Virginia’s 2016 Experience Edgardo Cortés Commissioner of Elections

Virginia Quick Facts 133 local jurisdictions 5,459,616 total voters as of 3/1/17 5,169,737 Active 289,879 Inactive Approximately 67,000 UOCAVA voters 2,435 precincts

2016 Election Total Registered Percentage Change from Previous Year Total Voting Turnout  (% Voting of Total Registered) Voting Absentee  (Included in Total Voting) 5,529,742 6.02% 3,984,631 72.05% 496,452

Making Voting Easier for Eligible Virginians On-line voter registration and absentee ballot requests Paperless voter registration at DMV Easier to use voter registration form Transparency and accountability for local election administration Statewide Voter Outreach Campaign

Focus for 2016 Modernization Preparation Outreach

Benefits of Modernization Better experience for voters More accurate data Simpler administration of local processes Easier to accomplish transparency

Electronic Motor Voter Real time, secure connection to voter registration system information Simplified process for address changes Available statewide at DMV customer service centers August 2016 Full integration with online registration system

Impact of Modernization on Methods of Voter Registration 6/11/2008 – 10/3/2008 6/15/2016 – 10/7/2016 DMV – 566,416 State Form – 87,323 National Form – 12,787 In-Person – 35,112 Online – 325,830 DMV – 252,949 State Form – 336,154 National Form – 37,675 In-Person – 69,275

Hopper Processing

Other Modernization Efforts Online absentee application Custom URLs and secure API for 3rd party registration groups Election night reporting improvements Election data project

Preparation for 2016 Working group of key partners Emphasis on training for local officials Push to get voters to update information Planning for all contingencies

Emergency & Contingency Planning Attorney General’s Office Democratic Party of Virginia Department of Emergency Management Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy Department of Transportation Federal Bureau of Investigation Office of the Secretary of Administration Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security Republican Party of Virginia U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Virginia Capitol Police Virginia Electoral Board Association Virginia Information Technologies Agency Virginia National Guard Virginia Sheriffs’ Association Virginia State Police & Fusion Center Virginia State Police Association Voter Registrar’s Association of Virginia

Differences between Election Day and Early Voting (VA in parentheses) 2008 2012 2016 Election Day 12 min. (28 min.) 13 min. 11 min. (14 min.) Early Voting 25 min. (13 min.) 20 min. (10 min.) (6 min.) All 16 min. (27 min.) (25 min.)

Preliminary Wait Time Data Out of the 544 precincts: 390 precincts had average wait times of less than 10 minutes 108 had average wait times between 10-20 minutes 17 averaged between 20-30 minutes 15 averaged between 30-40 minutes 8 averaged between 40-50 minutes 5 had average waits of 50-60 minutes 1 had an average wait of more than an hour

Outreach Efforts in 2016 Limited funding available Approximately $600,000 Statewide campaign consisting of TV, radio, print, bus, and online advertising Over 24 million impressions in non-online advertising

vote.virginia.gov Register to vote/update your voter registration information Request an absentee ballot Find your polling place See what’s on your ballot Spanish language resources Photo ID information

Main Website Activity 2016

2015 vs 2016

Online Registration Website Activity 2016

2015 vs 2016

Questions? Edgardo Cortés edgardo.cortes@elections.virginia.gov elections.virginia.gov