New Jersey Democrats move on automatic voter registration
New Jersey Democrats on Thursday vastly expanded a bill that would automatically register New Jersey residents to vote at Motor Vehicle Commission offices to also include a wide swath of state agencies such as welfare offices and the parole board.
The "motor voter" bill, NJ S 481 (18R), was amended and approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday with little discussion, despite the far-reaching change.
The amendment was pushed by the progressive New Jersey Working Families Alliance, which said that limiting automatic voter registration to Motor Vehicle Commission offices could favor more well-off New Jerseyans over poorer residents.
"Automatic voter registration is a key tenet in boosting participation in New Jersey's elections," the group wrote in an April 2 memo to the bill's sponsors. "However, considering the statistics on voter registration demographic trends, limiting AVR to MVC agencies could increase voter registration disparities between communities of color and urban residents who tend to obtain driver's licenses at a lower percentage than suburban and white eligible voters."
The measure would make New Jersey one of only a few states to adopt an automatic voter registration program that goes beyond motor vehicle offices. The bill now awaits votes in the full state Senate and Assembly.
https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2018/04/05/change-to-motor-voter-bill-would-allow-automatic-voter-registration-at-welfare-agencies-parole-board-351203
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