Push under way for automatic voter registration in Ohio

Ohio now has online voter registration but state Rep. Kathleen Clyde, D-Kent, wants to take it a step further: automatic voter registration.

Clyde, who may run for Secretary of State in 2018, detailed her new bill Thursday at the Ohio Statehouse.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, this is how automatic voter registration works: eligible citizens who interact with government agencies are automatically registered to vote unless they decline and the information is automatically transmitted to election officials.

The Brennan Center, a non-profit organization, says 29 states have considered automatic registration proposals, which lead to higher registration rates and cleaner voter rolls. Six states and the District of Columbia have such programs in place.

Ohio has 7.9 million registered voters, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Ohio launched its online voter registration system Jan. 1, the first day allowed by lawmakers. So far 483 people have used the system, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Currently 31 states and DC allow voters to register online.

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