“Voter registration is the gateway to participating in our democracy, but these antiquated, paper-based systems are plagued with errors and inefficiencies,” said David Becker, director of Election Initiatives at the Pew Center on the States in a press release today. “These problems waste taxpayer dollars, undermine voter confidence, and fuel partisan disputes over the integrity of our elections.”

Instead of erecting barriers to democracy, as we saw in 2011 and again in this election year, we should focus on utilizing existing technology to improve the quality of our voter rolls and ensure every citizen has the opportunity to participate in democracy. Paperless registration at government agencies and streamlining states’ list maintenance procedures are a just couple of simple ways to improve the state of our voter registration rolls.

“Today’s report proves that our nation’s ramshackle voter registration system does not work for 21st century America. In 2008, 2.2 million votes were lost because of registration problems. It is time to harness new technology to modernize our voter registration system,” said Wendy Weiser and Lawrence Norden of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program in a statement today.

“Our current system makes citizens take the first step to register to vote, but typically cuts off registration just when public interest in an election is peaking,” said Bob Kengle, co-director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Voting Rights Project.

“The technology exists for an accurate and secure registration system that encourages all Americans to participate in our democracy,” he said. “All we need is a commitment from our leaders to make it happen.”

“The new bill passed on a 101-54 party-line vote Thursday but failed to garner enough votes to overcome another gubernatorial veto,” the Kansas City Star reports. “It now heads to the Senate.”

Since the Missouri Supreme Court struck down a voter ID law as unconstitutional in 2006, state lawmakers have annually attempted to pass a new version of the restrictive measure. Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed a voter ID bill in 2011, but the legislature still passed a resolution for voters to amend the state constitution to allow ID restrictions.

Civil rights groups have filed suit last summer–including ACLU of Eastern Missouri, Fair Elections Legal Network, and Advancement Project–challenging the ballot initiative to have it decertified.

“I cannot imagine anything more cynical and shameful than using the voting process itself to trick voters into giving up their rights,” said Denise Lieberman, senior attorney for Advancement Project. “Just as the Missouri Supreme Court rejected Missouri’s photo ID law as a ‘heavy and substantial burden’ on voting rights, the court should reject this deceptive initiative. It does not make clear to voters that they will be giving up a fundamental right.”

The case is pending in the Cole County Circuit Court.

Image by Charleston's TheDigitel, used under Creative Commons license.

Yesterday, civil and voting rights activists spoke out against a South Carolina proposal to raise restrictions on community-based groups that many voters rely on to register to vote.

House Bill 4549, “requires any group that conducts voter registration drives to register with the state Elections Commission and turn in voters’ forms within five days of signing them up. Fines for not turning them in start at $50,” the Associated Press reports. “Intentional violations would bring a maximum fine of $1,000. All employees and volunteers participating in voter drives must sign a statement swearing they will uphold state election laws.”

Bill sponsor, Rep. Alan Clemmons claims that the bill is about “accountability and transparency,” and that it is to prevent fraud, “though he acknowledges no glaring example prompted its drafting,” the AP reports.

However, opponents note that it is a costly and restrictive measure designed to curtail voter registration efforts.

“It is a fear-based piece of legislation intended to block access to the polls of minority communities,” said executive director of South Carolina Equality Christine Johnson. According to the ACLU, black voters were four times more likely to register through voter registration drives than white voters in November 2010.

Johnson was among 40 people who gathered at the Statehouse to protest the bill, representing groups, including the ACLU, NAACP, AARP, and League of Women Voters.

“Instead of trying to encourage greater participation in our democracy, state legislators are wasting time creating unnecessary barriers,” said Victoria Middleton, executive director of the ACLU of South Carolina.

The bill will be back up for debate in the State House on Tuesday, Feb. 21, according to Fox Carolina.

Learn more about voter registration drives and how proposals like HB 4549 keep eligible voters from participating in the democratic process. Monitor HB 4549 by subscribing to Project Vote’s Election Legislation eDigest.

More than 16 organizations and citizens spoke out against the bills, including voter Katy Sheridan, one of the millions of Americans who does not have a valid driver’s license to use as proof of identity to vote.

“I use bicycle, bus and my own two feet to get around,” Sheridan said. Last fall, she said she was denied a ballot in the Albuquerque municipal election because, unbeknownst to her, the city requires photo ID to cast a ballot, according to the El Paso Times.

Republican Rep. Dianne Hamilton–longtime supporter of photo ID and sponsor of failed voter ID bill, HB 235–hopes to run for re-election this year to bring back another photo ID bill in 2013, according to the Farmington Daily Times. Hamilton claims that she does “believe with all my heart there’s a great deal of voter fraud,” but state officials say there is no evidence of a problem.

“The bogeyman does not exist. Widespread voter fraud in New Mexico simply doesn’t exist,” said Democratic Rep. Antionio Maestas.

Even the presenter of one of the voter ID bills agreed that voter impersonation fraud is a nonissue. (Daniel Ivey-Soto, spokesperson for the organization representing New Mexico’s 33 county clerks helped Rep. James Smith present one of the failed voter ID bills.)

“I am comfortable in saying there is no systemic voter fraud in New Mexico,” said Ivey-Soto.

This action and a recent voting rights victory in Nebraska, when proposed legislative bill 239 was pulled from the legislative agenda, show growing public opposition to making voting more difficult.

Voter ID requirements create real hurdles for real Americans, blocking the path for voting. Minnesota Public Radio captured one story:

Ilo Madden, a retired minister from St. Louis Park, said she doesn’t want her right to vote jeopardized. Madden told lawmakers that obtaining an ID is already difficult for many senior citizens.

“Today, I live on my own in an apartment. But tomorrow I could be living in a nursing home. We never know,” Madden said. “If I was in a nursing home, I’d have to go through the whole process of getting an ID once again. I didn’t think I could do it physically.”

In addition, the Minnesota Secretary of State issued a report that over 215,000 Minnesotans lack current photo IDs and, as such, would be blocked from voting. Another 500,000 Minnesotans who register at the polls on Election Day could no longer do so. That’s nearly 9.5% of the state population.

Proponents of photo voter ID say it’s needed to prevent “voter fraud,” but voter ID laws only prevent voter impersonation, a crime no one has ever been convicted of in Minnesota. So what is this really about? Voter ID is designed to make it harder for certain citizens to vote: low-income, persons of color, youth, and senior citizens. These are the very groups who most need to have a voice and a vote.

Here is a breakdown of the 215,000 Minnesotans who don’t have current photo ID:

• 18 percent of elderly citizens do not have government-issued photo ID.
• 15 percent of people earning less than $35,000 a year do not have photo ID.
• 18 percent of citizens aged 18–24 do not have a government issued photo ID with their current name and address.
• 10 percent of voters with disabilities do not have a photo ID.
• 25 percent of voting-age African-American citizens do not have a current, government issued photo ID.

Denise Velazquez-Marrero, director of Florida 501C3 Civic Engagement Table says HB 1355 is nothing more than “legislative voter suppression,” a sentiment shared by the overflowing hearing room of citizens who roared in applause when anyone spoke against HB 1355. Indeed, the entire panel of witnesses—including Republican supervisors of elections Ann McFall of Volusia County and the one defender of the law, Michael Ertel of Seminole County— acknowledged that preventing voter fraud was not the motivation behind HB1355. McFall said “voter fraud is not out there.”

Voter registration drives that assist many minorities are being curtailed

HB 1355 subjects community based groups, volunteers, and teachers who assist with registration to fines of up to $1,000 if they do not turn in completed voter registration applications to their county supervisors within 48 hours. Before the law was enacted, they had 10 days to review and submit applications forms.  Unfortunately, a teacher from Volusia county was reported to the Secretary of State because as she attempted to promote civic participation among her students, she made the mistake of taking a little over 48 hours to review her students’ applications for accuracy and completion before submitting them.  Ironically, another individual was told their applications were late because Martin Luther King, Jr. Day–a federal holiday—was included in calculating the 48-hour deadline.

The law has had a chilling effect on community-based groups, canvassers, and volunteers because it imposes steep monetary penalties for even accidental infractions; decreases the time that organizations have to conduct quality control measures; and creates the need to do burdensome organizational paperwork in advance of the voter registration drive. Supervisor Ertel said that when he heard community based groups like the League of Women Voters were ending their voter registration efforts because of the law, he wrote an open letter, urging them not to end their voter registration drives. Ertel offered to send representatives from his office to assist the voters and collect the voter registration applications. However, it was pointed out that representatives from his office cannot reach all the community based groups especially as Election Day approaches and registration drives increase. Moreover, an election official taking over a group’s registration drive takes away their dignity and independence.

Community-based groups have a long history of conducting voter registration drives and these drives have been crucial for minority communities and have made the registration process more accessible to hard-to-reach populations. HB 1355 threatens the method by which many minority voters begin the vote registration to process. Project Vote made note of this in its written testimony:

“…[V]oter registration drives have assumed increasing importance in the life of every election cycle and are particularly relied upon by racial minorities seeking to register. The 2010 Current Population Survey indicates that minority citizens in Florida were approximately twice as likely to register to vote through drives as were white voters: 16.2% of African Americans and 15.5% of Hispanics, as opposed to 8.6% of whites.”

Early voting cut on the one day that large numbers of Black and Latinos vote early

Early voting was decreased from 14 days to eight days, eliminating early voting on the Sunday prior to Election Day that traditionally has had a significant turnout of Black and Latino voters due to churches that organize “Souls to the Polls” voter participation efforts. Even if one briefly entertains the untrue notion that limiting early voting is justified because early voting is underutilized and costly, why eliminate the one day that so many voters of color rely upon to vote?

Change-of-address should not equal change of voting eligibility

Floridians who are legally registered to vote in Florida and who have moved from one county to another have historically been able to update their address on Election Day. Yet, under the new law, Floridians who update their address on Election Day will be forced to vote a provisional ballot. This is particularly troubling given the fact that the majority of provisional ballots are not even counted for a number of reasons.

It was noted that that many college students move to new dormitories and have to update their addresses. As an alumna of Bethune-Cookman College, I was dismayed to hear from Supervisor McFall that she anticipates that Cookman students will have issues with their registrations and may ultimately have to cast provisional ballots.

Given the historic number of foreclosures in our state, a number of citizens who are already experiencing hardships may have to move from their homes and may not be able to update their address on Election Day. Thus, we must increase our efforts to assist these individuals.

Life of Petition Signatures is cut in half

HB 1355 shortened the life of a signature collected in a petition drive from four years to two years.  This is makes it even more difficulty for organizations or individuals to create change in the law because by the time to they gather enough signatures needed, they may have to start over again.

Onward to defeat HB 1355

This bill has made the voter protection and voter registration work much harder, but the fight to defeat this voter suppression effort continues.

As senator Dick Durbin said, “the right to vote is preservative of all other rights,” so let’s stand up and preserve the right to vote so that every eligible American can vote and have their votes counted.

Community-based voter registration drives have been a symbol of equality and empowerment since the civil rights era, but there is a new trend of draconian legislation that threatens to stop the drives in their tracks. Florida and Texas have already passed laws that will prevent community organizations from conducting voter registration drives, and four more states—including Missouri, Mississippi, New York, and South Carolina—are currently considering bills that create restrictions that would make voter registration drives prohibitively risky or difficult.

The controversial Florida law has drawn congressional attention. Friday in Florida, there will be a Field Hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights to discuss Florida’s “war on voting.” Voting rights groups, individuals, and community-based organizations will testify about the difficulties of helping Americans to vote under Florida’s law, which makes it nearly impossible to run a community-based voter registration drive in the state. The League of Women Voters, for example, has decided to suspend voter registration work in the state for the first time in 72 years. Even well-intentioned individuals are at risk: recently, Florida high school teacher Jill Cicciarelli discovered she had inadvertently broken the law and could face thousands of dollars of fines just for trying to help her students register to vote.

States attempt to severely limit voter registration drives

Texas is another state seeking to undermine community-based voter registration drives with laws that create onerous rules on how drives can operate, including how to manage employees in the hiring and firing process. Like Florida’s law, these laws are subject to preclearance by the Department of Justice or the US District Court for the District of Columbia under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, due to their potentially harmful impact on minority groups. Other state lawmakers have increasingly introduced measures to prevent community-based organizations from successfully helping citizens to register to vote by way of restrictive deadlines and excessive fines, among other undue hurdles. Missouri is currently considering two bills that would make voter registration more onerous. Mississippi is doing the same. Just this week, the SC Judiciary Committee passed out of committee H.4549, a law that is similar to the Florida law. New York has a bill that would place restrictions on how voter registration drives manage their employees. All of these bills have a chilling effect on voter registration.

Why do voter registration drives matter?

Voter registration drives have assumed increasing importance in the life of every election cycle. Across the nation, an estimated 28 million citizens rely on community-based voter registration drives to register to vote for the first time or update their registration whenever they move.

Community-based voter registration drives are particularly important to racial minorities seeking to register to vote.  The 2010 Current Population Survey indicates that minority citizens in Florida were approximately twice as likely to register to vote through drives as were white voters:  16.2% of African Americans and 15.5% of Hispanics, as opposed to 8.6% of whites.  The data from both the 2004 and 2008 election cycles indicate similar patterns: African-American and Hispanic citizens are about twice as likely to register to vote through drives as white voters.

So what is this really about?

None of these restrictive voter registration bills result in substantial benefits to the government that cannot be attained through cooperation with voter registration groups and the application of current laws, so what is this new trend really about? Restrictions appear to be about stopping community-based voter registration drives before they can begin, even though millions of low-income and minority Americans rely upon them. Voter registration is the first step to becoming a voter and it should be made easier, not more difficult. Because our democracy works best when every American participates.

Nearly six years has passed since Missouri adopted a photo ID law that was later struck down by the state Supreme Court because it put a “heavy and substantial burden on Missourians’ free exercise of the right of suffrage.” Since then, lawmakers have tried to pass a new voter law that would exclude an estimated 253,496 Missourians from the democratic process. Today, voter ID bill, HB 1104 cleared a House committee after two hours of testimony from the public, the Kansas City Star reports.

“Critics contend that no one in Missouri has ever been prosecuted for committing the type of fraud prevented by a photo ID requirement — voter impersonation,” the Star reports. “They also point out that Missouri voters already are required to provide a form of ID before casting a ballot, such as a utility bill, bank statement or paycheck.”

“The only thing this bill does is erect barriers to the ballot for thousands of Missouri voters,” said the Advancement Project’s Denise Lieberman.

A Senate committee also cleared a bill that may hamper the effectiveness of community-based voter registration drives.

Senate Bill 486 requires individuals who request 50 or more voter registration applications to provide the secretary of state with their name, address, phone number and indicate whether they are working for a group or organization. Such individuals are required to complete a “computer-based” registration training.

Placing limitations on the number of applications reduces the effectiveness of large-scale registration drives and goes against the National Voter Registration Act, which expressly states that voter registration cards must be available to facilitate organized voter registration drives. While state-facilitated trainings on voter registration are not unreasonable, the state must ensure that the training is accessible and does not impose prohibitive restrictions on organizations that help register voters. The bill also creates criminal penalties for people who falsify voter registration forms.

“Monday’s vote of 7-2 sends the bill to the full Senate,” the Associated Press reports.

To follow these Missouri bills, subscribe to Project Vote’s weekly Election Legislation eDigest.

Image by George Olcott. Image used under Creative Commons license.

Claiming that the Obama Administration is “hostile” toward voter ID laws, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot is suing for approval of its 2011 law.

The state is required to seek federal approval before implementing changes to voting laws due to its history in discriminating against citizens of color. Recently, the Justice Department delayed approval, asking for more information on how the new law would be implemented and how it would affect voters. But, Abbot wants the law implemented “as soon as possible.”

“To fast-track that authority, Texas is taking legal action in a D.C. court seeking approval of its voter identification law,” Abbot said in a statement. ”Although today’s legal action asks the federal court to approve its voter identification law, the State’s preclearance submission remains pending with the DOJ… If the DOJ approves the law, the State will dismiss its lawsuit.”

According to the Associated Press, “Minority groups have complained that the law is intended to discourage voting among the poor and elderly who are less likely to have a driver’s license. Data produced by the Texas Secretary of State’s office appears to support that contention, but state officials insist the data is too flawed to consider when deciding whether the law should be enforced.”

The voter ID law would require all voters to present valid, photographic proof of ID in order to receive a regular ballot. Accepted ID includes driver’s license, military ID, passport, or license to carry a concealed weapon.

Abbot says the new law would “help deter and detect election fraud.” However photo ID laws only stop voter impersonation, an extremely rare form of voter fraud and Abbot’s own office conducted an investigation in 2008 that found absolutely no in-person voter fraud that could be stopped by a voter ID law. Texas law also punishes anyone who knowingly commits voter impersonation fraud with a third degree felony.

As Project Vote stated on the day of law’s enactment, “the signing into law of SB 14 represents a setback for democracy in the State of Texas, and  another blow delivered in what has become a nationwide assault on voting rights.”

Am I registered to vote?

The National Association of Secretaries of State maintains a useful Web site that helps voters check their registration status, find their polling place, and know what kind of ID to bring, among other tips. Go to CanIVote.org for more details.

Am I eligible to register to vote?

You must be a citizen of the United States to register to vote. Residency requirements, age, and past felony conviction all affect your eligibility to register vote and rules vary by state. Check with your local or state election offices before attempting to register to vote.

The Brennan Center for Justice also offers research and information on “Voter Eligibility Issues,” including “Voting After Criminal Conviction,” “Student Voting,” “Military and Veteran Voting,” and “Voting After You Move.”

Some states allow 16- and 17-year-old citizens to preregister to vote so that they are automatically eligible to cast a ballot when they reach voting age. Check this list to see if your state permits preregistration.

Where can I register to vote?

You may fill out this online voter registration form, print it, stamp it, and send it to your state election official.

You may also visit a number of public offices to fill out a voter registration form, including:

• State or local voter registration and/or election offices
• The department of motor vehicles
• Public assistance agencies
• Armed services recruitment centers
• State-funded programs that serve people with disabilities
• Any public facility that a State has designated as a voter registration agency

Some states and one Nevada county allow you to fully register to vote online. Look for these forms on your state Web site if you live in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Clark County, Nevada.

For more information, see the Election Assistance Commission’s 2012 voter guide.