Wouldn't you be more likely to vote in the next election if you didn't have to go through the rigmarole of filling out forms, keeping tabs on deadlines/
The State of Ohio came in for some unwanted attention this week when a federal judge ruled that its law curtailing early voting and preventing people from registering and voting on the same day is unconstitutional.
The measure is one of several passed nationwide during the last few election cycles, ostensibly to prevent so-called voter fraud - a mythical problem refuted by study after reputable study.
In reality, what these restrictive bills do is limit widespread access to the ballot box - access that should be the goal of a truly democratic society.
Now the New Jersey Legislature has taken a significant step in the opposite direction.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee reported favorably on a bill requiring that state Motor Vehicle Commission to automatically register to vote anyone applying for or renewing a driver's license.
People should have the right to vote, always | Editorial
The measure is sponsored in the Assembly by Democrats Craig Coughlin (Fords), Joann Downey (Ocean Township), Tim Eustace (Maywood) and Gary Schaer (Passaic), with a companion bill in the state Senate sponsored by Joseph Vitale (Woodbridge).
The plan's elegance lies in its simplicity. Not only does it increase the opportunity for participatory citizenship, but it also brings voting into the 21st century, depending as it does on technology to do the heavy lifting.
The chief administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission would forward the information required to vote to the Division of Elections in the Department of State in an electronic format; submitting a driver's license application would serve as consent to be registered at a permanent address the applicant supplies.
Supporters of Assembly Bill A1944 point out that it resembles an Oregon law known as AVR, or automatic voter registration, which this year reportedly added more than 51,000 of that state's residents to the voter rolls.
Be honest - wouldn't you be more likely to vote in the next election if you didn't have to go through the rigmarole of staying on top of deadlines, filling out forms and sending them back?
Voter turnout in the state has been miserable over the past few years, leading political scientists and other observers to wonder how accurately the results genuinely reflect the will of the people.
In Australia, voter registration and participation at the polls has been compulsory since the 1920s; in France, every young person is automatically registered upon turning 18.
We're not ready to go the route of our friends overseas, but the bill making its way through the Legislature offers a common sense and relatively painless approach to bringing voters to the booth -- and ensuring a more robust democracy.
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