
(Des Moines, IA) Iowans will have an easier way to register to vote and update their registration information thanks to the new electronic voter registration system unveiled Monday by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate. The system is housed on the Iowa Department of Transportationâs website, available for use any time of day, and is accessible on any computer or mobile device with an internet connection.
âIowa is a national leader in voter accessibility. Offering electronic voter registration increases that stature,â Secretary Pate said. âI want all eligible citizens to participate in the electoral process. This is another step toward that goal. Iowans can now register to vote online, by mail, at driverâs license stations and other government agency offices, through voter registration drives, and at the polls on Election Day. Every Iowan that wants to register to vote has that opportunity.â
Iowa also boasts no-excuse absentee voting, and maintains one of the longest early voting (40 days) and Election Day voting (14 hours) periods.
Secretary Pate demonstrated the stateâs new electronic voter registration system during a Monday morning news conference. Anyone with a driverâs license or state-issued I.D. can utilize the new electronic voter registration system, which launched January 1, 2016. Iowaâs system sets it apart from other states.
âMany states claim to have online voter registration, but Iowaâs system is one of the few that is all electronic,â Secretary Pate said. âMost other states still require a paper form to be mailed to the registrant, filled out and returned. Iowaâs system is all done online, and our partnership with the Iowa DOT insures security and integrity.â
âBuilt entirely with in-house developers, this online service gives the vast majority of Iowans more convenience and better access to voter registration services without sacrificing security or integrity, all at no additional cost to taxpayers,â said Mark Lowe, Director of the Iowa DOTâs Division of Motor Vehicles. âWeâre very pleased to have had the opportunity to contribute our time and resources to this project.â
Secretary Pate pledges to continue to pursue ways to help all Iowans participate in the electoral process.
Watch the press conference held on Monday morning below: