The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has reversed a policy that denied thousands of soon-to-be eligible teenagers the right to vote in the 2024 elections. The policy, challenged in a lawsuit by the ACLU, was denied by a judge just weeks before the election. The lawsuit claimed that over 17,000 South Carolinians were unlawfully deprived of voter registration opportunities by the DMV. Although the DMV provided eligible applicants with voter registration information and forms, they did not process them or inform the applicants that their software could not handle the registration requests at the time of filing.
After threats of legal action from the ACLU and the League of Women Voters, the DMV updated their voter registration management program to accommodate these voters. The ACLU expressed frustration with state officials for not addressing the issue sooner. The DMV stated that they would work with the State Election Commission to ensure they meet all legal requirements for voter registration.
The DMV’s outdated system, Phoenix, which was implemented in 2002, is currently undergoing an upgrade and is expected to be phased out by 2029. During a budget hearing in early 2024, officials acknowledged the system’s lack of core functionality required for today’s DMV operations and regulatory changes. The DMV’s response to the lawsuit and subsequent system upgrades highlight the importance of voter registration accessibility and compliance with voting laws.
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