A better way to register voters
When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced last week he had enacted automatic voter registration, we were reminded of how Texas erects hurdles instead of bridges when it comes to voting rights.
Pennsylvania is the 24th state, along with Washington, D.C., to implement some form of automatic voter registration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, or NCSL.
Automatic voter registration, or AVR, is a pro-voter policy in which eligible individuals are automatically registered to vote when interacting with certain government agencies, such as a department of motor vehicles, according to the NCSL. Information gathered from participating government agencies is transmitted to election officials, who use it to either create a new voter record or update an existing registration. Importantly, AVR, which requires documentation, offers voters the opportunity to “opt out.”
The shift to an opt-out system is a smart, just way to address civic engagement and equity. Every eligible citizen should have easy access to voting.
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, commonly known as the Motor Voter Act, already requires state agencies that interact with residents, such as departments of motor vehicles, to offer them the opportunity to register to vote.
Back in January 2016, Oregon became the first state to implement AVR. Since then, state after state has enacted this commonsense approach to voter registration. We can’t think of any sound rationale for any state not making it easier to register to vote. After all, voting is a constitutional right, the foundation of our democracy.
Of course, strengthening America’s voting system will take more than registering voters. There are other challenges, such as getting informed voters to the polls. In Bexar County last year, there were 1,230,662 registered voters. Last year, only 43.9% of them voted, according to the Texas secretary of state.
In the May 6 general, special, charter and bond election, only 15.3% of eligible Bexar County voters cast a ballot.
Shapiro said in his statement that AVR will “enhance the accuracy and security of Pennsylvania voter rolls while saving taxpayers time and money.” The state also added instructions in five languages, for a total of 31 languages.
In 1985, Texas enacted a law that requires principals at every public and private high school to provide voter registration opportunities to all eligible students at least twice a year. Nearly 40 years later, there is a serious lack of
awareness and compliance with the law. Historically, young people have voted at lower rates than older adults.
Texas is one of only a handful of states that don’t offer online voter registration. And it likely comes as no surprise that our state is not one of the 16 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that permit preregistration at 16.
Will Texas ever change its anti-voter policies? We hope so.
“Pennsylvania is the birthplace of our democracy, and as governor, I’m committed to ensuring free and fair elections that allow every eligible voter to make their voice heard,” Shapiro said.
Until Texas can celebrate this kind of achievement, we must do all we can to encourage citizens, especially young people, to register to vote, get informed and cast a ballot.
That’s why the initiative led by Heather Eichling, who founded the nonprofit Youth Do Vote, the second group to focus on voter registration and civic education among local high school students, is vital.
Youth Do Vote, in partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio, the League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area and the San Antonio Youth Commission, is hosting its inaugural Youth Voter Fest on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UTSA downtown campus.
We hope it helps local young people learn about the importance of voting and that when it’s time to register to vote, they do. And we hope they vote.
Texas makes the process of voting more complicated than it should be, but Texans must clear the hurdles.
Instead, Texas is erecting barriers; it should follow Pennsylvania