NASHVILLE - House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, and Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, say it's time to let would-be Tennessee voters join with those in 29 other states and be allowed to register to vote online.
McCormick and Yager, chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee, announced Friday they have filed legislation to do just that. The measure provides for establishing an online voter registration system for Tennesseans with a number of what the lawmakers say are safeguards.
Voters with unexpired driver's licenses or personal identification cards from the state Department of Safety would be able to go to an official state website where they could register to vote online.
"Online voter registration supplements the traditional paper-based registration process and will help encourage more Tennesseans to become involved in the political process," McCormick said in a news release. "We serve at the will of the people, and I look forward to having even more constituents provide their input on important legislative decisions made within the General Assembly."
Yager, chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee, said "in an electronic age, it makes sense to provide electronic registration if we have proper safeguards and validation steps.
Tennessee state Rep. Gerald McCormick speaks about the United Auto Workers in February 2014."This legislation provides those assurances to make voter registration more convenient for Tennesseans and hopefully encourages more citizens to participate in the election process," he added.
Under Senate Bill 1626/House Bill 1742, the voter registration application would be reviewed electronically. If the request is confirmed as valid, the new registration would be added to the state's voter registration list after being reviewed by the respective county election commission offices.
Validation is done by comparing the information on the online registration form against the information provided by the same individual when he or she received a driver's license or their state-issued identification card.
Secretary of State Tre Hargett, who oversees Tennessee elections, is on board.
"This is an opportunity for us to meet customers, the taxpayers, where they are and provide them yet another way they can register to vote," Hargett said. "Tennesseans will have the ability to register from the comfort of their homes and even in the palm of their hands on mobile devices.
"This proposal is about making government work better for its constituents," Hargett added.
The signature already on record with the state would become the signature on record for voting. If the information does not match, the applicant would be directed to print and complete the application and mail it to the county election commission office in their county of residence to be processed.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 29 states plus the District of Columbia offer online registration. Another two states have passed legislation to create online voter registration systems, but have not yet implemented them.