Expanding The Vote (Part 2)

by Stuart Shapiro

Last week I posted about how allowing mail-in ballots has increased voter turnout in Oregon. I found it even more encouraging that Democrats across the country are looking at other ways to increase turnout.

In the last few weeks, potential voters in California have been able to register online for the first time, and Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that will allow residents to register and vote on Election Day. Connecticut passed similar legislation this year, and voting rights advocacy groups hope as many as five states might join them next year.

Democratic lawmakers here described the legislation as a potential counterweight to Republican-backed laws in other parts of the country requiring photo identification to vote and making it more difficult to register.

Ironically, the Republican War on Voting has inspired a reaction across the country to expand voting rights.  With Voter ID laws being discarded by the courts, it would be wonderful if this expansion is the primary legacy of Republicans trying to hold on to power by stopping people from voting.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.