Add Pennsylvania to the growing list of states that offer online voter registration. With this move, they become the 23rd state to offer an online registration system.

Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State, Pedro Cortes, endorsed this move in a recent article, citing the cost savings and accessibility that online registration will provide eligible voters. He cites a recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts in Arizona, which saw a decrease from 83 cents in processing a paper ballot, to 3 cents per online registration. A remarkable cost savings.

Those cost savings will be realized in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 county voter registration offices. Cost savings, though, are not the only benefit to counties. They can also expect greater efficiency in processing applications, leading to more accurate voter rolls.

Online voter registration will also eliminate the possibility of handwritten registrations being incorrectly filled out, or simply illegible. By registering online, a voter’s information will be processed and stored immediately at their county office.

So far, the move to allow online voter registration in Pennsylvania has resulted in a massive number of newly registered voters. According to an article from CBS Philadelphia, more than 10,000 eligible voters have signed up through the new system.

It seems that the cost savings, accessibility and transparency of allowing online voter registration will amount to a smashing success for the state. Keep up the good work, Pennsylvania!

Source: The Scranton Times-Tribune, CBS Philadelphia

About the author: Tyler Molihan is a Marketing Intern at Follow My Vote. He hopes to increase awareness about the benefits of online voting systems.