Group Formed to Modify Voter Registration

The Committee to Modernize Voter Registration has been formed to work on overhauling the nation's voter registration system. The group consists of bipartisan members led by co-chairs Trevor Potter, general counsel for Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) presidential campaigns, and Marc Elias, lawyer for Senator Al Franken (D-MN) during the recount. The two charge that their campaign experiences have led them to believe that the country needs to move toward a more automated registration system. Eligible voters could automatically be registered using existing databases and allow for those who do not want to be on the rolls to opt out. Registrations should also be portable, allowing voters to stay registered after they move. However, the many specific details of a proposal have not been completely worked out.

According to a press release, "by using existing government databases to automatically register voters, they assert, states and local governments could save scarce financial and staff resources that would otherwise be spent shuffling, entering and reviewing reams of paper registration forms."

The Pew Charitable Trusts hosted a launch event and in addition, the Pew Center on the States also released "Bringing Elections into the 21st Century: Voter Registration Modernization." The issue brief addresses the deficiencies of the current registration system and provides Pew's recommendations.

An editorial in the Washington Post notes that the committee, "does not want to impose an unfunded mandate on states. Instead, it believes that Congress should outline goals, set standards and use federal funds to encourage states to modernize. [. . .] Formation of a group will not, in itself, bring about change. But by helping to foster a national conversation, the committee performs a valuable function, particularly because its voices are not encumbered by the partisan rancor that too often accompanies election reform. Congress ought to pay attention."

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