Press Releases
03/17/2023
Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas Issues Statement on the Importance of Membership in Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)
(Hartford, CT) – Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas issued the following statement on the importance of maintaining membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) following today’s meeting of the ERIC Board of Directors, of which Connecticut is a member state:
“For more than a decade, ERIC has proven to be the best, non-partisan system for ensuring that member states maintain accurate and up-to-date voter rolls. It is disheartening that some states have decided to depart from the organization due to their lack of interest in registering eligible voters. In Connecticut, we believe it is important that every eligible voter be made aware of their right to vote.
ERIC is the only effective system we have in the country that provides states with a safety net by cross-checking voter rolls. It’s a shame that certain states have decided to make this a partisan conversation, even after a compromise was proposed. Election integrity and voter confidence are not partisan issues.”
After weeks of contentious negotiations, some ERIC member states recently decided to depart the multi-state partnership due to partisan disagreements and a sustained disinformation campaign over a variety of proposed organizational changes to ERIC. Following today’s Board of Directors meeting, additional states have indicated that they will also depart ERIC after member states voted to continue using “Eligible But Unregistered” (EBU) reports to seek out and contact citizens who meet voter registration requirements, but who are otherwise not registered to vote.
Formed in 2012, ERIC is a non-profit membership organization, whose mission it is to assist states in improving the accuracy of America’s voter rolls and increasing access to voter registration for all eligible citizens.
###
- Twitter: Secretary of State on Twitter
- Facebook: Secretary of State on Facebook