INSTITUTE INDEX: Bringing the South's voter registration systems into the 21st century
A growing number of states across the South and elsewhere are embracing online voter registration, an approach that's both more cost-effective and secure.
Century in which many states' voter registration systems remained mired: 19th
As a consequence of inefficiencies in systems reliant on paper forms and postal mail, portion of U.S. voter registration records that contain a serious error: 1 in 8
Percent of U.S. citizens who remain unregistered to vote: 25
Year in which the Presidential Commission on Election Administration recommended online voter registration, which research has shown is more secure and economical than paper registration: 2014
Number of states that now offer online voter registration: 24
Number of those states that are in the South: 4*
Number of states in the South that have approved online voter registration systems but haven't implemented them yet: 2**
Year in which seven states formed the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonprofit that works to help states improve the accuracy of voter rolls and boost access to voter registration for all eligible citizens: 2012
Number of states that now belong to ERIC: 12
Number of ERIC members that are in the South: 2***
Number of potential voters ERIC has identified: nearly 12 million
Number of voters who have moved that ERIC has helped identify: more than 2.5 million
Number of new voters ERIC has helped register online so far: 700,000
* Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Virginia
** Florida and West Virginia
*** Louisiana and Virginia
(Click on figure to go to source.)
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Sue Sturgis
Sue is the former editorial director of Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies.