On Monday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a bill that eliminates the need for most citizens to submit registration forms in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote. That legislation, the first in the country, arises from a simple idea: Government should not force people to file more forms than necessary.
Because most individuals already document their citizenship when obtaining their driver’s license, and hopefully voter ID cards, state governments know that such people, so long as they're at the voter age, and have not lost their voting rights because of a criminal conviction that has not be completed, are eligible to vote. It’s just a matter of sharing the information with the agency that oversees elections, which is what Oregon will begin doing.
When people notify the Oregon DMV of an address change, that information will be sent to the secretary of state, too. Government agencies using technology to share information that makes it easier for people to exercise their rights and responsibilities should be a principle that both parties can support.
To account for democracy’s delinquents, Oregon will send each unregistered citizen a notice that their registration will soon go into effect, and give those who wish to remain unregistered the opportunity to opt out, by returning a form. It’s basic behavioral economics: Make the preferred outcome the default option, with no action required. No one’s choice is taken away; it’s just that the choice has been flipped.
Automatic registration could help holding the law against non citizens registering to vote. A recent audit of the voter rolls in North Carolina found that 98 people were registered to vote even though they checked “No” when asked if they were U.S. citizens. In all likelihood, most of those people were given a form that they did not fully understand. After checking the “No” box, they signed the form affirming that they are citizens, unwittingly committing a crime.
Automatic registration reduces the room for such errors, by cutting down on paperwork and improving the identity verification process. That, in turn, will strengthen integrity of the voter registration rolls and help prevent ineligible residents from casting ballots.
Automatic voter registration won’t guarantee higher turnout. But it will improve both ballot access and security, and spare people from another government form.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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