Major Victory For Voting Rights Advocates-California Legislature Approves Election Day Registration

[kpete]

Source: Think Progress

BREAKING: Major Victory For Voting Rights Advocates As California Legislature Approves Election Day Registration
By Scott Keyes on Aug 23, 2012 at 5:20 pm

As voter suppression laws spread across the country, voting rights advocates can take heart: the biggest state in the nation is on the cusp of passing a major voter protection initiative.

Election Day Registration (EDR), which allows citizens to register up to and on Election Day, passed the State Senate today by a party-line vote of 23-13. AB 1436 had passed the State Assembly in May 47-26.

Under current law, Californians cannot register to vote in the final two weeks before an election, just as many Americans are beginning to tune in. EDR will eliminate that deadline, ensuring that no citizen is disenfranchised because he or she wasn’t registered beforehand.

This won’t just benefit slackers. Historically-disenfranchised citizens like minorities and poorer Americans, will particularly benefit from EDR. On average, studies have found that EDR boosts voter turnout by seven percentage points. Common Cause’s Phillip Ung told ThinkProgress he “expects voter turnout to increase by the hundreds of thousands” solely as a result of EDR.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/08/23/737251/california-edr/

[allan01]

1. re:BREAKING: Major Victory For Voting Rights Advocates As California Legislature Approves Election D

jolly good show

[proud patriot]

2. Aweosme

[Duct Tape]

3. Great news. I, unfortunately, am just going to be one week shy of voting age on the 7th.

Its incredibly annoying that I'm so politically conscious and excited to vote, but I'll have to wait another four years to vote in a presidential election.

[Agnosticsherbet]

5. That beard in your icon really ages your face a lot.

Relax, there will be other elections. If you found your way here to be vocal and active, I am sure that you will be a well informed voter when age catches up with you.

This is something we Californians can be proud of.

It is also something to point to when someone complains there is no difference between the parties.

Democrats expand voting rights for everyone. Republicans limit voting rights.

[Agnosticsherbet]

4. A liberal state, with a liberal house, senate, and governor moves to expand voting rights...

for everyone, even Conservative Republicans.

Conservative states, with conservative houses, senates, and governors move to limit voting for Democrats, liberals, the poor, minorities, and the middle class.

There is a pattern there somewhere.

[SoapBox]

6. You can never say never...but...

I am NEVER leaving The Golden State....California, I love ya!!

[Coyotl]

7. This is how to fight back against the fascist voter suppression movement, backlash laws

wherever and whenever possible.

After winning back a few state legislatures, on Obama's coattail, it is time to enshrine this kind of reform where the fascist Republicans passed suppression laws.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Oh, hell yes!!!!

That's my state!

Btw, the article state that California is the largest state in the union. By area, it's Alaska is actually the largest, followed by Texas. We're actually third. However, we are the most populous state in the union.

[SunSeeker]

9. Democracy improves when you have Democrats in charge. Who knew? nt

[xxqqqzme]

10. Now we need to become

vote by mail and save some money!

[RBInMaine]

12. In Maine ANYONE can put in for an absentee ballot and do it all by mail. Here is how it works:

You can go online and submit an electronic request form which is then by the Maine board of elections to your town or city. Your local officials then send you a confirmation via email and send you the hard copy ballot in the mail in early Oct. You vote in your living room or kitchen, and mail it back. There. Done. No standing in lines at the polls. It is great, and more and more people are doing it. If you want, you can also submit a hard copy request for a ballot via an online download-and-print form, or just go to your local municipal clerk and make the request and they'll send you a ballot. We also have early voting by absentee ballot at the polling places where you can walk in a few weeks before the election, request the ballot, and vote right there on site. It is just great. This is why in Maine we have such a high turnout.

[RBInMaine]

11. We've had it in Maine for 39 years and it works great. GOOD for CA ! (The RePukes tried to get rid

of it here in Maine last summer, but we initiated a People's Veto ballot measure and overwhelmingly CRUSHED their repeal. I was very involved in the campaign. They then ran away from Voter ID which was going to be their next thing because they didn't dare to get CRUSHED again on that one. And we are going to CRUSH the shit out of them at the voting booth come November and return our state government to the people.)