Husted said the new system will save county boards of elections between 50 cents and $1.50 per voter, will cut back on data entry errors and will reduce the number of provisional ballots being cast on Election Day. Had the online registration update system been available in 2008, roughly 130,000 voters could have cast regular ballots instead of provisional ballots, he said.
Voter registrations must be updated by Oct. 9 to be eligible for the Nov. 6 election.
In order to use the online address update program, voters must already be registered and able to provide their last name, date of birth, Ohio driver’s license number, and last four digits of their Social Security number. Voters unable to provide this information may download a paper form, fill it out and mail it or take it to their county board of elections office to update their registration.
Ohio has about 7 million registered voters, 6 million of whom are expected to have access to the online system.
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles is sharing data monthly with the Secretary of State to help keep the voter rolls up-to-date.
Husted said about 10 other states have allowed online voter registration updates and found them to be efficient and secure.
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