Making voting opt-out instead of opt-in
by digb
California certainly has not been immune to the kind of racial disparities and frustration we see today in places like Ferguson and Baltimore. I’m sure it could happen here in LA again very easily. So, I’m not touting my state as being superior simply because it’s in Democratic hands. So is Maryland, after all.
But nonetheless, California is trying a few new things to increase participation in the system which seems like a step in the right direction:
A proposal to automatically register Californians to vote when they get a driver’s license was approved Monday by a state Assembly panel after Secretary of State Alex Padilla noted there are about 6.7 million state residents who are eligible but not registered.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) modeled her bill on a new law in Oregon and said it is needed after the 42% record-low turnout in the November statewide election.
“These concerning new lows are unacceptable,” Gonzalez told the Assembly Transportation Committee. “We cannot allow this trends to continue.”
Padilla said that 40,000 people went to his agency’s website for information on registering to vote after the deadline for signing up in the last election. Under the new law, people who get a driver’s license will be notified they have 21 days to object or they will be registered to vote if eligible.
Obviously, this doesn’t help people who don’t drive. But most people drive in California so hopefully it will sweep up busy some new voters who always “mean to register” but never quite get to it.
The Republicans are against it, of course.
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