In order to be able to vote in Texas, you must either mail in your voter registration paperwork or visit your local registrar's office. You can also register when getting or renewing your driver license at a DMV office. But you cannot register online.
House Bill 1295 filed by Austin Democratic state representative Vicki Goodwin would change that by allowing Texans to go to an official state website, register and get their voter registration card online.
She says using technology instead of employees doing data entry would save the state money. And she notes that handwriting can be difficult to decipher. "Speaking with the Travis County chief clerk, who handles voter registration now, she has expressed how that can be a big challenge, just reading people's handwriting."
The state legislature is dominated by Republicans who might oppose this legislation. Given that, she says "I think it will be a very challenging bill to pass, but we still try good ideas even when we feel they might be a challenge.'
41 states allow online voter registration, including our neighbor to the north, Oklahoma.
Goodwin notes we do so many things online these days. "We do our banking, we sign our contracts to buy or lease homes. We renew our driver licenses online. It just seems to make sense."
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