Modernizing voter registration

Best practices for expanding voter registration and supporting accurate voting rolls.

We are excited about all the states that are modernizing their voter registration because people often decide they want to vote only when the see what’s on the ballot—after the registration deadline.

Modernizing elections includes new opportunities to register, like online voter registration and same-day voter registration. It also includes less visible work, like modernizing election databases so that partners like motor vehicle departments, social service offices, and get-out-the-vote groups can help voters register quickly and accurately.

Some of the most dramatic changes come from updates to Motor Voter programs. Some states are switching the voter registration option for people getting or renewing a driver’s license or non-driver ID from a requirement to opt-in to letting them opt out. Of course new voters still have to meet all the requirements. And they must have their voter registration application approved by their elections office, but the whole transaction is more streamlined.

All this work makes a difference in the number of people who are ready to vote. After Oregon became  the first state to implement automatic voter registration, they added 375,000 new voters in the first 18 months, increasing the voter registration rate by 10 points, to 86%.

There are 16 states + the District of Columbia  implementing (as of December 2018) some form of voter registration modernization, and we’ve been there to collaborate with the election offices and advocates. Together, we draft forms and letters to voters in plain language, and run usability testing for the new interfaces for voters and DMV clerks. We have even tested the voter registration portion of a new online driver’s license application in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Out of that work, we have gathered best practices for designing paper and online forms, questions for in-person transactions, and prompts on signature keypads.

Of course, the form should be laid out clearly and written in clear language. You will also want to think about ways to simplify the form as much as you can:

  • Reduce the number of questions to the essentials. Every question slows down the customer and makes the whole transaction take longer.
  • Word all questions, answer sets,  and instructions in a way that current and potential voters understand. It makes their answers more accurate, and they take less time completing the transaction
  • Be sure that valid reasons to opt out are clear, so that anyone who should not register at the DMV either because they are not eligible or need to have their address protection gets the message.
  • Present eligibility criteria as a list, not a series of questions. People are more likely to understand that they have to meet all the criteria.
  • Present legal declarations as clearly as possible (within the law). Break semi-colon phrases into bullets so they are easier to scan.

Download  Voter registration modernization design best practices (PDF)

 

Making the whole project a success

We have also had an opportunity to see some of the best practices that make the overall project a success.

  • Get everyone in the room. Good communication and collaboration among all the stakeholders makes sure that all perspectives are considered early. Stakeholders include: all state agencies, local elections offices, community advocates. They don’t have to all be in every meeting, but keep everyone informed.
  • Foster good relationships between DMV and SOS/BOE. Make sure their legal teams agree and that the project managers communicate regularly.
  • Make data metrics collection part of the project early. Collect statistics on the current system, so you can quickly see the impact of the updates. (and have the tools you need to diagnose problems).
  • Include communication with voters after the visit to the DMV in the planning process. How will they be notified? What actions can/should they take?
  • Test the system carefully before launch. Not just software testing, but also the end-to-end process, to be sure all possible scenarios are handled correctly (and the project doesn’t get in the spotlight for the wrong reasons).
  • Test the design with users  – both clerks and customers, too. Take their experience seriously. They can help you identify places where the process and forms are confusing and might cause problems.

To make sure the launch and beyond go smoothly:

  • Make sure local election officials have good access to support for sorting out any problems quickly, so they can answer voters’ (and their own) questions accurately.
  • There’s a transaction audit trail on both the DMV and SOS systems, right!? You can’t solve problems without it.
  • Keep up the communication with project partners, stakeholders, and everyone involved in making the project a success.