Set of bills to change voting processes, improve turnout
WITH record-low turnouts in one of the most populous states in the nation, California is making it even easier for people to become active registered voters.
Governor Jerry Brown signed a measure on Saturday, Oct. 10 that would eventually allow Californians to be automatically registered to vote when they go to the DMV to obtain or renew their driver’s license.
Assembly Bill 1461, which also includes an option to opt out of registering, was introduced in response to the dismal 42 percent voter turnout in last year’s statewide election in November, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The bill, along with 13 others the governor signed, will “help improve elections and expand voter rights and access in California,” Brown’s office said in a statement.
According to California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, around 6.6 million Californians who are eligible to register to vote are not registered. Padilla supported the legislation as a way to increase voter participation.
“The new Motor Voter Act will make our democracy stronger by removing a key barrier to voting for millions of California citizens,” Padilla said on Saturday. “Citizens should not be required to opt in to their fundamental right to vote. We do not have to opt in to other rights, such as free speech or due process.”
The new registration process will not be offered until the state completes work on a new voter registration database called VoteCal, which is expected to debut around June 2016, at the start of the presidential primary election. VoteCal would automatically register applicants when they visit a DMV office to get a new license or renew an expiring one, unless they decide to opt out.
The data collected by the DMV will be provided to the Secretary of State’s office, which would verify a CA resident’s legal eligibility to vote before registering them. Drivers also have the option to cancel their voter registration any time.
Currently, driver’s license applications ask people if they want to register to vote. If interested, people are supposed to be given a paper registration form to fill out. Voting rights activists, however, say that does not always happen.
“It’s removing the first barrier to voting, which is registration,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), who authored the bill. “It’s going to lead to millions more Californians being registered to vote, which means more people we can talk to.”
CalPRIG Executive Director Emily Rusch agreed that the voter registration bill was much-needed medicine for an ailing, sometimes ineffective system.
“A well-functioning democracy depends on the participation of its citizens,” said Rusch, noting that the registration gap is most severe among younger people. According to data, only 52 percent of eligible youth voters (between ages 18-24) were registered to vote before the last election.
AB 1461 also follows a move made by Oregon earlier this year to adopt the nation’s first automatic voter registration law, said The Associated Press.
Over the weekend, Brown also signed a bill (SB 439) that permits county elections officials to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at satellite offices during the 14 days right before Election Day in November. The measure would make voting more convenient, according to Sen. Benjamin Allen (D-Santa Monica), who authored the bill.
The measure cannot be implemented until VoteCal database is operational, but is expected to make voting more convenient.
Another new law Brown signed will allow voters who use vote-by-mail ballots to drop them off before Election Day in secure boxes located throughout the community, such as in shopping malls, libraries, and other public locations. These secure drop-off locations would make it easier to cast ballots, officials say.
The measure by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) will require the Secretary of State to develop guidelines for the use of drop-off boxes, including security measures, by Jan. 1, 2017. Pavley noted a big problem with voting in Los Angeles County, which has 10 million active voting residents and only one drop-off location.
“This may have contributed to the fact that only 38 percent of voters in LA County used [vote-by-mail]…nearly 20 percent lower than any other county in the state,” Pavley said.
AB 363, another bill that was signed, will speed up election returns by allowing county elections officials to begin counting votes before the close of the polls on Election Day. Other new rules require the state to pick up the tab for election recounts, rather than requiring candidates to pay for them.
The new Motor Voter Act for automatic registrations will take effect on Jan. 1.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Los Angeles applauded the new program meant to bolster voter turnout for the upcoming primary.
“We are grateful the leaders in the state are taking an active role in improving our democracy, particularly at a time when some states are making it more difficult to register to vote,” said Stewart Kwoh, executive director of Advancing Justice – LA, in a statement. “Despite an increase of Asian American registered voters statewide, only 59 percent of those eligible are registered to vote. We hope the new Motor Voter Program increases this number.”
Advancing Justice – LA also expressed its disappointment in Brown’s vetoing of AB 182, a bill co-sponsored by the legal and civil rights organization. This measure would have made it unlawful for local jurisdictions to draw districts in a way that dilutes votes from California’s vibrant communities of color.
“Just as it is important to get people involved in the democratic process, it is equally important that the votes they cast are meaningful,” said Deanna Kitamura, supervising attorney for Advancing Justice – LA’s Democracy Project.
