1. Virginia’s 2016 Experience
Edgardo Cortés
Commissioner of Elections

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Focus for 2016
Modernization
Preparation
Outreach

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

8. 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

9. 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

13. Hopper Processing

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

15. 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

16. 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

18. 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.)

19. 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 minutes
17 averaged between minutes
15 averaged between minutes
8 averaged between minutes
5 had average waits of minutes
1 had an average wait of more than an hour

20. 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

21. 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

22. Main Website Activity 2016

23. 2015 vs 2016

24. Online Registration Website Activity 2016

25. 2015 vs 2016

26. Questions?
Edgardo Cortés
elections.virginia.gov