2022

RICHMOND, VA - Today, Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals announced the award of a contract to The Canton Group to build and implement the state’s new statewide voter registration system.

“As election technology and security requirements have increased, the need to replace our current voter registration system has become imperative. Due to the critical importance of this project, this procurement was subject to the state’s high risk requirements, including review by the Virginia Information Technology Agency and the Office of the Attorney General. There is broad support for replacing VERIS, and we were determined to obtain the best solution capable of serving the Commonwealth for years to come,” said Beals.

Currently, Virginia utilizes the Virginia Election and Registration Information System (VERIS), a fifteen year old system implemented in 2007. The new system will support the Commonwealth’s electoral process by providing improved technology and security as well as streamlined workflows and processes for voters, election officials, and department staff within an integrated system.

Features of the new system will include: expanded candidate management tools, enhanced features for absentee voting, streamlined voter registration workflows (including Pre-Registration of 16 year olds and Same Day Registration enhancements), improved functionality for election night reporting (including reporting by precinct), ballot proofing, and ranked choice voting, as well as increased capabilities for election security. The Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT) will partner with local general registrars to evaluate and review new functionality as it is developed and implemented.

ELECT received funding for the new system from the General Assembly and issued the formal Request for Proposal (RFP) in 2021. Three proposals were received and evaluated based on the requirements contained in the RFP, including enhanced security and infrastructure requirements, current and future business needs, and customer maintenance and service. The initial multi-year project implementation is anticipated to cost $13.5 million dollars, after which, at ELECT’s option, annual renewals including annual hosting and maintenance and support services are priced at $2.9 million per year for up to 10 years.

The project initiation will begin immediately with a kick-off meeting and a three (3) months-long project organization and planning period. The initial project planning phase will finalize project governance for the project implementation.

The implementation of the new voter registration system is expected to take 24 months after completion of the planning period with a go-live date projected for February 2025. This includes development, customization, configuration, data conversion, delivery, installation, implementation, integration, testing and acceptance of all products and services necessary to implement the system, as well as user training, and mock elections for a primary and a general election.

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