Consensus Builds for Universal Voter Registration

By Project Vote . Posted November 19, 2008.

America's system of voter registration, in which the responsibility is placed almost solely on individuals, took center stage in this election cycle.

In the wake of historic interest in voting, and after months of controversy surrounding nonprofit registration drives, America's leaders, journalists, and voting rights experts are calling for a new registration system that reduces the need for third-party registration drives and shifts responsibility from the individual to government:

The Washington Post editorializes: "It's time to rethink another vestige of an earlier era -- a voter registration system that not only prevents people from voting but causes myriad troubles for election officials. There's a growing clamor by voting rights advocates to shift the onus on registering from the individual to government. Not only would this remove the single biggest obstacle to voting (consider that in 2004, 28 percent of eligible Americans were not registered to vote), but it would make manipulation of the system harder." A Better Vote, November 9, 2008).

The Los Angeles Times reports: "The nation's much-maligned election system passed a major test last week when more than 132 million Americans -- a record -- cast ballots with few reports of problems. But now, election reformers are calling for a move toward a universal voter registration system, in which the government takes the lead in ensuring that all eligible citizens are registered to vote." (Voter Registration Process is Under Scrutiny; David G. Savage, November 10, 2008).

Rosemary E. Rodriguez, chair of the federal Election Assistance Commission, told the New York Times: "The single most important thing that Congress can do right now is create universal voter registration, which would mean that all eligible voters are automatically registered..." (Push to Expand Voter Rolls and Early Balloting in U.S., Ian Urbina, November 6, 2008).

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton agrees: "A system of automatic registration, in which the government bears more of the responsibility for assembling accurate and secure lists of eligible voters, is a necessary reform," Clinton told the Times. "All eligible Americans should be able to cast their ballot without barriers, and the registration problems we saw on Tuesday and during the weeks that preceded Election Day make clear that the system needs improvement." (Push to Expand Voter Rolls and Early Balloting in U.S, Ian Urbina, November 6, 2008).

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