Technology is helping Montanans exercise their right to vote. As part of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) that took effect in October 2002, citizens are required to present legal identification at polling stations. A new electronic service in Montana allows voting officials to verify the identify of voters through the state's driver record database, and more than 600 citizens who arrived without identification during the state's June 8 primary were able to vote as a result. Montana's Voter Verification Service is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. Voters who failed to present a driver's license or state-issued ID at a polling station were referred to a resolutions table. Once the voter provided a full name, date of birth, address, and driver's license number or last four digits of a social security number, an election staffer could query the Voter Verification Service. If the provided information matched what appeared in the Montana Department of Justice's driver record and state identification database, the voter was eligible to proceed to the polls.
All 56 Montana counties signed up for the Voter Verification Service, which will also be available for the general election on November 2, 2004.
"In a state where people often live more than 20 miles from a polling place, we are proud to offer a solution that kept hundreds of citizens from being sent home without being able to vote," said Secretary of State Bob Brown.
The Voter Verification Service is part of a broad-reaching effort by the Montana Secretary of State's Office to comply with new regulations and educate election personnel about changing voting laws. In the spring, election officials traveled more than 10,000 miles and trained approximately 2,000 election staffers across the state.
The Voter Verification Service is the result of an alliance between state government and the private sector. The system was cooperatively developed and is supported by the Montana Secretary of State's Office, the Montana Department of Administration's Information Technology Services Division, the Montana Department of Justice, and Montana Interactive, LLC, a Helena-based wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment provider NIC (Nasdaq:EGOV).
About Montana Interactive
Helena-based Montana Interactive built, operates, and maintains Montana's official Web site (www.DiscoveringMontana.com) and is a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC.
Quelle: Business Wire, 08.07.2004
