Eligible voters in Iowa who have a state driver’s license or photo ID will be able to register online to vote by Jan. 1, ahead of the original November goal, Secretary of State Paul Pate said Thursday. The Iowa Voter Registration Commission in January approved a rule allowing qualified voters to visit an Iowa Department of Transportation website where they can type in the numbers from their state-issued driver’s licenses or photo IDs to register to vote. Information from the DOT, including voters’ signatures, will be electronically added to voter registration forms and automatically forwarded to the state’s voter database. Once an online application is completed, the voter is registered. The Iowa system will allow voters to register anytime on their own computers or at an Iowa DOT kiosk or licensing station terminal.
The National Conference of State Legislatures said 23 states offer online registration and five others have passed legislation to create systems but have not yet implemented them.
Voters without a license or ID or who don’t have Internet service may still register by filling out paper applications. Pate estimates 93 percent of eligible Iowa voters can use the online system. Work continues to see if additional access can be enabled for those without a state-issued license or ID.
Full Article: Iowa online voter registration to be ready in January.
The Voting News
A News Service of the Verified Voting Foundation
