US states adopting automatic voter registration

[lpetrich]

Some very welcome news: Automatic Voter Registration | Brennan Center for Justice

On March 2015, the government of the state of Oregon passed a law directing it to automatically register its citizens to vote when they interact with the state's Department of Motor Vehicles, though one can opt out. The state started doing that in January 2016. Several other states have since done so, and more states are considering doing so.

• Active: AK, CA, CO, DC, GA, OR, RI, VT
• Enacted but not yet active: IL, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NV, WA, WV

Most other states have had bills introduced in their legislatures for doing automatic voter registration. CT and UT have something different: requesting a yes or no for voter registration when doing transactions like updating one's address.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

This worries me because it's going to cause the registration of a lot of non-citizens with poor English who don't understand what they are being asked.

While I like the idea of being able to register at DMV it should be an active step that requires providing your social security number which is then checked for citizenship status, if you're not a citizen the application is rejected but there is no penalty.

 

[Politesse]

This has been fairly controversial, but I've yet to hear any credible evidence for the alleged destruction of our democratic integrity. Mostly, it's just a bit more convenient.

 

[repoman]

What happens with non citizen's who get driver's licences? Tourists, foreign students, illegal aliens and so on?

I don't really have much concern with illegals getting driver's licenses, by the way.

If they don't opt out are they registered to vote?

If it happens, and they don't opt out (on purpose or by mistake) and they don't vote are they in trouble?

Will there be a push to later allow non-citizens who are registered to vote the ability to do so without sanction? Thin edge of the wedge and all...

The Repubs and Dems seem to each have a thin edge of the wedge strategy that they employ and are "who me?" about.

 

[Politesse]

What happens with non citizen's who get driver's licences? Tourists, foreign students, illegal aliens and so on?

I don't really have much concern with illegals getting driver's licenses, by the way.

If they don't opt out are they registered to vote?

If it happens, and they don't opt out (on purpose or by mistake) and they don't vote are they in trouble?

Will there be a push to later allow non-citizens who are registered to vote the ability to do so without sanction? Thin edge of the wedge and all...

The Repubs and Dems seem to each have a thin edge of the wedge strategy that they employ and are "who me?" about.

I can only speak to the process in my state.

There's no penalty for not voting, in any case, aside from your registration lapsing. Whereas voting without citizenship is a crime.

The registration application itself is checked by the Secretary of State, just like any other, just the same as if you had submitted it at the county elections office. All applications are treated the same regardless of origin.

The AB 60 Program, which is how a non-citizen would apply for a license in California, is separate from the usual DMV process, so they would not be offered an opportunity to register in the first place, since the new law's provision does not apply to special forms such as the AB 60 applications.

If there's a conspiracy to allow noncitizens to vote, it's been pretty quiet.

The roll-out of the new program was a disaster in other ways, such as 24,000 people being incorrectly registered somehow (wrong party preference, language, etc) almost entirely due to the incompetence of DMV employees typing things in wrong or forgetting to close a window.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Hey, welcome to ... the mid 20th century.

 

[zorq]

This worries me because it's going to cause the registration of a lot of non-citizens with poor English who don't understand what they are being asked.

While I like the idea of being able to register at DMV it should be an active step that requires providing your social security number which is then checked for citizenship status, if you're not a citizen the application is rejected but there is no penalty.

I'm pretty sure the DMV asks for your social security number already. My Nevada drivers license actually had my ssn printed on it in the 90s and the 2000s.

And btw, what is the problem with letting a few non citizens participate in American democracy? South Korea has been letting non citizens vote since 2005. No calamity has befallen it.

 

[Elixir]

And btw, what is the problem with letting a few non citizens participate in American democracy?

Really! It's not like we're going to stop the Republicans from stealing elections like they did in NC...

 

[Loren Pechtel]

What happens with non citizen's who get driver's licences? Tourists, foreign students, illegal aliens and so on?

I don't really have much concern with illegals getting driver's licenses, by the way.

If they don't opt out are they registered to vote?

If it happens, and they don't opt out (on purpose or by mistake) and they don't vote are they in trouble?

Will there be a push to later allow non-citizens who are registered to vote the ability to do so without sanction? Thin edge of the wedge and all...

The Repubs and Dems seem to each have a thin edge of the wedge strategy that they employ and are "who me?" about.

Not voting is not a problem. I don't believe this is in any way an attempt to register non-citizens. I just see it as an error-prone thing when faced with those with little but not zero English.

I also have no problem with who gets a driver's license. I don't think immigration status should be relevant, it's simply a certification that you have demonstrated you know how to drive a car and it's a requirement for getting auto insurance. The only people that should be denied are those who have demonstrated they can't drive a car properly, or are medically unsuitable to drive a car. (Things like seizure disorders can leave you quite able to pass the test but unsafe behind the wheel.)

 

[laughing dog]

What happens with non citizen's who get driver's licences? Tourists, foreign students, illegal aliens and so on?

I don't really have much concern with illegals getting driver's licenses, by the way.

If they don't opt out are they registered to vote?

If it happens, and they don't opt out (on purpose or by mistake) and they don't vote are they in trouble?

Will there be a push to later allow non-citizens who are registered to vote the ability to do so without sanction? Thin edge of the wedge and all...

The Repubs and Dems seem to each have a thin edge of the wedge strategy that they employ and are "who me?" about.

Not voting is not a problem. I don't believe this is in any way an attempt to register non-citizens. I just see it as an error-prone thing when faced with those with little but not zero English.

Only if the state does not do the proper checks.

 

[Worldtraveller]

Actually, not voting is a problem. FYI.

The small amount of error that's possible in a system like this is minuscule compared to the outright voter fraud enacted by the GOP, yet, so many racists are much more concerned that a non-citizen might accidentally vote.

 

[lpetrich]

Oregon governor calls automatic voter registration a 'phenomenal success' - POLITICO

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Friday that switching to a system of automatically registering voters has been a “phenomenal success” in her state, diversifying the electorate there and increasing registration among minorities, and less urban and less wealthy voters.

...
Brown also credited the initiative for increasing voter turnout in last year’s midterms from 43 percent to 60 percent, which she said could be backed up by data differentiating new automatically registered voters from the increased enthusiasm of Democrats last year.

...
Brown rejected the idea that automatic voter registration would benefit Democrats at the expense of Republicans.

She estimated that “the [party affiliation] numbers are on par with about the registration” and noted that the process doesn’t register new voters with party affiliation, which a voter would need to change manually in order to participate in the state’s closed primaries.

Good job. More states ought to do that. If Republicans want to grumble that making it easier to vote will only help the Democrats, then they are revealing that they are sore losers who want to win by rigging the game.