Some Texas Republicans want to abandon a national voting security system that’s charged with ensuring that individuals can vote only in the state where they currently live. But there’s no replacement in sight for the Electronic Information Registration Center, or ERIC. The Texas Secretary of State’s Office is looking for alternative ways to exchange voter roll information with other states, but no viable alternative exists yet.
Texas isn’t alone. Other Republican-led states, including Florida, Louisiana, Ohio and Iowa have already left ERIC.
Michael Morse wrote for Slate about how the ERIC system works, and why some GOP lawmakers want out. Morse is an incoming assistant professor law at the University of Pennsylvania, and he studies election administration. He says ERIC works so well because unlike other voter roll verification systems, it has access to confidential data, including motor vehicle registration information. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: Can you just tell me a little bit more about how ERIC works?
Michael Morse: ERIC is a nonprofit corporation. It is composed of state chief election officials. So in order to join this organization, state chief election officials agree to share their voter registration cards and their motor vehicle packets through this institution – or what I would call this bureaucracy – that they set up. So ERIC is really a very interesting way...
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