The Connecticut House of Representatives passed a bill this week that would allow eligible residents to register to vote on Election Day and would create an online voter registration system. Gov. Dan Malloy issued the following comments: “Passage of this legislation demonstrates Connecticut’s commitment to fair, accessible elections, and I applaud the House for their action on this bill.
As the fastest growing electorate in the country, Hispanic voters have the opportunity to significantly impact the 2012 election. While new laws promise to make this prospect harder, some independent groups are working to ensure Hispanic participation.
Bills to implement online voter registration in Pennsylvania and South Carolina demonstrate growing momentum in favor of modernizing registration. In Pennsylvania, Sen. Lloyd Smucker introduced SB 1515, a bill that would require the Department of State to create an online voter registration system within 90 days of the bill’s passage.
Over the past year, there has been a lot of discussion about requiring a photo ID to vote. Proponents of voter photo ID laws often cite that showing photo ID’s are required for all activities, including flying, buying Sudafed, checking out a library book, opening a bank account, cashing a cash, renting a movie, buying a beer, obtaining a social security card, or signing up for public assistance.
Florida made headlines this week as it continued its push against alleged non-citizen voters. As we mentioned in last week’s round-up, several counties in Florida are reviewing records on thousands of registered voters whom the state believes may not be citizens. While the state is still in the early stages of their investigation, already troubling behavior from officials is being reported.
Last week Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell signed a new Virginia law which will place what he referred to as “an undue burden on the voters.” We’ve discussed the changes which Governor McDonnell attempted to make to the legislation previously.
An Educational Testing Service (ETS) study on education and civic engagement demonstrates the role that colleges and universities can play in helping students become active and informed voters. The study suggests that many students arrive at college with limited knowledge of civics.
The state of Florida has incorrectly identified numerous citizens for removal from the voter rolls leading up to the November election, leaving numerous groups questioning the motivation behind the purge and reminding many of the faulty voter purges that took place in 2000 and 2004.