Austin American-Statesman: Austin Lawmaker Pitches Online Voter Registration — Again

Texas voter registration might be heading to the internet if one of several bills filed for the upcoming legislative session finds its way to the governor’s desk.

Five bills, all filed by Democratic legislators, would require the state to create an online voter registration system if passed into law. Texas is one of just 10 states without such a system.

“This is not a partisan issue, this is a good government issue,” said Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, who filed House Bill 361 to create an electronic voter registration system in Texas. “I’m pledging to continue the fight because now it’s embarrassing that so many states have it and Texas doesn’t.”

Proponents say registering to vote online would increase voter participation. Texas typically has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country. …

Electronic voter registration in Texas is also a focus of groups like Common Cause, a voter rights and ethics watchdog group, that has made online voter registration legislation a priority for the upcoming session, said Anthony Gutierrez, the executive director of Common Cause Texas.

“The state should be more concerned with how few Texans are registering to vote and how few Texans are actually voting,” Gutierrez said. “We did a little better this past midterm election than we historically have … but that isn’t a lot to brag about. It’s just simple things like online registration that will make a huge difference.”

Turnout in the November election was the highest midterm turnout in Texas in a half century. Still, just slightly more than half of registered voters cast ballots, lower voter participation than the 59.4 percent turnout in the 2016 presidential election. That figure was 47th nationally. Texas ranked 44th in the nation in terms of voter registration in 2016, according to a University of Texas report issued this year.

Gutierrez also said he thought there was a lot of bipartisan support building behind the idea of an online registration system. Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, agrees.