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Denise Merrill Credit: CTMIRROR.ORG FILE PHOTO
Denise Merrill
Denise Merrill Credit: CTMIRROR.ORG FILE PHOTO

It will take two years to develop, but the secretary of the state’s office and the Department of Motor Vehicles have signed an agreement to produce a system that will automatically register eligible DMV customers to vote.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said the system will be the first built subject to a voluntary development agreement, as opposed to a legislative mandate such as the one Merrill was seeking earlier this year.

The DMV opposed a mandate while it is trying to correct computer problems and improve customer wait times. Merrill had argued that the voter registration be one of the improvements to the system.

ā€œThis is a monumental event enhancing voting rights and opportunity in Connecticut, and a continuation of our rigorous efforts to bring new voters onto the rolls,ā€ Merrill said.

 ā€œWe are very pleased with this agreement knowing that it will help bring more voters on the rolls in Connecticut,ā€ said Michael Bzdyra, who was recently appointed as commissioner of DMV.

 The National Voter Registration Act, commonly called the ā€œmotor-voter law,ā€ encouraged voter registration at DMV offices when eligible citizens obtain a driver’s license or identification car.

Mark is the Capitol Bureau Chief and a co-founder of CT Mirror. He is a frequent contributor to WNPR, a former state politics writer for The Hartford Courant and Journal Inquirer, and contributor for The New York Times.

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