The Institute for Responsive Government Action strongly supports HB 565. This policy, which has been successfully implemented in states like Kentucky and Colorado, makes simple changes to DMV and Board of Elections procedures that will result in hundreds of thousands of additional address updates for registered voters. More address updates through the DMV means cleaner voter rolls, significant cost-savings for elections officials from reduced undeliverable mail, and a better experience for voters. We thank the Committee for their careful consideration of the bill.

To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to you today about Virginia’s H.B. 565 / S.B. 315, a nonpartisan, good-government proposal that will result in more voters being registered in the correct location while saving money and reducing the administrative burden on election administration officials. This bill would increase the accuracy of voter registration rolls by automatically updating a voter’s registration record if the voter were to provide a different address to the Virginia DMV during a licensing transaction. The voter would still have an opportunity to correct the change, if needed. By automatically syncing voter registration records with DMV records, Virginia can ensure cleaner voter rolls and dramatically reduce the cost of undeliverable election mail. To be clear, no Virginian would be automatically registered if this bill were to pass. Only voters who are already registered would see their addresses automatically updated to their new, current address. This precise policy has been adopted in 10 states — red and blue alike — including Colorado, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. And a similar policy exists in several other states. In Colorado, the policy has updated an extra 200,000 outdated records per year. If Virginia’s success rate were similar, taxpayers would save over $1 million each cycle on undeliverable mail alone. It will also save elected officials’ campaigns time and money. Finally, by spreading updates throughout the year, it should reduce the workload during the busiest time of the election calendar, when most think about updating their addresses. That’s why reforms like this attract bipartisan support across the country. I regret that I cannot be at the statehouse to testify due to pre-scheduled travel around the National Association of Secretaries of State conference in Washington, D.C. I hope we can count on your support of this bill and welcome any questions, thoughts, or concerns about the bill. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Trey Grayson Advisory Board Chair, Secure Elections Project Kentucky Secretary of State, 2004-2011 Past President, National Association of Secretaries of State Past Chair, Republican Association of Secretaries of State tgrayson@fbtlaw.com (859) 817-5930

Please vote NO on HB 565. The bill would create confusion in the voter registration system because it assumes that any address provided in a DMV transaction is the last known and primary address of a voter. For instance, if someone has a farm in VA that is not their primary (registered) residence, and houses a vehicle at that farm, the farm address becomes their new voter registration address when the vehicle is registered. Without any advance notice, that voter then will not be able to vote at their original registered precinct. This is unfair to the voter. Instead, the bill should require DMV to ask anyone providing an address whether that voter’s registration information should be updated with that address (or not).

The League supports HB 565 because it will help ensure that voters who are already registered to vote in Virginia are registered in the correct precinct. Many people forget to update their voter registration addresses but remember to update their addresses for their driver’s licenses. While it is true that eligible citizens can opt out of automatic voter registration, once they are registered, this proposal would make it easier for them to keep their registration current and accurate. Not only would the bill help voters, but it would also assist in maintaining clean voter rolls.