Commission approves online voter registration

DES MOINES - Iowans soon will have the opportunity to register to vote online, provided they have a driver's or state-issued operator's license, thanks to a rule approved Tuesday by a state commission.

The five-member voter registration commission unanimously approved a new rule that uses the transportation department's database to allow state residents with government-issued identification to register to vote online.

The Secretary of State's Office said it hopes to have the program in place in time for the 2016 elections, which will include an open-seat race for the White House.

'This is obviously another major step toward the goal we all share … to encourage as much (voter) participation as we can. This is one more step toward that,” Secretary of State Paul Pate said. 'We're going to be very aggressive and work with the DOT. That's what this really is about, so we can keep the timetable moving.

'We want to get it out there. Really, the tough part is ahead of us. But this is definitely a good, positive step.”

The tough part of which Pate spoke includes implementation. The soonest the program will roll out will be the first quarter of 2016, an official from the Secretary of State's Office said Tuesday.

Mark Lowe, director of the DOT's Motor Vehicle Division, said Tuesday the department already has completed 'significant work” on the project and is confident it will be ready in 2016. Lowe said implementation will come at no additional cost to the DOT.

'We can accomplish this within existing staff and budget, assuming we structure this as proposed,” Lowe said.

Iowa residents seeking to register to vote online will be able to sign in on the Secretary of State's website or their county auditor's website. They will be able to log in with their driver's license number or state operator's license number and will receive a voter registration card in the mail.

Iowans will be able to take advantage of the program under existing preregistration timelines; in other words, they can preregister online up to 10 days before the election.

After that deadline, voters can register at the polls on Election Day.

Although the vote in support of the rule was unanimous, the Democratic Party of Iowa's representative on the commission - executive director Troy Price - reiterated hopes expressed in a previous public hearing that access to the program could be expanded to those without the proper state identification.

'I do think this is a step in the right direction, but there's still more work to be done,” Price said. 'I feel pretty good that the commission will stay at it. I'm going to keep that fight up, because we should make voting as easy as possible for folks.”

Pate and other state officials assured Price they would pursue options.

'I think we're all attuned to (the fact) that this still not the end game. This is a big step toward it, because 93 percent of the folks who are eligible to vote have a driver's license,” Pate said. 'So what we're really doing is giving them a bite at the apple. If you didn't get registered to vote the first time, come on back.

'But some of the questions that came up in the hearing, those are points we can further explore. But if we don't get this base done, it's hard to add those to it.”