At 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday in the Woodhead Lounge, the Wesleyan community will have an unprecedented opportunity to have their voices heard by state elected officials. Multiple members of the Connecticut General Assembly will be coming to campus to hear our concerns on the issue of voter registration deadlines. With our input, we can convince them to act, but only if students and other community members turn out in force.
As many of us know from firsthand experience this past November, hundreds of thousands of potential first-time voters are systematically disenfranchised by confusing and onerous voter registration deadlines and absentee rules.
But an ever-increasing number of states have addressed this tragedy of democracy by enacting Election Day Voter Registration (E.D.R.). With E.D.R., anyone who is legally eligible can show up and vote on Election Day regardless of their registration status.
On Wednesday night, Democracy Matters is hosting a forum on E.D.R. that will be attended by State Representative James Spallone (D-Essex), who co-chairs the Government Administration and Elections Committee. This committee is responsible for all legislation that pertains to elections and voting deadlines. Rep. Spallone will be joined by other elected officials, community leaders, student organizers, and good-government advocates as we make the case for the legislature to prioritize E.D.R. this year.
Democracy Matters is a grassroots network of student activists dedicated to electoral reform. We meet Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in Usdan 110.
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