We all dread going to the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew a license or to conduct any business. In the past month, DMV has reported wait times are down at branches across the state, but for those who have been to the DMV lately know that problems continue to persist.
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For the past two years, the DMV failed to properly roll out a new, $25 million, computer system, sent out incorrect car tax bills to 50,000 residents, forgot to send out registration renewals to 8,340 vehicle owners and saw their political appointed Commissioner Andres Ayala, resign. The governor decided to fill the vacancy with Michael Bzdyra, who was the deputy commissioner under Ayala.
After being sworn in, Commissioner Bzdyra circumvented the legislative process and entered into an agreement with the Secretary of the State Denise Merrill to develop an automatic voter registration system, which is currently administered by the overburdened DMV. Their reasoning for this new initiative was to comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The law requires states to implement motor programs that allow DMV customers to register to vote when they renew or apply for a new driver’s license. Nowhere in the current law is there a mandate to automatically register people to vote.
Yet, the DMV began automatically registering individuals to vote last summer, which has only caused additional problems and confusion for residents. I have received complaints from constituents that their voter registration was changed without their knowledge and to express their concerns for the additionally cost associated with this program. According to the Office of Financial Analysis, the state has budgeted over $825,000 for employee costs for the motor-voter system in fiscal years 2018 and 2019. We also are spending almost $60,000 annually for the software licensing to run the program from the DMV.
Last month, I was able to testify before the legislature’s Government Elections and Administration Committee in support of a piece of legislation, H.B. 5940, I have introduced this year to end the ‘automatic’ voter registration efforts at the DMV. The state should be prioritizing its spending during difficult times, and I believe we should be providing greater resources to our local Registrar of Voters to hold more voter registration drives. I would also like to a see a greater effort to advertise the ability to register to vote online. Almost seventy percent of American’s have the ability to register to vote in their pocket as we speak, via their smartphone. Those without smartphones or internet access at home can go into their public library at any hour of business, log on and register to vote.
We are at a time when we need to be looking at what things at the DMV can be outsourced to private entities. Our goal should be to streamline services at the DMV not to expand the functions of the DMV that go beyond what federal law requires.