VRM in the States: Massachusetts

Advances in Voter Registration Modernization

• Electronic Voter Registration: Massachusetts launched electronic voter registration at Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) offices in 1995, and fully eliminated the use of paper for RMV-based voter registration in 2000. Individuals submit information on a paper form and clerks input responses electronically. Registrants sign an electronic pad to create a digital signature. The information is transferred electronically to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office each night.
• Online Voter Registration: Massachusetts launched online voter registration through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office in 2015. Eligible citizens with a state driver’s license or non-driver ID can use the system to register to vote and update their registration information.  
• Preregistration: 16– and 17-year-olds can preregister to vote. Those who preregister can vote once they turn 18 without needing to re-register.

Gains from Voter Registration Modernization in Massachusetts

• Between the 2015 launch of online voter registration and the November 2016 election, the state received 141,755 new voter registration applications through its online portal.