The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for July 12, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Our last installment for “Why People Don’t Vote Week” discusses what solutions are being proposed to encourage eligible citizens to register and vote.

The Center for American Progress outlined reforms which would encourage registration and voting. They include Automatic Voter Registration, to encourage registration at the DMV when obtaining a license or car registration. Oregon registered 219,000 new voters by AVR before the 2018 midterm and 47% of them voted.

Online voter registration, which includes submitting identification and other documents electronically, has eased the hassle for working people to register. A study in Georgia found that 71% of online registrants turned out to vote, higher than in person or mail registration.

Preregistering 16 & 17 year olds is effective in getting younger voters engaged. They can’t vote until age 18, but often schools can encourage future voting when coupled with civics education. Florida saw a 4.7% jump in youth voting as a result.

Early voting and voting by mail helps all manners of people to vote, providing flexibility in schedules for parents and working citizens. In the last few weeks, Georgia has shattered its early voting records.

What are your options for registering and voting? Contact your city or county election office or website for details. Do it now, for you, your state and your county.
Articles and links to groups taking action are at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles:
Center for American Progress – Increasing Voter Participation in America
National Conference of State Legislatures-   Automatic Voter Registration
National Conference of State Legislatures-  Online Voter Registration
National Affairs- Does High Voter Turnout Help One Party?

Groups Taking Action:
Movement Voter Project, Voto Latino, Black Voters Matter, Vote.org, When We All Vote,  Vote411

Vote Riders

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The post Why People Don’t Vote Week: Some of the Solutions to Getting Nonvoters to Register & Vote appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for January 26, 2023

Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
National Conference of State Legislatures – Online Voter Registration
Mississippi State Senate – Senate Bill 2301
New Hampshire State Senate – Senate Bill 70
BallotPedia – Online voter registration by State

Groups Taking Action:
Mississippi Votes, League of Women Voters,  ACLU Mississippi,  New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights, Kent Street Coalition, Open Democracy Action

Today’s Script:  (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

We’re in Mississippi & New Hampshire today, two states not known to be on the leading edge of democracy reform.  But both states are considering online voter registration, which improves access to voting for all citizens, and critical for young voter participation.

Only eight states remain without online voter registration, including Mississippi, New Hampshire, Texas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Arkansas, Montana, and Wyoming.   Those states which have implemented online registration have varying rules, with some including online submission of documents and ID, and others using a hybrid system which allows the registration to be submitted online, but still requiring a trip to an election office for verification.

If passed, Mississippi’s Republican-sponsored Senate Bill 2301 would allow qualified citizens with a state-issued ID to register and submit documents electronically, which would be reviewed by municipal or county officials prior to acceptance.  It would also allow a voter to change addresses, update last names, and other maintenance items, again, subject to review by election officials.  

Similarly, New Hampshire’s Senate Bill 70 would allow new voter registration, requesting absentee ballots, and requesting changes to name, domicile, and party affiliation in the statewide voter database, subject to approval by local election officials.   The bill is sponsored by a Republican, but New Hampshire’s conservatives have been reluctant to move it forward in past years. 

We have links to articles and groups taking action, at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl. 

The post <strong>Holdouts Mississippi & New Hampshire Consider Online Voter Registration</strong> appeared first on American Democracy Minute.