California Voter Online Registration - Essay Example

California Voter Online Registration The of California has recently passed a law that allows its voters to register online. The Secretary of State Debra Bowen proudly announced that while most states are still unable to offer online voter registration, “I am thrilled to say the largest state in the nation is ready to roll” (Brown, n.p.). This is an initiative to replace the mailbox for Californians wanting to register. Nevertheless, online registration does not rid paper-based registration.

They are also identical. The information entered by the prospective voter online will be checked carefully by the elections official before an applicant can be qualified as voter and be enlisted on the voter rolls. This initiative was introduced through a bill by the State Senator Leland Yee of the District of San Francisco. The bill received a wide push in the lead-in to the November election with almost fifty per cent of all new registrants utilizing the system in the weeks approaching towards the day of the contest (Sankin, n.p.).

Basically, the law allows for a more convenient, easier, and faster way to register to vote as registration can be carried out even in the comfort of the applicant’s home. After the law has been passed, the Republicans, according to Yee, started running and “we start grabbing online registrations and that’s how we won” (Sankin n.p.). Another beneficent face of this law is that it increased California citizens’ participation to the election. Because the voter registration was made easier, more applicants have come to register online.

Essentially, this brings a better turn out during elections because the State will be represented more accurately by the growing number of potential voters. Furthermore, because California is a very diverse State, it would allow for ballots to be translated into different languages which will improve access to all citizens. Nevertheless, the fear of online hacking and virtual theft would be an apprehending issue. Also, there might be a need to add more people for the verification of voter’s identities and the voters’ votes – whether they are genuine or dummy.

This is to say that while California has evolved in terms of its voter registration system, there is no way that technological threats and legal implications can be discounted.