Hillary Clinton
Related: About this forumWith boost from Clinton, efforts to expand voting access advance
Hillary Clinton at the Inaugural Barbara Jordan Gold Medallion Awards at Texas Southern University, June 4, 2015. She urged swift action to restore the Voting Rights Act and replace provisions struck down by the Supreme Court. Photo by Thomas Shea/Getty
States from Rhode Island to Louisiana took steps this week toward making voting easier. In Washington, a new bill that would automatically register citizens to vote when they turn 18 is gaining traction among Democrats. And Ohios top voting official blocked a Democratic lawmaker on Twitter amid a spat over efforts to increase access to the ballot in the nations most pivotal swing state.
Its more evidence that Hillary Clintons major speech on voting last Thursday helped move along a conversation already underway, to be sure about how to to expand access to the ballot, especially by modernizing voter registration systems. Its a conversation that threatens to put Republicans on the defensive after years of playing offense on the issue with a wave of restrictive voting laws.
In her speech in Houston last Thursday, Clinton laid out an expansive and positive agenda to boost voting participation. The centerpiece was automatic voter registration, in which any citizen who has contact with the DMV is automatically registered unless he or she chooses to opt outputting the responsibility for registering on the government rather than the individual. But Clinton also talked up online voter registration, a nationwide standard of at least 20 days of early voting, a full restoration of the Voting Rights Act, and a loosening of felon disenfranchisement laws, among other ideas.
In March, Oregon became the first state in the nation to pass automatic voter registration. Since then, 14 other states plus the District of Columbiaincluding deep red ones like Texas and Georgiahave introduced automatic registration bills, according to a tally by the Brennan Center for Justice. And three states plus D.C. have this year passed online voter registration, bringing the total number of jurisdictions that offer it to 27.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/boost-clinton-efforts-expand-voting-access-advance
I keep hearing talk is cheap from people, well guess what? Hillary spoke and people are listening! That's more than I can say for some other people.
Great job Hillary!
riversedge
(70,270 posts)It will never happen
misterhighwasted
(9,148 posts)THiS is why she will become the first woman President in 2016.
And why America will be far better for it
Great post. Thanks
HRC 2016
William769
(55,147 posts)And I agree with everything you say!
leftofcool
(19,460 posts)Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Tarheel_Dem
(31,237 posts)Gothmog
(145,479 posts)4now
(1,596 posts)I have been wondering why more Democratic politicians don't say more about this.
Trying to stop people from voting just seems so Un-American.
greatauntoftriplets
(175,747 posts)Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)shenmue
(38,506 posts)Omaha Steve
(99,686 posts)hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)captainarizona
(363 posts)We are beginning to see universal registration in blue states. So what? This is what while electoral college is not affected by popular vote the effect of getting millions of less votes then your opponent will make it difficult if not impossible for a republican to govern. Remember in the summer of 2001 the people of this country were starting to go after the republiscum on supreme court for stealing the election for bush so that he needed a "second pearl harbor." Funny thing he got one! With nancy pelosi and the democrats joining hands with republicans on the capital steps and singing! If something like this happened under President Obama the republicans would be to busy investigating and impeaching to hold democrats hands!
William769
(55,147 posts)I'll be more than happy to show you the door.
sheshe2
(83,844 posts)Kick