AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION
WHY AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION?
1. Automatic registration will increase voter turnout. Manual registration is complicated and alienates new voters. At least 24 percent of eligible voters aren't registered. According to an MIT study, 2.2 million voters weren’t able to cast a ballot due to registration problems in 2008 alone. Automatic registration will solve this problem and increase voter turnout. This can lead to fairer elections.
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2. Automatic registration can prevent voter suppression. With manual registration, state officials have the power to make it harder for certain people to register and vote. Some states require photo IDs and other verification forms that not all voters have. This can target minorities and senior citizens. Automatic registration will prevent states from adding these discriminatory obstacles to the voting process.
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3. Automatic registration can save states money. Automatic registration allows states to spend less on staff time, paper processing, or mailing. Delaware’s State Election Commission documented $200,000 in reduced labor costs the first year it switched from using paper forms to sending voter information electronically.
VOTER REGISTRATION SHOULD BE AUTOMATIC.
Automatic voter registration has been implemented in Illinois, California, Oregon, West Virginia, Georgia, and Vermont, and is a legislative issue in 18 other states. As a result of Oregon's automatic voter registration, 400,000 eligible citizens were enfranchised. In California, officials estimate there are 6.6 million unregistered citizens who will now be able to vote (Brennan Center). This evidence suggests that automatic voter registration is a growing movement and can increase voter turnout. With proposed legislation in 18 other states, it is crucial for people to take action and express their support.
AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION: A SUCCESS
Myth #1: Automatic voter registration only benefits Democrats.
The fact is, automatic voter registration is a bipartisan issue. In Oregon, 49 percent of newly registered voters chose the Democratic Party, 30 percent chose Republican and 5 percent chose independent. Therefore, there is a diversity of opinions among unregistered voters. Not only is automatic registration a bipartisan issue, but it has also gained bipartisan support. Several Republican senators in Alaska and Illinois voted to pass the bill. According to a recent poll, 51% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats support automatic registration. While more Democrats favor automatic registration, the polls show it is an issue of interest to both parties.
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Myth #2: Automatic registration makes it easier to commit voter fraud.
Some claim that automatic registration makes it easier for voter impersonation. There is no evidence to support this claim, as individual voter fraud is virtually non-existent in America. Out of over 1 billion votes cast from 2000 to 2014, there were only 31 cases of potential voter impersonation - that's 1 in every 32 million ballots cast (Justin Levitt, Loyola Law School). Multiple studies have proven that coordinated voter fraud, the kind that changes election outcomes, simply doesn’t happen in today’s America (Project Vote). Therefore, voter impersonation is not a legitimate concern, but an excuse to prevent more people from registering and voting.
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Myth #3: Automatic registration would not increase voter turnout.
While it is not guaranteed that all registered citizens would vote, automatic registration has been proven to increase voter turnout. After adopting automatic voter registration, Oregon's voter turnout of adults under 30 increased by 7 percentage points. Nationwide surveys suggest that automatic registration would increase turnout, as“not being registered” was the most common reason cited by 18-29-year-old citizens for why they did not vote (Alliance for Youth Action).