New Bipartisan Committee Aims to Revamp Voter Registration

The Committee to Modernize Voter Registration, a bipartisan group of election and campaign experts and former Republican and Democratic congressmen, aims to fix the nation’s broken voter registration system.  In 2008, four to five million voters faced registration issues that ultimately prevented them from casting a ballot.

The committee says that the two biggest problems with the current system are paper registration forms and the time constraints of the registration process.  Paper registration forms are handwritten, often making it difficult for information to be accurately read or universally accessible.  The system isn’t properly set up to handle the sudden flood of incoming registration forms that arrive in the final days before the registration deadline.  Both of these problems also make it difficult for someone to verify or correct their own registration information in time to cast a vote.

Jonah Goldman, who serves as strategic advisor to the committee, notes that “the system is problematic for all, but impacts young voters, military members, lower income voters, those who move, and voters of color more often than most.”  Goldman doesn’t blame these problems on the election officials, but instead on the design of the system.  “Election officials are not the problem; they are doing all that they can do, but they are unnecessarily strained.”

The committee says that using existing government databases to automatically register voters could eliminate many of these problems.  Databases would also remove artificial registration deadlines, save states money, and eliminate the need for third party groups to spend precious time and funds on registration efforts.

Congress is currently considering legislation to modernize voter registration.  The committee will provide input and expertise to Congress, as well as individual states that may be considering similar legislation.

Jonah Goldman, who serves as strategic advisor to the committee, notes that “the system is problematic for all, but impacts young voters, military members, lower income voters, those who move, and voters of color more often than most.”  Goldman doesn’t blame these problems on the election officials, but instead on the design of the system.  “Election officials are not the problem; they are doing all that they can do, but they are unnecessarily strained.”

The committee says that using existing government databases to automatically register voters could eliminate many of these problems.  Databases would also remove artificial registration deadlines, save states money, and eliminate the need for third party groups to spend precious time and funds on registration efforts.

Congress is currently considering legislation to modernize voter registration.  The committee will provide input and expertise to Congress, as well as individual states that may be considering similar legislation.