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Yesterday, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed two bills that clear the way for Florida to become the 24th member of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

There wasn’t much fanfare – here’s an excerpt from abcactionnews’ list of 30 bills signed by the Governor yesterday:

CS/HB 85
Voter Registration List Maintenance – This bill enhances the Florida Department of State’s ability to prevent voter fraud by joining a nongovernmental organization with other states to verify voter registration information.
 
CS/HB 87
Public Records/Statewide Voter Registration System – This bill creates a public records exemption for voter registration information received by the Florida Department of State from another state in which the information is confidential or exempt.

I suspect there will be more celebration when the state takes formal steps to join, but there was definitely excitement online yesterday … Pasco County’s Brian Corley:

and David Becker, who led the charge for ERIC’s creation:

As David notes, this has been a broad effort; in particular, Florida’s county election supervisors have come together in a bipartisan push not only to enact online voter registration but also to reap the benefits of ERIC. Adding Florida to the list (as the most populous state so far) will improve the exchange’s effectiveness across the board.

Kudos to everyone in Florida who made this happen; there are still some steps to take before the state formally joins but it’s a huge “get” for both ERIC and the Sunshine State. Stay tuned …

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