06/30/10
Julie Fox, Marshall County Clerk, joins Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita in announcing that beginning July 1, Indiana residents will gain the ability to register to vote online. Online Voter Registration will become the newest addition to www.indianavoters.com and will allow Indiana residents to submit a voter registration application electronically to the appropriate county voter registration office.
“This is yet another exciting example of how our voting process is becoming simpler and more convenient by incorporating the tools and technologies Hoosiers use everyday,” said Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, who serves as Indiana’s Chief Election Official and whose office has worked to develop the online voter registration application. “Giving our citizens access to an online registration tool also helps local election administrator’s better serve voters and should cut their costs, all while enhancing accessibility, accuracy and security.”
Indiana residents with a valid Indiana driver’s license or Indiana state-issued identification card will be able to use this new tool to submit a new voter registration application or to update an existing voter registration record. Historically, voters have most commonly registered by mail using a paper-based application form or have registered in-person at a county voter registration office, the Indiana Election Division or a branch office of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Online Voter Registration is the result of legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2009 with bipartisan support that called for enhancements to the traditional paper-based registration system. States adopting an online voter registration option have seen a 60 to 70 percent shift away from paper-based registrations over time. A similar shift in Indiana would greatly reduce pressure on county election administrators to facilitate data entry, especially during peak times at the close of the vote registration period.
Julie Fox, Marshall County Clerk stated “I encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote. I am excited about this new online technology that will allow individuals to register to vote or update their current information at their convenience.”
Applicants will be required to verify their voting eligibility and personal information, which will then be cross-referenced with databases from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Voters will instantly receive a confirmation of their application that they can print. Once confirmed online, the county’s voter registration office will approve or reject registrations subject to the same criteria used for other applicants, such as residency or incarceration following conviction of a crime.
Indiana residents have until midnight on Monday, October 4, 2010 to register in order to participate in the November 2010 General Election.
Online voter registration becomes the latest innovative improvement made to www.indianavoters.com to assist Indiana voters. In addition to registering to vote online, www.indianavoters.com provides Hoosiers with the ability to validate their voter registration status, find their polling place location, look into their provisional ballot status information, find county contact information and determine who is on their ballot for an upcoming election.
For more information on voter eligibility and online voter services, please call the Marshall County Clerk’s Office, Voter Registration, (574)935-8713, the Hoosier Voter Hotline at (866) IN-1-VOTE, or visit www.indianavoters.com.
