On Voting Reforms, Follow Illinois, Not Texas

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Illinois became the 10th state this week to adopt automatic voter registration when an eligible voter visits the Department of Motor Vehicles or other government agency as the default with an opt out available. The goal is to improve voter participation rates and the question still remains whether more registered voters will actually yield higher turnout on election day. There is reason for optimism based on Oregon's results over the first two years of its automatic voter registration program which produced a 68% turnout in 2016, a four percent increase over 2012 numbers, which was the largest increase of any state in the nation.

By contrast, Texas has adopted a strict voter-ID law, which is disenfranchising some voters. A federal judge struck down the law on the grounds that it intentionally discriminates against black and Latino voters. The law accepted a gun permit as a legitimate form of ID (which are more commonly held by white voters), but not student ID cards. Although Texas issues free ID cards, a study found that the state has only issued 869 free ID cards in the past four years, so more publicity about this option is necessary.

The Obama administration Justice Department sued to block the original law, but the new Trump administration Justice Department has declared that the revised law is not discriminatory. If the U.S. remains committed to improving its democracy, it most promote policies to increase voter participation. The 10 states that have adopted automatic voter registration are leading the way in this movement and hopefully more states will follow. Voter turnout as a percentage of the voting age population is down from 59% to 55% in the past sixty years and has been stagnant over the past four presidential election cycles with the exception of a slight bump in 2008. What do you think can be done to improve voter participation in 2020 and beyond? Voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was an abysmal 36%. What can be done to improve voter participation in next year's midterm election?