ONVR members coached countless numbers of people how to register to vote. This was accomplished by guiding eligible voters how to use the Secretary of State’s (“SOS”) online website or having them mailing in both a completed SOS Application Form and instructing them of their “Proof of Residency” document options to include within the mailing envelope.
Our members learned a tremendous amount about the process and we have provided our recommendations below to improve the process.
- Reduce entry screen confusion on website.
- Upgrade website’s functionality to upload images thereby eliminating the need to physically mail in anything. All new voter registration would be entirely online.
- Consider automatically registering Georgians when they turn Eighteen; identical to what happens when you get your Driver’s License, unless you opt out.
For each of these three recommendations, we have provided further details and the reasons why we are making these suggested enhancements.
1. Reduce entry screen confusion on website.
When online registration is done you need to enter your address (of course). Significant confusion is created in two ways.
- The user has to scroll through hundreds of street names (every street name alphabetically listed in the ENTIRE county). This is very confusing. Better approaches could include: (i) inputting the first letter or the street name and then scrolling through drastically less options that would be populated, or, (ii) allowing the user to enter the complete street name and any relevant options would be populated.
- The Zip Code is one of the first entry screens you see but it is “populated” once you enter the street number and name is known. It is the only field that is “populated” versus the user having to put in information everywhere else. This is confusing as user can get hung up thinking they need to furnish this information. The confusion could be eliminated with possible options including, (i) eliminating the zip code from the entry screen altogether, or (ii) shading the entry screen in with some color so the user knows something is different.
2. Upgrade website’s functionality to upload images thereby eliminating the need to physically mail in anything. All new voter registration would be entirely online.
Mailing in forms delays the process versus using a totally online process. Realize when the eligible new voter mails forms in they are first received by the SOS. But the SOS does not process the forms. The SOS then has to send these paper documents to the respective county where applying person lives. Especially with the apparent delays in the USPS, you can imagine the inherent delays created.
Instead of a paper-based Application Form, this could be completed online by user and the Proof of Residency document (bank statement, utility statement, government issued ID, paycheck, etc.) would simply be uploaded as a digital image. Adopting these two changes would streamline the process making it entirely online. This would eliminate the need for applying voter to mail-in anything.
3. Consider automatically registering Georgians when they turn Eighteen; identical to what happens when you get your Driver’s License, unless you opt out
Realize that registering to vote when you turn 18 is simple if you have a Driver’s License or State ID. However 40% of 18 year-olds do not have a Driver’s License and this percentage increases significantly with families with lower economic means. Without a Driver’s License/State ID it can get problematic for an eighteen year-old. A State ID costs $10 and involves logistically getting to a motor vehicle location.
Why is it problematic? Without a State ID or Driver’s License, they must provide “Proof of Residency” document. Most older adults applying choose one of the following: bank statement, lease, paycheck, utility bill or photo ID. For a college student attending a state system university, their photo ID is accepted. However a high school photo ID is not accepted. It’s obvious that an eighteen year-old may not have any of these “Proof of Residency” options available.
What options are left for eighteen year old for “Proof of Residency”? The only remaining option is to travel to a Motor Vehicle Office location with a copy of either their Birth Certificate or Social Security Card and get a “Voter ID”. This Voter ID is accepted as a “Proof of Residency”.
This last option is very involved and makes it especially difficult for less affluent young adults turning 18.
Note: 61 percent of 18–year–olds in the U.S. had a driver’s license in 2018, compared to 80.4 percent in 1983.
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