State voter registration systems are complex and critically important for election administration and security. Consequently, implementation of new and updated systems must be done carefully and thoughtfully by secretaries of state and election administrators – with local and state officials working hand in hand.
Election veteran John Lindback and Kathy Boockvar authored an article for the Institute for Responsive Government to provide best practices for election officials to plan and prepare for these types of large technology projects. Lindback and Boockvar noted the many essential factors involved in effective implementation, including sufficient timeframes and resources, buy-in and involvement of local officials, effective project management, extensive quality assurance and testing, and transparency.
The article acknowledges obstacles that may occur in the process, and offers recommendations for increasing the odds of successfully completing a statewide, top-down, voter registration and elections management system.