Data Visualization

State of Online Voter Registration Systems

Implemented online voter registration systems map

Current state of online voter-registration systems in the USA. An interactive map 
LINE	Category	SubCategory	Affrimation Text	Negation Text	AK	AL	AZ	CA	CO	CT	DC	DE	GA	HI	IA	IL	IN	KS	LA	MA	MD	MN	MO	NE	NM	NV	NY	OR	PA	SC	UT	WA	WV	VA	VT	KY
L100	Legislation	Legislation passed	Yes	No	n	n	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	n	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	n	n	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	n	p
D110	Development	Built solely by state staff	Yes	No	n	y	y	n	y	n	n	y	n	n	y	y	n	y	n	y	n	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	n	n	y	n	y	y	n	p
D120	Development	Built solely by vendor	Yes	No	y	n	n	n	n	y	y	n	y	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	y	n	y	n	n	y	p
D130	Development	Built by state staff and vendor	Yes	No	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	p
D140	Development	Pilot launch conducted	Yes	No	n	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	n	n	n	y	n	n	y	y	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	n	y	n	n	y	y	y	p
D150	Development	Resides with chief election official	Yes	No	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	n	n	y	y	n	y	y	n	y	y	n	y	y	n	y	n	n	y	y	y	n	y	p
D160	Development	Resides with motor vehicle agency	Yes	No	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	p
D170	Development	Resides with IT agency	Yes	No	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	y	n	p
D180	Development	Resides with vendor, but managed by state 	Yes	No	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	p
F210	Features	Confirmation screen	Yes	No	y	n	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	p
F220	Features	Confirmation number 	Yes	No	n	y	y	y	n	y	n	y	y	n	y	n	y	y	n	n	y	n	n	y	n	y	y	y	y	n	n	y	n	n	n	p
F230	Features	Confirmation email for submitted application 	Yes	No	n	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	y	n	y	n	y	y	y	n	y	p
F240	Features	Confirmation email for active registration	Yes	No	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	p
F200	Features	Mobile optimized 	Yes	No	n	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	n	n	y	y	y	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	n	y	y	y	p
F190	Features	Supports multiple languages	Yes	No	n	n	y	y	y	y	n	n	n	y	n	y	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	y	y	y	n	y	y	n	n	y	n	n	n	p
F250	Features	Collects email address	Yes	No	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	p
F260	Features	Email is public record	Yes	No	n	y	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	y	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	y	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	y	y	p
A270	Access	Date of birth required	Yes	No	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	p
A280	Access	Driver's license or state ID number required	Yes	No	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	t	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	h	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	p
A290	Access	Last four digits of SSN required	Yes	No	Y	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	n	n	n	n	y	h	y	n	n	y	y	n	y	n	n	n	y	n	y	p
A300	Access	Full SSN required	Yes	No	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	y	n	p
P310	Processing	Election official reviews all applications	Yes	No	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	p
P320	Processing	Election official reviews only flagged applications 	Yes	No	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	p
P400	Processing	Can differentiate online from paper registrations	Yes	No	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	p
P390	Processing	Can differentiate new from updated registrations	Yes	No	y	n	n	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	n	y	n	y	n	y	n	y	p
P370	Processing	Registrations transmitted in real-time to local election officials	Yes	No	n	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	n	n	n	n	y	y	n	y	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	y	y	y	n	n	y	p
P380	Processing	Registrations transmitted in batches to local election officials	Yes	No	y	y	n	n	n	n	x	n	n	n	y	l	y	y	n	n	y	n	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	n	n	n	y	y	n	p
P330	Processing	Applicant notified in real time of existing registration	Yes	No	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	y	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	y	n	y	n	y	n	y	n	y	y	p
P340	Processing	Can process without DMV record	Yes	No	n	n	n	y	n	n	y	y	y	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	y	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	y	y	p
P350	Processing	DMV record automatically updated with voter information	Yes	No	y	Y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	n	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	y	n	p
P360	Processing	Address updated at DMV to match voter record	Yes	No	n	x	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	p
P410	Processing	Requires some paper printing by the state	Yes	No	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	y	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	y	n	n	n	x	n	n	n	n	n	n	p
P420	Processing	Requires some manual data entry	Yes	No	y	n	n	n	y	y	y	y	n	n	n	y	n	n	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	y	n	y	n	n	n	n	y	n	n	p
Delaware's system is largely maintained by the Department of Information Technology (DIT), however the Office of the Election Commissioner shares some responsibility hosting and managing the system.
Delaware requests driver's license or state ID, but it is not required to proceed with a transaction.
Minnesota offers the option to provide a drivers’ license number or last four digits of SSN.
District of Columbia did not answer in survey but confirmed via phone conversation.
Missouri did not answer in survey but confirmed via phone conversation.
Some Illinois jurisdictions have vendors that allow for a real‐time connection but some are done in batches.

Overview

Online voter registration saves taxpayer dollars, increases the accuracy of voter rolls, and provides a convenient way for Americans to register or update their information. The Pew Charitable Trusts monitors and surveys states that implement or continue to offer online voter registration. Overall, the responses indicate that online registration is cost-effective for states, easy for voters, and more accurate than paper forms. It is also more secure, reducing the potential for fraud by instantly verifying voters’ identities and eligibility. This interactive tool tracks which states offer online registration and summarizes the survey findings across five topics: legislation, development, features, access, and processing.

View a map interactive version on any desktop size screen

Comparative chart of systems

Select a system
Clear Selections
    AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD DC MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD DC MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY
    States With Online Voter Registration Systems
     YES
     NO

    Comparative chart of systems

    State selections

    development notes

    More projects will be posted soon, with relevant annotations about the tech stack, implementation notes and other relevant technical details.

    Please note that these are my personal copies so they might differ slightly from current versions on the client's website.

    This showcase area was originally designed as a live testing environment, as well as a “preview area” for all of the products created by me for Pew.

    This “harness website” automatically rebuilt itself daily by analizing selected Pew website pages and updating assets or code changes. This was necessary because we did not have access to the CMS in a way that made rapid development of our projects feasible in any other way.

    I developed this “harness” using Apache, PHP, NodeJS, Javascript, PhanthomJS (a headless browser), and some bash scripting. (Node’s Express and other http servers where beyond my technical ability at the time)

    Unit testing was performed with Sashi. Browser testing was done using a combination of Browserstack, other technologies and a local suite of real devices.

    Want to see the code? Just right click and inspect. One of the requirements (or constraints) at Pew was that to publish these apps the entirety of the code and resources needed to be copy-and-pasted into a single CMS field. There was no practical access to the filesystem for resources.

    How about the data?Again, inspect. Pew wanted to make sure that any researcher would have easy access to the data that powered these visualizations, so the data is not hidden away in strange structures. It is in plain preformatted tab-delimited tables that one can copy and paste into excel and that you will see plainly when you inspect the page.

    Developer