Enroll

Enroll lets you scan the back of your state ID/DL card to collect most of what's needed to register to vote. It checks your registration status and fills in the required form information.

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Inspiration

At a recent medical visit, the checkin process just required a scan of the code on the back of my license. It was very convenient and quick. Upon looking at the online form for voter registration in California, I realized almost all of the required information could be gleaned from the same information from the license code. This could greatly simplify and speed up the process of voter registration.

What it does

Enroll is an iOS app that reads information from the QR code on the back of a California state ID / license. It uses this information to first determine the owner's voter registration status. There are several possible results:

1) Underage: The owner is not yet of legal voting age. The app presents a link to more information about voter registration and an option to sign up for voter pre-registration.

2) More Info: More information is needed to verify the owner's voter status. A link is provided to supply that information on a website.

3) Registered: The owner is already registered to vote. Information is presented on the next election, with a link to learn more.

4) Not Registered: The owner is not registered to vote. The owner is given the opportunity to register from within the app. There are some links to inform and encourage people to register. If the owner decides to register, some additional information is collected, and the app presents the voter registration forms with almost all of the required information pre-filled. The owner has the opportunity to make any desired changes, and fill in values for optional information. The owner confirms all the information is correct, and submits their voter registration.

The app has been translated to English and Spanish.

How we built it

I built an iOS app in Swift / SwiftUI. It uses the camera to scan the bar code on the back of a state ID / drivers license (PDF417 format), and the app extracts the owner's info, such as name, birthdate, ID code, etc. The app uses this information to query a service to determine the owner's voter registration status. As noted above, the app will take various actions based on the owner's status.

Challenges we ran into

I had to reverse-engineer how to work with the registration status service, and the online voter registration service. This took a lot of testing and trial-and-error.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm proud that the app works as intended and makes it very easy to check one's voter registration status and to register to vote if currently not registered. As the app does not require any account, nor does it store any information, it keeps the process very private. And, it allows one device to check and register any number of people.

What we learned

I learned a lot about the state of web-based tools and services to learn about elections and to register to vote.

What's next for Enroll

Right now Enroll only works in California. I'd like to reach out to voter registration organizations like Rock the Vote or the League of Women Voters to get assistance in setting up more states for Enroll. I would also translate Enroll into more languages beyond English and Spanish.

Track

TRACK 1: VOTER REGISTRATION TECHNOLOGY

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