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New website to make voter registration easier for Pennsylvanians

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Governor Tom Wolf is making it a little bit easier for you to register to vote. The governor joined state officials to announce the laun...
voting

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Governor Tom Wolf is making it a little bit easier for you to register to vote. The governor joined state officials to announce the launch of the “Online Voter Registration” (OVR) website.

Pennsylvania now joins 22 other states that give voters the option to sign up to vote or make changes to their voter record  such as a name, address or party affiliation change. Registered voters may also use the new site to request assistance at the polling place.

Lawmakers say the system will positively impact counties across the state.

“Counties are always looking for ways that they can save money, for the state to relieve some burdens,” Senator Rob Teplitz said, “and this is a way for them to save money,  and to make their job of administrating paperwork more easy.”

A May 2015 report by the Pew Charitable Trusts said states that used the online voter registration saw per-application savings ranging from $0.50 to $2.34. In Arizona, which in 2002 became the first state to implement the system, election officials reported their cost to be 3 cents for each online application versus 83 cents for a traditional paper form.

The electronic system also eliminates problems for election staff such as trying to decipher illegible handwriting, or following up on missing information on applications.

For more information on the new system, click here.

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