This past Wednesday, University students and state representatives joined forces to press for Election Day Registration (EDR) in Connecticut. The EDR measure, if passed by the CT House and Senate and approved by the Governor, would allow anyone who is legally eligible to vote on Election Day, regardless of their registration status. While the bill has yet to leave committee, state representatives will vote on the bill next Wednesday.
“Every election, hundreds of thousands of potential first-time voters are systematically disenfranchised by confusing and onerous voter registration deadlines and absentee rules,” said Saul Carlin ’09, a member of Democracy Matters and one of the directors of WesVotes, two groups that hosted the forum on Wednesday night.
According to Carlin, the support of the 35 students who showed up to the Woodhead Lounge on Wednesday should help convince Rep. James Spallone, who co-chairs the Government Administration and Elections Committee, to press the EDR bill through Congress during this year’s legislative session.
This year is a particularly difficult time to get bills passed because of the state’s budget deficit. Nevertheless, Rep. Matt Lesser ’10 is hopeful that this is a bill that can help restore people’s faith in democracy during a time of difficult cuts.
“I think that it is a real shame that we have people in this state who want to vote but can’t,” Rep. Lesser said on Wednesday night. “As a democrat, I am serving in government because I feel that my party has to represent those folks.”
Proponents of EDR say that such measures often increase voter participation markedly. Seven other states, including New Hampshire, possess similar laws.
“EDR would allow typically disenfranchised groups to have to ability to vote,” said Kim Hymes of Common Cause, a nonpartisan group focusing on democracy issues. “These groups include the elderly, low-income people, disabled people, students, and a disproportionate amount of ethnic minority groups.”
During the forum, several students spoke of moments in this past election when they were either unable to vote or their vote was not counted. According to one student from Chicago, her requested absentee ballot did not arrive until the day before the November election, which prevented her from mailing the ballot back to Illinois in time to have her vote counted. Other students experienced similar problems with voter registration on campus.
“I think this is a particularly pertinent issue for students because we are one of the groups most effected by EDR,” said Zander Furnas ’11. “EDR can go a long way to empowering student voters as well as other typically marginalized groups.”
While opponents of EDR cite an increase in voter fraud as a drawback to the initiative, proponents such as Rep. Peggy Reeves, who was a registrar for fourteen years in Wilton, think that voter fraud is nonexistent.
“Voter fraud in person, it just doesn’t exist,” Reeves said.
However, the potential or perceived costs involved with running EDR could prevent the bill from passing. The state’s growing budget deficit means that bills requiring funding will likely be rejected.
“If there is any chance of [this bill] adding to the budget, Governor Rell will veto it,” Rep. Spallone said. “The Secretary of State’s office said that they would be able to absorb the possible additional costs.”
To determine the projected cost of EDR, Karl Grindal ’09 has been analyzing how other states run the same program. Iowa, a state with a similar population to Connecticut, spent $50,000 on Training Programs the first year EDR was implemented.
“This might sound like a lot of money, but it’s really a tiny fraction,” Grindal said. “EDR is cheaper and more effective than any other good government proposal.”
In 2003, EDR passed in the House 83-69 and in the Senate 27-9 only to be vetoed by Governor Rowland. In 2007, a pilot program bill that would have allowed EDR in the Presidential primary in February 2008 died in committee. This year, Democrats hold a super-majority in the house, meaning that they have votes to hold an over-ride of a governor veto. The Senate is also 24-12 for the Democrats.
“I think that we have the votes to get it out of committee,” Rep. Spallone said.
There is a public hearing on Wednesday, February 18th at 10 a.m. in room 2b at the Statehouse in Hartford. All are invited to testify.