Same Day Voter Registration Made Easy in Illinois

Wheaton, IL. March 18, 2015. A sweeping new Illinois law, effective June 1, 2015, changes the state’s voter registration process. The new legislation affords U.S. citizens the opportunity to both register to vote and then vote on Election Day. Innovative elections technology enables jurisdictions to smoothly process newly registered voters on the day of an election. Electronic pollbooks (ePollbooks), adopted by many U.S. jurisdictions to check in voters, guide pollworkers through the necessary steps to register voters on Election Day.

The changes to Illinois’ voter registration system will:

• Allow people to register and vote on the same day at polling locations
• Permit electronic voter registration at a number of government agencies
• Extend early voting and vote by mail dates
• Make it easier for college students to vote on their college campus
• Eliminate absentee voting (will simply be termed “early voting”)

“In addition to the states that currently offer same day or Election Day voter registration, a number of other states are considering it,” explains David Davoust, President of Robis Elections. “Jurisdictions need to make sure that their equipment and processes are prepared to handle new protocols and procedures brought on by new legislation. The AskED ePollbook adapts to such changes.”

Same Day Voter Registration requires election workers to follow a specific verification process to ensure the voter receives the correct ballot style. The AskED ePollbook is unique in that it automates the processes with a patent-pending feature called Election Decision Support. This feature guides the election worker based on the jurisdiction’s specific laws for a voter registering the same day as the election. This system makes it easy for election workers to take on additional responsibilities without additional training. It also minimizes the wait time for registered voters and reduces phone calls to the jurisdiction’s headquarters/election central.

A key component to Same Day Voter Registration is communication. When a voter checks into the electronic pollbook on the same day he/she has registered to vote, the electronic pollbook sends an update to all the other electronic pollbooks using connectivity. This prevents a voter from voting more than once. The AskED ePollbook goes above and beyond ordinary communication practices by encrypting and securing data using VPN and SSL technology.

“It’s vital that jurisdictions know if their elections equipment will adapt to future requirements,” advises Sam Sturm, Robis Elections’ Director of Sales and ePollbook Product Manager. “As local governments strategize for the future, they are considering not only Election Day voter registration but vote centers, on demand ballot printing and more. All of these can be positive advances if you have the right election software in place.”

Robis is a Midwest company that has been providing innovative technology solutions since 1991. The AskED ePollbook is 100% USA-made and Robis-created software is used in over 50,000 voting locations across the country. For more information, visit www.GoAskED.com or e-mail info@robis.net, or call 630-752-0220 (office). Located at 300 S. County Farm Road, 3rd Floor, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.