Grow the Electorate
Overview
Nov 04 2008
Voter turnout rates are tragically low in this country. Even the record-breaking turnout of the recent presidential primaries reached a mere third of eligible adults in only nine states. In the general election that followed, turnout was less than two-thirds of eligible adults, placing us well below peer nations. Even the states with the highest turnout rates, such as Alaska, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, have turn-out significantly below high-turnout nations such as Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
An election system that fosters broad participation is essential to bringing about progressive change for the simple reason that a majority of people, especially many not currently voting, support the goals that progressives are striving to achieve. Equally important for progressive reform is encouraging participation by groups who have been and continue to be marginalized politically. Reducing the demographic and socio-economic skew in the electorate will strengthen the voice of groups that support traditionally progressive goals such as civil rights, health care reform, and economic justice. A host of reforms can help increase the percentage of people who vote and bring more racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity to the electorate.
Registration remains the biggest procedural hurdle to voting. It is crucial that this barrier be lowered or removed altogether if we are to become a society where a large majority of people participate in elections. We can use a number of tools to simplify the registration and voting process, particularly for young people, to build a stronger culture of civic participation.
From The Dispatch
Core Analysis
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Clean and Fair Elections: Policy Options for 2009 - Clean and Fair Elections: Policy Options Download a PDF copy of "Clean and Fair Elections: Policy…
In the News
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Report: Michigan voters wrongly purged from rolls - Michigan Messenger - Thousands of people may have been wrongly removed from the state’s registered voter database due to a botched list management effort undertaken by the Michigan Bureau of Elections under pressure from the Bush administration.
Between July 2006 and June 2009, state officials working under Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land conducted an unprecedented centralized and computer-assisted purge of the state’s voter database, according to the nonpartisan voting rights group the Michigan Election Reform Alliance.
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Bill would let Michigan voters register online - Detroit News - Shopping, banking -- even paying taxes -- is common in cyberspace. And registering to vote in Michigan soon could be, too.
A proposed law passed recently in the state House is intended to make the process more convenient, boost voter turnout and cut the state's costs to register voters, said its main sponsor, State Rep. Lesia Liss, D-Warren.
"You can register online for selective service, we pay our taxes online," she said. "So why not make online voter registration a priority as well?"
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MA: Same-day voter registration proposal has pros and cons - Waltham Daily News Tribune - Supporters of a bill to allow voters to register on Election Day say it will improve citizen participation in democracy as it has in nine states that allow the system. But some municipal officials and the secretary of state worry about the cost and potential confusion of such a system.
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OR: Voter registration costs detailed - Statesman Journal - Oregon spent an average of $4.51 for each of the more than 2 million registered voters in the state in 2008.
It may not seem like a lot — but it still added up in 2008 to almost $10 million spent by state and county governments, which share responsibility for registering voters and conducting elections.
Each transaction in 2008, according to a study conducted by the Pew Center on the States, cost $8.43 — whether it was adding a name to the registration rolls or changing an address. -
IL: New state law allows anyone to vote by mail - Lake Villa Review - For the first time, in the Feb. 2 primary election Illinois voters will be able to vote by mail without the need for an absentee ballot.
Under a new law passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor this year, any registered voter can request a ballot by mail. Previously, voters had to request and absentee ballot and had to have a valid excuse for voting absentee, such as being out of county on Election Day, serving in the military, being physically disabled and unable to make it to the polls, or attending college.
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Federal Court Lawsuit Settlement Brings Ohio into Compliance with NVRA - Resolving a three-year old lawsuit filed against the state of Ohio that charged widespread violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), parties in the case have submitted a settlement agreement to the court that should ensure voter registration opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Ohio public assistance clients. Evidence presented in the case had shown that many of Ohio's county public assistance offices were ignoring their responsibilities to provide voter registration to their low-income clients, as required by the NVRA.
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Political Foes Team Up To Improve Voter Registration - NPR - In this lull between major elections, advisers from recent Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns have joined together to try to come up with a better way to register voters.
An estimated 2 million Americans were unable to vote in last year's elections because of problems with their registration. Others didn't even bother to register because it was too difficult.
"We have a voter registration system that doesn't really do what it ought to do," says Trevor Potter, former general counsel for Republican John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
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NE: Election-turnout ideas debated - Omaha World Herald - Proponents of election changes say Nebraska’s neighbors could teach the state a thing or two about registering voters — if the state wanted to learn.
Iowa and Wyoming allow people to register and vote on Election Day.
Kansas allows voter registration online, and Colorado plans to launch an online registration system next year.
Colorado and South Dakota both allow residents to cast ballots even if they have moved within the state and not re-registered at their new address.
All are steps being encouraged by advocates for change to add and keep more citizens on the voting rolls. But Nebraska officials have reacted warily to those ideas.
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CA: Vote-by-mail alters candidates' strategy - Times-Herald - The Nov. 3 election may be a few weeks away, but the number of vote-by-mail voters has climbed so much in recent elections that politicians have had to rethink their campaign strategies to target early voters.
In Solano County, more than half of the 188,700 registered voters were sent ballots in the mail last week, and thousands have already been returned, election officials say.
Policy Studies
Resource Organizations
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Brennan Center for Justice - Democracy Program - The Democracy Program collaborates with grassroots groups, advocacy organizations and reform-minded government officials to change the ways in which citizens participate in their government by fixing the systems that discourage voting, hinder competition and promote the interests of the few over the rights of the many. The Center advances these goals using tools of research, policy analysis and publications, media outreach and public education, legislative counseling and advocacy and legal action.
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Demos - Demos works to create a vibrant and inclusive democracy that encourages participation in voting, with a fair election system that works in the voters' interests, and greater civic engagement in solving the social and political needs of our communities, states, nation and the world around us. Demos envisions a political system where the voices of all Americans--candidates and voters, poor as well as rich, people of color, the elderly, and the disabled--are heard loud and clear.
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FairVote - FairVote acts to transform our elections to achieve universal access to participation, a full spectrum of meaningful ballot choices and majority rule with fair representation for all. As a catalyst for change, we build support for innovative strategies to win a constitutionally protected right to vote, universal voter registration, a national popular vote for president, instant runoff voting and proportional representation.
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Project Vote - Project Vote is the leading technical assistance and direct service provider to the civic participation community. Since its founding in 1982, Project Vote has provided professional training, management, evaluation and technical services on a broad continuum of key issues related to voter engagement and participation in low-income and minority communities.
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