Reducing voter turnout is not an option
by: Rep. Art Noonan
Recently, there has been a difference of opinion on the value of same day voter registration. Since all of the House Democrats support the current law that allows it, we thought it was important to be clear about our position.
Since the beginning of our democracy the political process has focused on franchising every citizen entitled to vote. Fundamentally the more people who participate in an election, the clearer the direction of our government. This principal is a baseline issue for all political parties and there have been several national efforts to increase registration including motor/voter registration and increased absentee ballots.
There is no litmus test to vote in America. We don’t attempt to correct social issues through voter registration and we don’t demand any intellectual threshold to have the right to vote. If a person registers and is a citizen then they vote.
Nonetheless, the House Republicans forced a bill through the House on a party-line vote that will take away same-day registration.
In the shared goal of leaving no voter behind, the last legislature passed a same-day voter registration law in the hopes that more voters would go to the polls. It worked, and 4,000 Montanans availed themselves of this new opportunity.
This issue has to be about those folks and not a question of an election process that limits the voters to numbers convenient for election officials. As a delegation we have supported improvements and increased money for the clerks’ offices. Many of us here in Helena, when we asked about resources made available to counties, were surprised to find out that the Secretary of State had over a million dollars in carry-over funds not used to help officials in this past election. This funding was intended to cover the very problems that developed and would have went a long way to moving the process along.
Former Secretary of State and now Senator Mike Cooney recently commented that in his experience there have been no reported instances of fraud or abuse in any of the states that have had same-day registration for years. His issue has always been about getting local offices the help they need to maximize voter turnout, and many of our neighboring states handle the increased work without expecting voters to be well organized.
The 2006 election was Montana’s state’s first attempt at this process and the growing pains are simply not enough to question the positive impact of the increased voter turnout. This is not a partisan issue and we cannot allow either the limits of the Clerk’s office or the perceived advantage or disadvantage of a particular political party set out voter registration policies. We allow voting if someone is away on Election Day and we assist voters who may have special need consideration for voting. Voting would be easier if these folks were left out, but it would also be unfair and un-American.
For Montana Democrats, hiring more people and getting the appropriate resources to the local level to effectively manage same day registration is the option we are working on. Leaving voters out is simply not an option.
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4 Responses to “Reducing voter turnout is not an option”
February 9th, 2007 at 1:43 am
What this comes down to, in my mind, is that Brad Johnson did a poor job implementing same day registration and wants it done away with because it is just too hard. Well, that’s just not good enough. I saw people standing in line outside the courthouse in Helena until the polls closed. These were people who wanted to participate. They wanted their voices heard and they deserved to have them heard.
It is just that plain and simple.
February 10th, 2007 at 6:16 am
Rep. Noonan has been asking very good questions. Montanans need to know what went so wrong in Mr. Johnson’s office that he and his staff couldn’t explain the voting process to local Clerks and Recorders. Was the million dollars spent on vanity billboards that showed Mr. Johnson mugshot instead of on education for election officials?
February 21st, 2007 at 12:47 pm
There are other benefits that go with citizenship that our state says must be preceded by a period of residency. For example, if a student comes to our universities from out of state, they have to pay higher tuition until they have passed a stated period of time and done other things to show they are citizens, not just students. Those students who desire to vote who are not citizens of the state or county where they attend school still have the option of using absentee ballots. Same day registration should be done away with.
March 2nd, 2007 at 1:02 pm
The League of Women Voters of Montana strongly support election day registration(EDR). Last November was the first time citizens could both register and vote on election day. A huge number–3947–of citizens chose to do so. Of the 6 other states that premit EDR, Montana’s is the most restrictive because citizens must travel long distances to their county election office. In other states, they go to the nearest polling place.
There were problems last November: long lines, harried election workers, late night voting. However, Minnesota also had troubles on their first EDR in 1976, but have now addressed them. So can Montana.
With increased publicity and better preparation, Montana can and should continue to offer the greatest access possible to ensure Montanans have their right to a say in their government on election day.
Sara Busey, HAVA Representative
League of Women Voters of Montana