I had to buy a new fridge a couple of weeks ago. The old one stopped keeping things cold, making it pretty functionally obsolete. Our new fridge is stupidly smart. It tells me the weather, turns on NPR, keeps track of food that’s about to expire, and stays up to date on my calendar. It’s like living in the Jetsons. My fridge is officially more technologically up to date than Virginia’s voter registration system.
In this day and age, we need a modern and efficient voter registration system that protects the integrity of our elections. But instead of The Jetsons, registering to vote is more like something out of The Andy Griffith Show. Paper applications, postage stamps, a visit to the registrar’s office–none of that screams “registering to vote is fun and easy and super secure!”
This year, we have the opportunity to update our voter registration system to bring it into the 21st century by establishing automatic voter registration (AVR). What’s that? Glad you asked!
- Automatic Voter Registration will utilize the existing link between the DMV and ELECT to electronically transmit voter information to register voters at their current address unless they opt out.
- AVR will create a secure electronic voter registration database to maintain accurate lists as well as verify that only eligible citizens are registered.
- AVR will modernize the outdated paper-based voter registration system and replace it with a secure electronic process.
That’s it. AVR streamlines and updates the voter registration process. It doesn’t change the eligibility requirements—you still have to be a citizen and at least 18 years old. And you still have to take personal responsibility to show up and cast a ballot.
If you want to vote like a Jetson, we could use your help to make AVR a reality. Contact your legislator now to let them know you want them to support automatic voter registration.