created online voter registration showed they cut the cost of each voter registration by 96% compared with paper forms. It is curious that the Republican Senate majority, who frequently uses cost cutting as an excuse to vote against the interests of New Hampshire families, would so staunchly support continuing wasteful government spending and oppose making democracy accessible. The shift to allow online voter registration makes sense fiscally because the funding is available in funding from the Help America Vote Act from which New Hampshire has $10 million for election modernization.
Senate Democrats believe in accessible democracy. Online voter registration will cut costs, increase voter participation, and ease barriers to voting. A Democratic Senate majority will fight to make sure every voice is heard and all Granite Staters are represented by our Senate.