Montana’s Online Voter Verification Service Wins Award from the Council of State Governments

The Montana Secretary of State’s Voter Verification Service was recently honored with an Innovation Award from the Council of State Governments, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit group that serves all three branches of state government.

As part of the national Help America Vote Act and Montana state law, citizens are now required to present legal identification at polling stations. The new laws led to a concern that citizens unaware of the recent requirements might not be able to vote if they failed to bring a driver’s license with them to the polling station. The Voter Verification Service allows voting officials to verify the identity of voters by searching the state’s driver record database over the Internet. If matched in the database, voters are eligible to proceed to the polls.

"It’s great for Montana to be recognized for leading the way in technology." said Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson. "In a state where people often live more than 20 miles from their polling place, this technology allows us to make sure everyone gets a chance to vote on election day."

Full Story: http://www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=98423