Tenn. lawmakers approve online voter registration

JACKSON, Tenn. — With just a keyboard and the click of a mouse, Tennesseans will soon be able to register to vote from their home computer.

A new measure approved by the General Assembly allows voters to go online to register to vote or update their voting information.

“The bill allows voters to become registered not only when they get their driver’s licenses, but no paper has to be transmitted to the counties — it will be done all online,” said Administrator of Elections for Madison County Kim Buckley.

While election officials hope allowing people more ways to register will help get them out of the house and into the polls on election day, those WBBJ spoke with said they think adding technology to the picture will help bring in a younger generation of voters.

“The trend is certainly in the direction of electronics,” Jackson voter Gary Foose said. “Younger people as well as elderly people are familiar with how the Internet works, and going online I think could be a tremendous help.”

Even though most agreed with the new measure, they said preventing voter fraud will be as important as ever.

“It’s going to be an issue they’re going to have to face, but you know that’s going on now,” Madison County voter Shirley Martin said. “Regardless, with them not doing it online, there’s voter fraud and all kind of stuff going on.”

“You definitely have to have controls,” Foose agreed. “They need to have controls in place to keep from having fraud in this type of situation.”

State officials have said they will install new safeguards to help discourage voter fraud through the online system.

Tennesseans won’t be able to register online until July 1, 2017.

Those who aren’t currently registered still have two months and 16 days to register to vote in the August election.