PHOENIX – A record 45,294 Arizonans registered Monday to vote in the general election through ServiceArizona.com, the customer website offered by the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Division. Another 18,576 registered to vote on Sunday through ServiceArizona.com, with use beginning to spike during that evening’s presidential debate.
Demand was so great as Monday’s deadline to register loomed that ADOT worked with IBM, the provider behind ServiceArizona.com, to increase capacity.
“We take our role in the voter registration process seriously and are dedicated to ensuring all voters can exercise their right to register at their convenience,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said.
ServiceArizona.com’s previous one-day record for voter registrations was 36,532 on Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, the deadline to register to vote in that year’s general election.
Using ServiceArizona.com via computer, smartphone or tablet, Arizonans can register to vote for the first time or update their voter information such as home address, political party preference, early voting status and other information.
Once a person completes the process either online or in person, their information is sent to the Secretary of State’s Office, where it is recorded and shared with county election offices. Since 2002, ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division has facilitated nearly 6 million voter transactions online and at MVD offices.
“Our long-standing partnership with ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division benefits Arizona by allowing more people to become voters and enabling current voters to update their information in the most convenient ways possible,” Secretary of State Michele Reagan said. “It’s great to see the number of registered voters grow, and I’m optimistic this will translate into higher turnout on Election Day.”