A proposition in today’s midterm elections would make it
easier for students to register to vote, but its fate lies in the
hands of voters who registered the long and hard way.
Proposition 52, commonly known as Election Day Voter
Registration, is designed to eliminate the 15-day buffer period
between the time someone can register to vote and election day.
Supporters of the item said it will increase voter turnout,
especially among college-age voters, who are usually more mobile
than any other segment of the population and change their mailing
addresses frequently.
It would make life easier for fourth-year psychology student
Annie Quan, who voted by absentee ballot for this year.
“Between mailing the application and waiting for the
ballot to be mailed to you, and then sending it, it’s really
inconvenient,” she said.
Those who oppose the item argue that it would increase the
frequency of voter fraud, since people could register without photo
identification ““ a utility bill and bank deposit slip
together would qualify as identification for registration
purposes.
However, the item includes a stipulation that criminalizes voter
fraud by making it a felony.
Secretary of State Bill Jones, whose office oversees the
state’s elections process, has spoken out against Proposition
52, but said he would have supported it if there was a provision
that ballots are counted only after residency is verified.
The proposition is by no means facing sure approval
““Â according to a Field Poll conducted in late October,
only 40 percent of voters favored the item, compared with 45
percent in opposition and 15 percent yet to decide.
Ironically, the passage of Proposition 52 depends not on its
potential beneficiaries, but rather on voters who took the time to
register ahead of time.
Several student-oriented organizations have come out in favor of
the proposition, including the nationwide Rock the Vote campaign
““ which visited campus recently to push for it ““ and
the University of California Student Association.
Same-day voter registration already exists in six other states:
Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin have been using it since the 1970s,
and it was instituted in Idaho, New Hampshire and Wyoming in
1994.