The Voter Protection Corps is a national voter protection effort led by experienced voter protection attorneys that conducts targeted voter protection operations in key states across the country in advance of the 2020 election. The organization’s mission is to ensure that every qualified voter can register to vote, vote easily, and have valid votes count.

We're looking for lawyers to research both legal authorities and public-facing state websites/apps related to Online Voter Registration. Not every state lets voters register online, but most do—as long as the voter has an in-state driver's license or other DMV ID. Only a few states let voters without in-state DMV IDs complete the registration process online. It's sort of an under-the-radar voter ID requirement.

We want to identify states that have Online Voter Registration programs or could easily create them, study the barriers that might prevent a voter in each state from completing the process online, and find opportunities for election administrators to reduce those barriers without legislative action—in some cases, by adapting good ideas from other states.

After learning about Online Voter Registration (OVR) programs from one of our experts, volunteers will research several states and write a memo about each of those assigned states.

Expanding OVR to voters without ID is particularly important in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. Letting more people register from home reduces the need for in-person voter registration drives and for voters to visit their local election offices in person.