Election Day Registration

The Brennan Center released a report on the impact of all of these state Voter ID laws and restrictions on voting that have been popping up all over the country. Their findings? We're screwed. There's really no sugar coating this. We're screwed.

"State governments across the country enacted an array of new laws making it harder to register or to vote. Some states require voters to show government-issued photo identification, often of a type that as many as one in ten voters do not have. Other states have cut back on early voting, a hugely popular innovation used by millions of Americans. Two states reversed earlier reforms and once again disenfranchised millions who have past criminal convictions but who are now taxpaying members of the community. Still others made it much more difficult for citizens to register to vote, a prerequisite for voting.

These new restrictions fall most heavily on young, minority, and low-income voters, as well as on voters with disabilities. This wave of changes may sharply tilt the political terrain for the 2012 election. Based on the Brennan Center’s analysis of the 19 laws and two executive actions that passed in 14 states, it is clear that:

• These new laws could make it significantly harder for more than five million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012.
• The states that have already cut back on voting rights will provide 171 electoral votes in 2012– 63 percent of the 270 needed to win the presidency.
• Of the 12 likely battleground states, as assessed by an August Los Angeles Times analysis of Gallup polling, five have already cut back on voting rights (and may pass additional restrictive legislation), and two more are currently considering new restrictions."

Some states have worked to eliminate Election Day Registration (EDR). We here at FM have long been advocates of EDR because it helps young people who tend to be more transient than older people who are more established and can afford to buy a house.

Voting rights advocates have long praised EDR. Because it has existed in some states for nearly forty years, there is a substantial record of its benefits. States with EDR have consistently had higher turnout than states without, and the top five states for voter turnout in 2008 were all EDR states. There is also evidence that EDR specifically increases turnout among young voters. . . .

Opponents of repeal also pointed to the benefits of EDR, including increased registration among the young and those who moved shortly before Election Day, greater voter turnout, and greater convenience for voters. Montana Secretary of State Linda McColloch argued that since its passage in 2006, 19,000 people registered to vote on Election Day in Montana, and that the repeal attempt ran “counter to the core freedoms of our democracy ... [i]f you support freedom, and you support democracy, you cannot support a bill that will turn your neighbors away at the polls.”

In a Democracy, why would you want to take away participation in that process? For that, you'll have to ask the GOP, because they seem to be at the helm of passing these more restrictive bills. EDR is one thing, but the voter ID laws are taking the imaginary problem of voter fraud and turning it into a farce.

"Opponents maintain that photo ID laws exclude large swaths of the electorate, since 11% of citizens— and an even greater percentage of low-income, minority, young, and older citizens—do not have state- issued photo IDs. They argue that photo ID requirements are similar to a poll tax, whether or not the IDs are offered for free, because to obtain the necessary IDs citizens must produce documents that cost money, like passports and birth certificates."

According to the ED of the Brennan Center 5 million voters will be hurt by these laws. FIVE MILLION VOTERS. In the NY Times he remarks that both the 2000 and 2004 elections were decided by less votes than that.

Here's what's going on

• The President is at the University of Maryland today talking to people about the debt deal.
• Summer internships on Wall Street have fewer perks and more quirks.
• Reviews continue to come in for Margaret Hoover's book about how the Republican Party can win over young voters. I still don't think it's true but once I get the book I'll give a better analysis. Other Republican bloggers are saying that the GOP should exploit the growing disenchantment between the President and young voters for their own electoral dysfunction.
• Students and College Presidents have been lobbying The Hill all week to help save Pell Grants. I know there are a lot of orgs out there doing great work around this - but you should call your Members of Congress TODAY and make sure they know how you feel.
• 55% of young voters oppose the tax on online purchases in California coined the Amazon Tax.
• Election Day Registration advocates in Maine are still working hard to build awareness around the People's Veto of the Governor's bill to end the 40 year long practice of EDR.
• Young voters continue to support Social Security but they worry about its possibility for preservation.

  This piece quotes a report that came out Wednesday from the Economic Policy Institute that says that young voters are uninformed around SS and as such will believe whatever they're told unless we better educate them.

  "The Economic Policy Institute seeks to address the skepticism and lack of interest and understanding with this comprehensive guide to Social Security—written by young authors for young people."

• In pop culture news - sexting is all the rage on college campuses... It's also all the rage in Congress.. didn't you see the news? Old people always complain about how young people are always looking down at their phones all the time... well if you were sexting wouldn't you?
• Victoria (in Australia) is using social media in high schools to help combat homophobia.
• Young Americans are apparently choosing the burbs over the cities when it comes to buying houses.
  

  "The 2000 census showing an explosion of 25-34 year-olds living in inner cities was cited by urban planners and demographers as evidence that American youth were reversing their parents' movements and were moving back to the city. But the newer data shows that this trend has now reversed itself: this generation, now ten years older, has moved back to the suburbs to settle down.

  In the last ten years, this group's presence grew 12% in the suburbs and shrunk by 22.7% in "historic core cities," like New York and San Francisco, according to Joel Kotkin at Forbes."

  This probably has more to do with education and children than anything else. Those who were living in the cities when they were 25 ten years ago are at 35 probably starting families and thinking about schools for their kids. Sadly many public schools in urban areas aren't up to par and those who can afford to move and buy houses or live in areas with wealthier schools will jump on it to give their kids better education. That said... 35 year olds are more the tail end of Generation X than Millennials. I think the jury is still out on how Millennials will chose to settle in the housing market.

• And from the HANG ON A MINUTE files - a new study out tries to say that young people find having health insurance to be a turn on in dating. As it turns out this "survey" was paid for by an insurance company. Imagine that. So don't think going out this week and grabbing a plan will get you laid tonight. As it turns out you still have to be attractive and interesting. I know.... sucks huh?
  
• Some interesting charts and graphs from ChartPorn. It's a new study on the history of collegiate grade inflation
  
  

We've had some site issues with FM as well as most of the FM writers traveling this week so apologies for our lapse in bringing you the essential news.

• The fight to save the 40 year old practice of Election Day Registration in Maine continues with its campaign to garner enough signatures to get The People's Veto on the ballot.
• This week's Campus Progress annual conference brought former President Bill Clinton to speak to attendees. The BigDog warned young people that their right to vote is increasingly being challenged by conservative Governors and state legislatures across the country who are threatened by the enthusiasm of young voters and our increasing ability to move elections. Watch the full speech here at CSPAN
• Oddly enough these same republicans are trying to recruit more young people to opposing the President and join their oh so welcoming and positive message against the government.
• Funding cuts might be coming to vocational training for young people according to a piece that follows a young man who was an at-risk high school student but his counselor found he excelled at hands on skills based classes. He now talks about getting his bachelors in engineering and starting his own business.
  

  "Now, federal funding to provide such vocational and technical education is at risk. President Obama has instead made it a priority to raise overall academic standards and college graduation rates, and aims to shrink the small amount of federal spending for vocational training in public high schools and community colleges. That aid comes primarily in the form of Perkins grants to states.

  The administration has proposed a 20-percent reduction in its fiscal 2012 budget for career and technical education, to a little more than $1 billion, even as it seeks to increase overall education funding by 11 percent."

  We all have to make sacrifices in these tough economic times. I mean unless of course you're the top 2% of wage earners in the US. You don't have to make sacrifices - we'll give you a tax cut.

• More depressing higher ed news - the likely incoming president of Cal State San Diego is getting a $100k salary bump from the previous university president, bringing his take home dollar a whopping $400,000 a year. In a totally unrelated story - CSU is slated for one of the steepest tuition increasesin the country, with a 12% hike - the 10th increase in a decade.
• Don't have a job? Well falling back in a US Military job may no longer be an option according to this CNN report. "The Army and Marine Corps are getting smaller, and now there's a nearly year-long waiting list just to get into boot camp, no matter which branch you want to join."
• Having a hard time with the student loans? Here are five tips to getting a handle on your student debt. Some good pointers.
• Last week was the President's Twitter Townhall where he was asked about giving incentives to companies hiring honorably discharged veterans. He said it was certainly something they were talking about in the West Wing in large part because the level of unemployment is higher among young veterans than non-veterans.
  

  "It reported that in May 2011, veterans from the post-9/11 period had an unemployment rate of 12.1 percent. By comparison, non-veterans that month had an 8.5 percent unemployment rate."



• In the Dalai Lama's latest trip to the US he spoke and answered questions from Buddhists and young Americans who sat on the Capitol lawn in Washington DC this weekend. In his address he said two notable things that encouraged the young crowd:

  1. "Oh yes, things are always changing," the Dalai Lama said to an eruption of cheers from a crowd ranging from fellow Buddhist monks to young Americans lying on the grass on a hot summer morning.

     "Certainly, I think the voice of freedom, democracy, rule of law, more and more voice(s are) now coming," the Dalai Lama said in English, noting that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao himself has called for political reforms in recent years.

     "So things will certainly change," he said. "Not only (in the) Chinese case, but the whole world, things are changing."

  2. The Dalai Lama did not speak about the Karmapa but, responding to a question from a 14-year-old, urged young people to be "warm-hearted" and to turn the page on the bloodshed of the 20th century.

     "My century is gone. The people who brought the 20th century are now ready to say goodbye," the Dalai Lama said.

     "Young people -- you are the people who really make the new shape of this century," he said. "You should have vision and determination and willpower."

• In the millennial marketing world a story about the gourmet nature of young people who have high standards for food. If you read my post about the recent survey on millennial marketing you know that restaurants are where young people love to spend their time and their money.
• Aviva - the sixth largest insurance group might be trying to woo young people with its do-gooder marketing tool on Facebook by asking users to donate their status to one of four youth-focused charities that is in the running for the company's $100,000 grant. Interesting - their facebook looks like a cause based FB ... with little mention of anything insurance related.
• In the past few weeks since Google launched its new social network Google+ the online world has spent a lot of time comparing it to Facebook and Twitter and talking about its potential for successes and challenges. Notably the marketing world has discerned that success depends largely on Google+'s ability to capture the enthusiasm of younger generations.
• As if Google+ isn't enough The Google is also working to lure great thinkers of our generation with its Young Minds Contest
• More in social media news: I'm sure you've heard it before - that young people share way too much information on social networks. That these "over shares" can hurt you from getting jobs, and Sen. Jay Rockafeller event went so far as to say young people have no "social values." Funny.... As it turns out, older Americans are just as bad as young people when it comes to sharing their information on Facebook. What do ya know...



• The food and farm report details info about young dairy farmers. I actually have a friend who's been talking about doing a dairy farm. And given the report above about the youth attraction to more gourmet foods if you make fancy cheeses then... hey you might have something! Perhaps, this is the reason that there is said to be "promise" for rural Wisconsin youth.
• And the final story for the day is consistent with my appreciation for graffiti art. An artist in New Zeland has teamed up with local police to paint walls encouraging young people to consider joining the police force. Great public marketing tool - and sick art.

Dalai Lama photo curtsey of the AFP/Ghetty credit to Mark Wilson

• Maine League of Young Voters Action on Youth Voting Rights. As you might have heard there has been an all out war on voting rights in Maine. It started with a voter ID bill and now the governor is trying to get rid of the 38 year tradition of Election Day Registration.

  In response, yesterday a group of Maine citizens - including the current president of the League of Women Voters - marched into the Secretary of State's office to take out paperwork for a People's Veto. There is a strong coalition of non-partisan organizations who are working to push this veto forward. Wisconsin people are fighting back against workers' rights attacks through the recall process. Maine people are now fighting back against the assault on voter rights through the one tool we have, a People's Veto.

More news on this

• Bangor Daily News: Same Day Voter Registration banned, but critics vow to fight.
• Press Herald, Bill Nemitz Column (A must read!): Ballot-box fraud? GOP fixes problem that isn't there
• (See follow-up documentation on the SOS shenanigans here)
• MPBN (NPR affiliate): Move to eliminate Maine's Same Day Voter Registration law draws protests
• NYT Voting Editorial: The Republican Threat to Voting (Word has it this article was barred from circulation in the Senate because it was too "sarcastic.")
• A great heart warming story aboutturning skilled trade students into entrepreneurs. A great way to get out of the rat race of the high cost of a 4 year college with skill specific training that can help youth then build small businesses and create their own jobs.
• U program turns youth into CEOs
  

  Last summer, Immanuel Jones walked through the doors of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management as a shy 16-year-old struggling at Wayzata High School.

  This summer, he entered those same doors as a small business owner and CEO.

• Atlantic Youth Entrepreneur Summit Part 1
  
• Gay marriage becomes political wedge issue in the GOP
  

  "Not all GOP candidates are pushing for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. During CNN's GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire, candidates Herman Cain and Rep. Ron Paul opposed a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Cain saying the matter should be left up to individual states, much as it is today and Paul taking the Libertarian approach that the government should not be in the business of marriage at all. In addition, the first openly gay Republican candidate, Fred Karger, who is not surprisingly in favor of marriage equality, was not invited to the debate. According to R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans, "The lack of pro-gay candidate participation in the debate perpetuates the myth that Republicans are uniform in their opinions on social issues - a myth which hurts the Republican Party among independents, moderates and younger voters."

• Pitkin County goes Mail Only ballot. A great decision for those who seek to have easy access to ballots for voters
  

  “We're cheapening democracy by this action,” said Commissioner Rachel Richards, suggesting the move makes it more difficult for some segments of society to vote, particularly low-income residents and young voters who may move frequently.

• A progressive christian youth ministry aims to be more inclusive and warm and fuzzy in efforts to bring youth who tend to reject more restrictive faiths.
• And last but not least - Wednesday's Daily Show talking about the young people rioting in Greece. The young come together with the old....
  
  
  

  The Daily Show - Grecian Burn
  Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Yesterday, the Washington Post endorsed a bill that would bring Election Day Registration to the District of Columbia:

IF YOU make it easier to vote, more people will vote. That has proved to be the case in states that have cleared away unnecessary hurdles to the ballot. And it is the premise behind a noteworthy proposal to reform elections in the District of Columbia.

The Omnibus Election Reform Act of 2009 aims to give more D.C. residents the opportunity to vote by allowing Election Day voter registration and eliminating restrictions on absentee and early voting. The bill, the brainchild of D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), also targets younger voters in two significant ways. For the first time, 16-year-olds would be able to pre-register, and 17-year-olds would be permitted to vote in primary elections if they would be 18 by the general election.

[...]

We hope that the D.C. Council adopts this bill, with one proviso. The provision to create an advisory council to the Board of Elections and Ethics needs to be rethought. Not only is the exact role of this board unclear, but there is a danger that its members, most appointed by the mayor and council, could politicize what must be an independent, nonpartisan process.

Kudos to D.C. for pushing forward this (small d) democratic reform, as well as making a point to bring more young voters into the process. As I've blogged in the past, approximately 81% of registered young voters cast their ballots each year. Voter registration really is the single biggest barrier to youth participation, and at the heart of what many youth vote skeptics typically dub "voter apathy." Apathy is not the problem. The problem is access, and voter registration reform is the solution.

In my view, though, this reform does not go far enough. EDR is a great way to open up the system, but why do we even need voter registration at all? What we need is a nationwide, automatic, universal registration system. Voter registration shouldn't be an opt-in system.

Fortunately, it looks like such a system is gaining in popularity and currently under study:

No state has yet to adopt universal voter registration. But the idea, common in European democracies, is the subject of a careful study by the Brennan Center for Justice and seems to be gaining traction.

The sooner the better. The evidence of fraud is miniscule, and the upside in greater participation is a public good that can't be ignored. If the government can send me my Selective Service card when I turn 16, they can send my my voter registration card when I turn 18.

This month CIRCLE released a report on the effects of state voter registration laws on young voter turnout.

The report shows that Election Day Registration (EDR) had the greatest effect in the November 2008 election in increasing youth turnout.

Election Day registration laws (EDR) allow voters to avoid the inconvenience and pressure of registration deadlines. As of 2008, nine states (Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) allow voters to register at the polls on Election Day. In a 2003 study about the 2000 Presidential Election, it was found that turnout was, on average, 14 percentage points higher among 18- to 24-year-old youth in states that had EDR. EDR may also decrease the disparity between younger and older voters. Before implementing EDR, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Wyoming were among the worst states in terms of turnout inequality between younger and older Americans. After EDR laws took effect, all three states decreased this gap dramatically. Wyoming, for example, moved from 39th place to the 7th smallest turnout gap.

What is so impressive is how dramatic the effect of EDR was in increasing turnout (emphasis added):

After controlling for effects of educational attainment, gender, marital status, age, race, and ethnicity, young people whose home state implemented EDR were 41% more likely to vote in the November 2008 election than those who did not have residence in the EDR states.

The report also shows that no-excuse absentee voting/vote by mail most likely had a strong effect, 23% of young voters voted absentee, however CIRCLE was "not able to estimate how the use of this strategy impacts state-by-state turnout since many young people, such as college students, live outside of their home state." In-person absentee voting was appeared to be a convenience to young voters who were already planning to vote, but CIRCLE does not believe that its availability turned young voters out that were not already determined to vote.

Extended polling hours resulted in an increase in the turnout of young workers and part-time students, but did not seem to have much of an effect on full-time students.

The general theme of the report is one that we often discuss in the youth political community: that lowering the barriers to voting will increase turnout. Youth organizations should be working with state legislators to reform their elections processes and enact some or all of the policies mentioned in the report, as well as others, such as online registration and permanent vote-by-mail.

As I've mentioned in a number of recent posts, I think that one of the most important projects for the progressive youth community in the 111th Congress is the passage of major voter registration reform legislation.

As I've written many times in the past, voter turnout is about access, not apathy. There are no numbers yet for 2008, but in 2004, 81.6% of all registered 18 - 29 year olds voted. The problem is not that young people register and then forget or abstain from voting; the problem is that, due to a variety of factors, young people are registered in far fewer numbers than older portions of the electorate.

Today, the Millennial generation is in a position to push for broad policy changes - on energy and climate issues, education issues, and more - thanks in large part to the massive youth turnout and their key role in electing President Obama. Retaining that power beyond one congressional session or Presidential term will require a repeat performance at the polls year in and year out. Reforming our voter registration laws and removing so many of the barriers that keep young Americans registered at low rates is key to solidifying this newfound political power. So I'm super excited to report that a coalition seems to be forming to push forward Voter Registration Modernization legislation during the current Congress.

The coalition, composed of a number of organizations including (but not limited to) US PIRG, the League of Women Voters, the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights, and the Brennan Center, view 2008 as an election cycle in which the biggest problem was not necessarily voter suppression (this does not mean suppression didn't happen, it did. Rather, this year there were no Florida 2000 or Ohio 2004 moments). Instead, the biggest problem in 2008 was registration: not enough people were registered and problems with our complex and varied registration systems left others off the rolls who should have been allowed to cast a ballot. The coalition wants to capitalize on the momentum coming out of the election to push through a voter reform bill that will lower barriers at the voting booth, simplify the registration process, and solidify increased participation throughout the electorate.

The building blocks for this reform will be the National Voter Registration Act and the Help American Vote Act. NVRA mandates that public service agencies provide voter registration assistance. Most famously, this bill is also known as the "Motor Voter" bill for mandating voter registration assistance at the DMV. HAVA, for all its faults, madates that

states develop a single, uniform, official, centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter registration list defined, maintained, and administered at the State level. (Previously, voter registration lists were maintained by local officials.) HAVA requires the statewide list be coordinated with other agency databases within the state.

These two laws will be the building blocks of any proposed voter registration modernization act. In its most basic form, the (currently theoretical bill) would expand these two laws and get them working together in sync. The NVRA would expand beyond public assistance agencies to include universities and other public institutions, and these databases would provide automatic updates to the state voter files mandated by HAVA. Preliminary work is underway to ascertain the feasibility of including new databases and how any challenges to updating could be overcome.

In its final form, the bill would look to accomplish four main objectives:

• Mandate automatic registration: get everyone on the rolls just like 16 year old boys are automatically signed up for the Selective Service.
• Create a system to move information from public databases to the voter roles. This will ensure that information on individuals is accurate and up to date.
• Create an Election Day Registration fail-safe component to ensure that people can vote in the event of computer or human errors in the system.
• Fund the proposal. This can't just be rhetoric or another unfunded mandate. States, public agencies and local municipalities will need the resources required to make this system work.

Throughout this process, we're going to need to continue raising awareness in the media, the blogosphere, and in congress about the importance of this legislation. Of particular importance, though, will be reaching out to local election officials and Secretaries of State. These are the people who can stop this program in its tracks. They must see it as a time and cost-saver, not a burden to them and their already overburdened agencies. There will need to be an education and lobbying campaign aimed at this particular constituency to ensure that legislators are on board and any law is properly implemented.

As I've said, this could be a game-changer in the youth organizing community, and would enfranchise millions of Americans who are not voting or who have tried to vote and been turned away at the polls. I know we are in a time of economic and environmental crisis, but let's not allow this to drop below the radar. As the coalition continues it's work, I'll write periodic updates on where we stand on this issue, and what organizations and individuals can do to help land a bill on President Obama's desk.

As many of you probably know, Change.gov launched a new feature in the last week called the Citizen's Briefing Book. Much like Change.org's Ideas Competition (which ends today - go vote), everyday citizens can submit their policy ideas for the Obama Administration. All ideas can then be voted up or down by members of the community. The top rated ideas will be bundled into a physical book that will be presented to the President for consideration once he takes office.

It's another excellent experiment in participatory governance from the folks at the transition, and an excellent (and perhaps final) chance for youth organizations to draw some attention to our issues before the new administration takes office.

Rock the Vote is all over it. Today they submitted an entry calling for the modernization of our voter registration system, notably through the adoption of a National Automatic and Permanent Voter Registration:

A system of automatic voter registration should contain five components:

Affirmative registration - States automatically or affirmatively add people to registration rolls. Similar to the selective service, upon reaching the age of registration, the state will automatically add any eligible citizen to the voter rolls and notify him or her. (He or she can opt out if so chosen)

Permanence - Once a voter is on the rolls, s/he will remain permanently on the rolls even if s/he moves. (Currently, a voter must re-register every time s/he moves, even if it's just across town.)

Failsafe – The system should include an Election Day registration component so that eligible voters mistakenly left off the rolls can register and vote on that same day.

Funding – Sufficient money must be appropriated and allocated to states taking steps to implement this system.

Pre-Registration - Include a system whereby eligible 16-17-year-olds may be "pre-registered" to vote. This would bring young people into the voter registration system before they leave public school to begin work or college and are more difficult to track down. Upon turning 18, they would receive a notice they had been added to the voter registration rolls.

Automatic, permanent voter registration will make our electoral system more inclusive, efficient, and accurate. Now is the time to modernize our voter registration system to ensure that all eligible citizens have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.

This is so right-on on so many levels.

First, let's remember that voter registration is primarily a barrier to political participation, created to keep some constituencies (african americans, women, the poor) from voting. People often refer to voting as our civic duty, so it is both ironic and tragic that our government erects and automatic barrier to fulfilling that duty. Automatic Universal Registration permanently destroys that barrier to participation.

Second, we've twice mentioned on this blog that fact that non profits may be about to go through their own recession as foundations and major donors react to the economic crisis and the decline in value of their own access. Voter registration is hugely expensive, and it is a big chunk of what a whole lot of youth organizations do. Universal registration could theoretically free-up a lot of financial resources in the nonprofit space and allow organizations to focus their work on more substantive programs like involving their membership in policy and service projects.

Third, we know that among youth in particular voter registration is the primary reason that voter turnout remains lower than that of the rest of the electorate. When young people are registered, they participate in numbers on par with those of older voters. Automatic Universal Registration can help ensure that the high rates of young voter turnout we saw this year continue in years to come, regardless of how exciting the race is or whether President Obama is on the ballot.

Go vote now and make sure that when President Obama receives the Citizen's Briefing Book, one of the top items is Automatic Universal Voter Registration.

As I've long argued, youth turnout is about access, not apathy. In 2004, over 80% of registered youth cast a ballot on election day, commensurate with the rest of the registered electorate.

Today, CIRCLE released a fact sheet that adds more grist to that mill by illustrating the impact of election laws and polling accessibility (pdf) on youth turnout at the polls.

CIRCLE found that simple measures like Vote by Mail and Election Day Registration could drastically improve young voter turnout in both Midterm and Presidential elections:

Furthermore, simple measures to educate citizens about their polling place location, and provide sample ballots can further increase participation among young voters.

It's amazing what can happen when states actually work with citizens to make the voting process more navigable.

The report also contains state-by-state information on the availability of election day registration, vote by mail, extended voting hours, unrestricted absentee voting, sample ballot mailings and more.

Regular readers of this site will remember that in December of last year, we went to bat pretty hard against both the Clinton/Biden/Dodd/Richardson campaigns, and David Yepsen, "the Dean of Iowa Political Reporting," for suggesting that university students in Iowa did not have a right to participate in the caucuses. I think we did a pretty good job (in partnership with a number of youth organizations) pushing against that message, earning retractions from all of the Democratic campaigns, garnering front page coverage on Daily Kos, and getting other organizations involved and on-message. By the end of the year, thanks to our work here and that of organizations like the Student PIRGs, Rock the Vote, YDA, and Young Voter PAC, the New York Times even ran an op-ed sympathetic to our point of view.

We all know what happened after that - despite much fretting about a youth-based field strategy on the part of the media and old-school party hacks, students turned out in record numbers and launched Barack Obama's campaign to the front of the pack.

So it's disturbing to see that, once the glare of the media is gone from Iowa, David Yepsen is back to his old tricks. In a column dedicated to the reformation of the Iowa Caucus, Yepsen takes aim at Election Day Registration:

Ban same-day registration

Allowing someone to just show up, claim residence in the precinct and participate is an invitation to fraud. There were allegations that happened in this year's caucuses.

It's one thing - and probably a good thing - to allow same-day registration on an election day. If there is a question about someone's residence, a provisional ballot can be cast and counted or rejected once the residence issue is settled. There isn't time for that on caucus night.

So, Iowa should cut off voter registrations for caucus participation a week or two before the events are held. That way, those officials or activists trying to run the caucuses can have a fresh list from the county election office of just who is eligible to participate.

Yes, there were allegations of fraud by people with a political interest in claiming so, and who fought the idea of student participation for months because it was a constituency disproportionately lined up against their candidacy.

The fact is, Yepsen, and others who share his opinion, are worried about a hypothetical, unproven problem that may occur in some future place and time. I'm worried about the actual problem we have now: that young people participate in our elections in lower numbers than other groups because they face larger barriers to voting than do older voters.

If we want to see more young people participate - a universal good, recognized even by those who lament "youth apathy" - than we need to make the system more accommodating to the life circumstances of young people.

When it comes to the Iowa Caucus, young people face a number of hurdles that older voters do not:

• Their transience - young people typically need to re-register every time they move. Students tend to move every single year.
• The school calendar means that students typically are not in-state during the caucuses.
• Student schedules and workloads tend to be heaviest when the caucuses are just coming onto the national radar.
• Universities do very little (if anything) to promote student participation in local elections.

All of these are contributing factors to lower voting rates among students, and Election Day Registration is a solution to all of these extra hurdles that students face. Absent any proof of fraud at a massive - election changing - level, it's hard to see how Yepsen can justify making it harder for any constituency to participate in the Democratic process.

We wouldn't put a polling place on the 11th floor of a building with no elevator access and no nearby public transportation and then wonder why elderly and handicapped people don't vote. We recognize that polling places should be handicap accessible and centrally located to address the needs of certain demographics who will use it. Absent any solid proof of fraud, how is a law that addresses the special hurdles that students face any different?