The Independent View: Florida Joining ERIC

Florida will join the Multi-State Partnership, Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), that will allow the State to Flag Duplicate Voter Registrations in other States.

ERIC is a Non-Profit Organization with the sole mission of assisting States to Improve the Accuracy of America’s Voter Rolls and Increase Access to Voter Registration for All Eligible Citizens. ERIC is Governed and Managed by States who choose to join, and was formed in 2012 with Assistance from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The Seven States that pioneered the formation of ERIC in 2012 are: Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

As of August 2019: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The District of Columbia is also a Member. (29 states plus D.C.)

New York is evaluating ERIC.

Each Member Submits at a Minimum its Voter Registration and Motor Vehicle Licensee Data. The Data includes: Names, Addresses, date-of-Birth, Last four Digits of the Social Security Number. Private Data such as Date of Birth and the Last Four Digits of the Social Security Number are Protected using a Cryptographic One-Way Hash and then transmitted to ERIC.

Each Member State receives Reports that show: Voters who have Moved within their State, Voters who have Moved Out of State, Voters who have Died, Duplicate Registrations in the same State, and Individuals who are potentially Eligible to Vote but are Not yet Registered.

Each Member State pays Annual Dues, which are determined by a Formula Approved by the ERIC Membership. The Formula includes Citizen Voting Age Population as a Factor. Large States Pay more than small States. The Annual Budget for FY 2019-20 is approximately $947,000.

Efficient and Effective Data Matching and Cleaner voter Rolls will result in Efficiencies as: Less Returned Mail, Fewer Provisional Ballots on Election Day, Shorter Lines at Polling Places, etc.

In addition, ERIC uses Resources such as the Social Security Death Index and Data from the U.S. Post Office that States now Buy on their Own. ERIC States share these Purchases when they Pay their Annual Dues.