voter registration

Rock the Vote has launched a new website designed to help young voters get their questions answered about voting in the November election that would function like "Yelp for politics."

From the RTV blog:

We’ve created Electionland as a one-stop shop for the 2010 elections — the place where you can ask and answer questions on everything related to elections in your state. You can find you state’s voter registration deadline and fill out a voter registration application. You have access to folks with big brains about what’s on the ballot. You can get answers to questions big and small. In some states, candidates will answer your questions directly. (We’ve got them to answer some questions Rock the Vote compiled from young voters and we’re fired up to bring you the content from our innovative friends at 10 Questions starting in October.)

At the moment Electionland has more in common with Yahoo! Answers than with Yelp, but with some major buy-in from candidates it would have potential. The site allows candidates to hold online town halls using its platform, as well as online candidate debates. Perhaps some smaller races will take advantage of these features if they are publicized well, but I would be surprised if a lot of high-profile races jumped on board for online debates.

Granted, there is nothing wrong with being mostly a question-and-answer resource for voting information, and it already provides useful information for young voters who are unsure about the process.

If you are a candidate that is thinking about using Electionland's online town hall or debate features, we would love to hear your thoughts about the service in the comments.

Don’t worry, no one’s going to ask you to pull out your fake cobwebs yet, but it is a good time to think about Trick or Vote. As the nation’s largest get out the vote canvass (…in costume) gets a running start this year, we’re asking you to get (your organization) involved.

This year Trick or Vote will be bigger (and scarier) than ever.

In 2010 our goals include:
· 200,000 voter contacts nationwide
· Over 5,000 volunteer engagements
· Over 50 cities nationwide
· Launching the Adopt-a-monster fundraising program

We’re so committed to Trick or Vote this year that we’re offering re-grants to partner organizations (that means cash money in your organizations pockets). But this money will only be available to organizations that want to be the exclusive organization in their community. We came to the conclusion that in locations with large Trick or Vote events, we want to grant an exclusive license to our local partner so that competing events don't drain from the energy and power of a coordinated effort.

These big exclusive events will be the backbone of Trick or Vote this fall and will be first in line for support, training, and national resources. We'll also have a large DIY program for organizations and individuals to plug in to, but that will be a mile wide and an inch deep.

In short, if you've got some "communities" (could be a neighborhood, a city, or a college campus, etc.) where you want to own Trick or Vote this fall and get assistance from your friends at the Bus Federation Civic Fund to make it happen, you should apply for exclusive status:

Organizations interested in applying to host Trick or Vote in their communities can go to the link below to fill out the application:
Apply Here!

Contact Trick or Vote National Field Coordinator Richelle Devoe at Richelle@forwardmontana.org if you have any questions or would like further information.

Pretty cool story - it seems the Secretary of State in Rhode Island has recently won a federal grant that will allow him to offer high school students an opportunity to vote on issues they think are the most important in the state in the fall.

"An informed electorate is the keystone of democracy. Some of these students will become our next generation of leaders. I hope our work produces a new generation of voters and citizens committed to making their voices heard,” Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis said.

The program called Voters in the Classroom and will allow students to decide which issues end up on he statewide referendum ballot. The statewide vote will be October 19th and is expected to engage over 23,000 young people.

"Mollis is holding voter registration drives at every Rhode Island high school leading up to the 2010 elections. In order to be eligible to vote, students must be U.S. citizens, residents of Rhode Island and turn age 18 by Election Day 2010.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 59 percent of eligible 18-to-24-year-olds were registered to vote on Election Day 2008. Just 49 percent actually voted in that election.

Man... why can't this happen in a state I work in?

Today young state Rep. Milack Talia is conducting a hearing about his bill HB 2256 in the Kansas State Legislature about working with the state DMV to pre-register young people when they come into get their drivers permit or drivers license.

HB 2256 was introduced with the purpose of increasing voter participation in our democracy which is an honorable attempt, but I fear the conservative elected officials don't want that at all. I can see elected officials trying to make this go away so they don't look bad to constituents for being against kids being instilled with things like civic pride. And if that happens, you should rest assured we'll cover it here first, on Future Majority!

According to the prepared testimony from Rep. Talia Kansas ranks 37th in the country with registration for those eligible to vote. And of those 18-24 only 49.4% are registered vs. 58.5% nationally. Yet, when those young people vote they do so to the tun of an 85% turnout.

Adam Fogel from the Right to Vote Director of FairVote, is also testifying at the hearing today. The following is an excerpt from his prepared testimony:

"Youth voter pre-registration is the first step in what should be the ultimate goal of developing a voter registration system that reduces the burden placed on the individual and ensures security in the process. This policy would allow young people to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license or farm equipment permit, the same way voters over 18 can do now because of the National Voter Registration Act (“motor voter”). It also gives high schools the ability to conduct systematic, effective voter registration drives in the educational atmosphere of a classroom. Recent research by Michael McDonald of George Mason University shows that the most successful implementation of youth voter pre-registration is accompanied by civic education programming.

This policy will also resolve the problem of the last-minute rush of voter registration applications local boards of election receive before the voter registration deadline every election cycle. Partisan and nonpartisan voter registration groups that register thousands of new voters have been known to hold onto the forms until days before the deadline, making it difficult for the local boards to process all of the forms before the election. Enacting youth voter pre-registration will make voter registration a year-round activity, where local boards of election will no longer be inundated with last-minute rushes and be forced to hire temporary, often inexperienced staff who could be prone to unintentional clerical mistakes."

As someone who believes very passionately in our systems of government, I wish we could see more people participating in the process. It is what makes our country great, and it is the foundation of all democracies. Instilling that civic pride in our youth as early as possible is nothing but a good thing.

Thanks to great work by Oregon Bus Project founder-turned state legislator Jefferson Smith (and other legislators), online voter registration is about to become a reality in Oregon:

Online Voter Registration Approved by Senate

Online registration plan is simple, secure and has proven successful

SALEM – The Senate today voted in favor of HB 2386, which would allow Oregonians to register to vote online. Online voter registration creates a new avenue to register that is simple, hassle-free and, above all, secure.

"Oregonians pay bills online, check bank accounts online, rent movies online, pay taxes online. We can change our address with the US Postal Service and DMV online. With this bill, we will move our voter registration system into the 21st century by allowing people to register to vote online,” said Representative Ben Cannon (D-Portland), who is the Chief Co-Sponsor of the bill along with Representative Jefferson Smith (D-Portland). "This bill takes a significant step toward a secure, hassle-free system of voter registration."

House Bill 2386 would allow eligible voters with valid Oregon Driver Licenses or ID cards to register to vote online through a secure connection on the Secretary of State website. A registrant’s signature from DMV will be used to match against the signature on the ballot. A registrant would first have to indicate under penalty of law that they are a citizen and that they are at least 17 years old, just like on the current form.

“HB 2386 represents a lot of work by folks who are passionate about access to democracy,” said Representative Jefferson Smith (D-Portland). “This bill’s passage is a milestone in Oregon’s voter access movement. We believe that democracy works better if more people do it.”

HB 2386 would model Oregon’s online voter registration system on those of Washington and Arizona, where the programs have proven extremely popular. In 2003, the first year of Arizona's Online Voter Registration program, 25% of all new voter registrations were done online. In 2007, that percentage jumped to 72%. After Washington implemented online voter registration, 1,634 online applications were recorded in the first three days and 38% of all Washington voter registrations in 2008 were done online.

“Oregon needs laws that make registering to vote accessible and easy for every eligible voter,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “This is simple, stable and will bring more voters, especially younger voters, into the process of shaping Oregon’s future.”

HB 2386 is headed back to the House for concurrence on Senate amendments. It will then head to the Governor for his signature.

Now we need to see movement on more reforms that can make voter registration and participation painless, like automatic registration or election day registration.

I've written many times about HeadCount, the voter registration organization that originated within the jam band scene (disclosure: I'm on the advisory board). I think they've put together an amazing, national organization that accomplishes real political work without sacrificing the vibe of a small, tight-knit community. If you've ever been to a HeadCount show, you know there's a real connection between the fans, the music and the politics.

Over the last four years, they've built this community with far fewer resources than other political nonprofits, and they've expanded beyond their roots in the jam band scene. Now, they're morphing once again.

Yesterday, HeadCount relaunched their website and announced that they're expanding beyond their core work - voter registration - and into the realm of issue advocacy:

Building on the momentum of registering more than 100,000 voters last year, HeadCount has launched a new campaign called “What’s Your Issue?” that encourages fans of live music to take the next steps beyond voting to become more informed, active citizens. Anyone who answers a brief issue survey – either at a concert or online at www.HeadCount.org – will be entered in a drawing to win two free VIP tickets to Outside Lands Music Festival, held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park August 28-30, 2009, plus round-trip airfare for two on Southwest Airlines from anywhere in the U.S.

The campaign will visit concert tour stops this summer by Dave Matthews Band, Phish, The Fray and NINJA (Nine Inch Nails and Janes Addiction). Festivals such as Bonnaroo, ROTHBURY, High Sierra Music Festival, All Good Music Festival, Camp Bisco and Gathering of the Vibes will also host the “What’s Your Issue?” campaign. [...]

HeadCount continues to offer voter information and registration services at its concert tables and at www.HeadCount.org. The organization also provides a wide range of resources that facilitate civic participation. The HeadCount blog (www.HeadCount.org/blog) is a one-stop online community updated daily with news on “Music, Politics and Everything In Between.” HeadCount street teams are partnering with local nonprofit organizations, such as Save the Bay, and creating joint volunteer outings. HeadCount makes it easy to write to members of Congress, with pre-printed letters available at concerts and online at www.HeadCount.org. It’s all part of an effort to give music fans the tools to be involved, active citizens, while creating a real community of fans who are bound by shared ideals.

The “What’s Your Issue?” survey serves as the gateway to the HeadCount community. It lists six issues that, according to a recent online poll, are particularly important to fans of live music. They are:

• Food and Farm Policy
• Health Care Reform
• Personal Liberty
• Gulf Coast Recovery
• Human Rights
• Sustainability and Conservation

Once someone identifies the issue most important to them, they are sent a link to an area of HeadCount.org devoted to that issue. Users will find a blog, background information, artist interviews and links to related websites. Most important, they’ll also find a “Take Action” area that enables them to volunteer for a related organization or email their Congressional representatives.

This is a great organization and a great campaign. And their new website is super clean and a cut well above their previous site. As usual, I can't recommend HeadCount highly enough. Go check them out.

The Project Vote Blog had an interesting piece that turned my head this week about the voter registration rate this past election.

After all of the work we did - we meaning the folks at CREDO who developed the online voter registration widget Rock the Vote and many others used. The in person voting HeadCount did, and the thousands of other people affiliated with hundreds of campaigns and groups across the country, we had a net gain of about 1% in voter registration according to Project Vote's findings (PDF).

Not to belittle 1%, its actually quite good when you look at the numbers, and when we look at some of the states where elections were very close I can guarantee that those new voters made a difference. Still, there needs to be a new way that we work to cultivate new registrants that garners higher results.

"While measures to provide voter registration or voter education opportunities for voting eligible Americans are important, three states have taken a step beyond by moving legislation to not only address the issue of standardizing the voter registration system, but to engage the future of America before they reach the age of 18" says Project Vote.

Hawaii and Florida are the only two states that currently offer such a registration option. In April, however, Project Vote reported other states are developing legislation for similar laws allowing pre-registration to 16 year olds. It might be easier, their blog says, to engage youth in high school and at the DMV.

"In the last few weeks, legislators passed preregistration bills through at least one chamber in California (AB 30), Michigan (HB 4261 and HB 4337), and North Carolina (HB 1260). The Michigan and North Carolina bills have been assigned to their respective Senate committees while the California bill awaits its final reading on the Senate floor. Passage of the California bill is thought to be most significant due to its growing and diverse population, particularly among its young residents."

They're right, one of the biggest problems we have as a movement is targeting non-college youth because there is no central location that connects with them. The closest org I think that comes close is HeadCount who walks the entrance lines at concerts and asks people to register. You're getting college and non-college youth, but primarily concert goers and festival lovers. My kind of voters, but still not a broad selection.

High school programs are few and far between, many high school students aren't 18 so it seems like a smaller population from which to choose. The difference is... all of them will be 18. With laws in place that allow early registration, high school outreach could have a huge success rate to ensure youth are registered when they turn 18.

SAVE has worked with members of Congress and the Senate to pass the Student Voter Opportunity to Encourage Registration (VOTER) Act which was introduced in the US Senate today by Sen. Dick Derbin (D-IL). According to yesterday's release:

The Act "will require all colleges and universities that receive federal funds to provide their students with an opportunity to register to vote as they "enroll in a course of study."

"Many students are first-time voters and are often unfamiliar with how to register to vote. Our bill would make registering to vote as simple as registering for class," said Senator Durbin. "Making voter registration more accessible will remove one burden preventing young people from getting involved in our democracy."

Texas recently passed interesting legislation that would require each high school principal to designate four people as deputy registrars.

According to the bill HB1654

"The four deputies could be either employees of the high school or employees of the school district in which the high school was located and who were serving at the high school. At least three of the four would have to be classroom teachers or certified full-time counselors."

State and Federal leaders along with many organizations across the country are working on many different levels to fix what is a continuous problem in American Elections. To monitor preregistration and other election bills, visit www.electionlegislation.org. To continue to watch federal legislation for the VOTER Act stay tuned to SAVE

I've written multiple times, on many different blogs, about the need for fundamental voter registration reform. Normally I make that case on behalf of the young voter/voter registration community. The most recent data from CIRCLE put young voter turnout in 2008 at 51.1% - one of the highest rates ever, yet still lower than any other portion the electorate. But we also know that upwards of 80% of all registered young voters actually make it to the polls to cast their ballot - a turnout rate not much lower than that of the rest of the electorate.

The conclusion is simple, and one that we are all familiar with: voter registration is a barrier to participation, and reforming it could well be the single most effective means of creating lasting gains in voter turnout rates, especially among young people. Such reforms are in the works, and the proposed changes usually include some form of automatic registration and/or election day registration failsafes.

One of the biggest hurdles in achieving such reform is convincing the various local Secretaries of State that such reforms are in their interest and, rather than increase their burdens, will make their jobs easier. Secretaries of State will wield enormous influence over the outcome of a voter registration reform debate. Without their support, it will be difficult to convince Senators or Congressmen to sign on to any voter reform legislation. That's why a new report by the US PIRG Education Fund on the cost effectiveness of voter registration reform is so important: Saving Dollars, Saving Democracy - Cost Savings for Local Elections Officials Through Voter Registration Modernization (pdf).

In a survey of 100 counties, the report found that:

• Over $33,467,910.00 of public money was spent on simple registration and error-correction issues in 2008.
• That equals $86,977.00 of the elections budgets in counties with populations under 50,000.
• The average office in counties with 50,000 to 200,000 people spent $248,091.00.
• The average county elections office in jurisdictions of 200,000 to around one million people spent $1,079,610.00.
• Some of the largest counties in our survey spent far more than this average, for example St Louis County, with a population of 995,118, conservatively spent over 3 million dollars on registration implementation and issues in the 2008 cycle.

In addition to the monetary costs of the current system, the report also outlines other inefficiencies that current boards of election routinely face, and which could be overcome through sensible reform of the registration process:

• Missing Information: inaccurate, incomplete, duplicated, or illegible forms;
• Citizen Confusion: a lack of clarity for any particular registrant concerning citizenship status;
• Overtime/Staffing: there are many problems and costs associated with hiring part-time staff or paying overtime to data-entry floods of forms in time for Election Day;
• Acknowledgment Cards: some states require a card be sent to registrants to confirm registration details;
• Reaching voters in rural areas: states face challenges when reaching out to register eligible citizens across a geographically complex rural jurisdiction; and
• Provisional ballot printings, mailings, and outreach: once a registrant is not accurately entered, HAVA requires that they be allowed to cast a day-of-election provisional ballot. States must provide said ballot, and then in order for it to count, states need to follow up with the voter and state to determine their registration status.

The report makes a number of recommendations on what effective, efficient reform would look like:

1. A federal mandate should be passed to require affirmative and automatic registration. Specified and privacy-protected data transfers and information sharing should occur from federal and state databases to the state voter rolls as a means of continuously updating the list. By eliminating the data entry and duplicate and error verification follow-up responsibilities of local officials, there will be large cost savings at the county level.
2. Federal funding should be provided to make it possible for states to implement this mandate.
3. States should also use specified private database transfers or information sharing to keep citizens on the rolls permanently at their most up-to-date address.
4. States should perform same-day balloting as a catch-all for citizens.

The full report offers regional, state, and municipal data on all of the inefficiencies outlined above. At some point in the next few years, we are likely to face a fight in congress over voter registration reform. Ground zero in that fight will be convincing local Secretaries of State that they should be in favor of reform rather than the status quo. This new report (pdf) by US PIRG Education Fund is an invaluable information for those looking to construct effective arguments in favor of reform.

Congratulations to Colorado-based youth organizers New Era Colorado for writing and shepherding a bill for online voter registration through their state house and senate. The bill is now on its way to the governor's desk:

Denver, CO - April 23, 2009 – The Colorado Senate voted 33-0 today on a bill that will soon allow Colorado residents to register to vote online at the secure Secretary of State’s website. This bill modernizes the voter registration process in Colorado, significantly increases voter accessibility, and saves taxpayer money.

Only 2 other states, Arizona and Washington, currently provide voters with the option to register to vote online. In Arizona, voter registration numbers increased by 10% in the first year of the online option being available and over 70% of registrations now occur online. When Washington instituted online voter registration in 2008, almost 40% of new voters registered online. In the first six months, half of the new registrants were under the age of 30.

“This bill brings the traditionally complicated and cumbersome voter registration process into the 21st Century. We do almost everything online these days—banking, paying bills, filing taxes—we should be able to do our civic duty of registering to vote online, too,” says Steve Fenberg, Executive Director of New Era Colorado, the lead organization that initiated, drafted, and lobbied the bill in the Legislature.

The online form will allow current Colorado voters to update their registration record with address changes and mail-in ballot status and will allow first time registrants to register to vote online if they have a Colorado Driver’s License or ID. For the first time registrants, the digitized signature from their Driver’s License or ID will be used as the required signature on a voter registration form.

“I think this bill can be a game-changer in Colorado politics—not in terms of Republican or Democrat victories, but in terms of the number of young people engaging in the democratic process. This is a big victory for New Era Colorado and young people across our state,” says Fenberg.

“We see this bill as a long-term opportunity to increase youth registration levels, but we also see it as a near-term opportunity to show our volunteers and interns how to participate in the legislative process,” says Carrie Jackson, Program Director of New Era Colorado. New Era Colorado members helped draft the legislation, wrote thousands of supportive letters to Representatives and Senators, and participated in committee hearings to help pass the online voter registration bill. These volunteers also helped New Era Colorado register over 11,000 young people to vote during the 2008 Election Cycle.

Rep. Joe Miklosi (D-Denver) sponsored the bill in the House, where it a received a 60-4 vote, and Senator Bob Bacon (D-Fort Collins) sponsored it in the Senate. It will soon head to Governor Ritter's desk for signing.

TPM has a great piece about young people this week, speaking specifically about how our turnout has caused problems in the voting systems because our transient nature apparently causes added paperwork at the county election board.

Now, it seems, some states are moving to the "universal registration" route where 16 year olds become registered the same time as the are getting their driver's license, but of course can't vote until they are 18.

"California and Rhode Island are among the states that have introduced legislation permitting 16- and 17-year-old citizens to register to vote in advance of their 18th birthdays. Rhode Island bills, SB 85 and HB 5005 show promise to pass the legislature - a prospect that is nothing new to the state, which has passed such bills three years in a row only to have them vetoed by the governor, according to research and advocacy group, Fair Vote."

Universal registration is something that Rock the Vote has taken on as their major legislative agenda item and the Student PIRGs have taken on in the past.

Georgia10 from Kos makes a great point about the ACORN attacks this past fall:

"By so vigorously highlighting the very real problems with third-party registration model, the GOP has unwittingly provided the best argument in favor of having the government step in and facilitate a universal registration system. And so, the irony is that in trying to suppress voter turnout by calling even valid registrations into question, Republicans have opened the door to a long-overdue discussion on how best to reform our inherently flawed voter registration system in order to ensure that every American who has the right to vote may do so without redtape barriers."

TPM asserts that by creating a government structure that mandates pre-registration certainly makes things much more convienent, but it also makes it easier to do programming in high schools and at DMVs because you can access the information about young people before they escape to college and out of their parents' home.

"it also helps "boost the effectiveness of civics education by tying it directly to civic participation through the opportunity to preregister," according to a Fair Vote report. The report further notes that "uniform" preregistration laws, like those in Hawaii and Florida, help alleviate general voter registration ills by acting as a "cost-effective step toward greater standardization, which means a cleaner, more accurate data set. Pre-registration could also save money and minimize human error by allowing students to register year round at points of civic engagement and education..."

TPM also had a great piece about the diversity that occurred this election. It was a particularly youthy day over at the TPM - good for them!