Back in March, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law a groundbreaking bill that would transform the voter registration process as we know it. Now all Oregonians are automatically registered to vote when they either renew or obtain their driver’s license or state identification card. They are given about three weeks to opt out of voter registration and automatically receive a ballot in the mail 20 days before any election. “This bill is about making government work better, treating citizens as customers and giving them access to the service they expect,” stated Governor Brown in her address. “When someone moves to Oregon, why should they have to fill out multiple forms for multiple agencies? They should be able to complete one form, one time.” How genius is that?
Instead of making the process harder for citizens, Oregon is allowing for a streamlined process for their residents - a one-stop-shop of sorts. Since the passing of this law, a few other states have followed suit with similar pieces of legislation, like The California New Motor Act.
In Governor Brown’s address during the signing, she posed a challenge to each state: "I challenge every other state in this nation to examine their policies and to find ways to ensure there are as few barriers as possible for citizens' right to vote.” I agree. What are we waiting for? As a Hoosier, I believe that our state government is one of the first that should be looking into how we can create positive change in the system. Indiana boasted the lowest voter turnout in the nation during the 2014 election, with only 28 percent of eligible voters actually casting a ballot.
Why aren’t we making this easier for our fellow Hoosiers to vote? The largest group of non-registered eligible voters is consistently composed of those considered young adults. For many young people this is the first time we may be able to vote in an election and aren’t familiar with the registration process or deadlines. There have been multiple awareness campaigns to encourage college students to register, yet the voter registration rates on campus are still abysmal. If year after year, we are having the same issue of low voter turnout, maybe it’s not the people, maybe it’s the process. We need to make a change to our system, Indiana. Let’s make it easier for our fellow Hoosiers to vote, and let’s do it sooner rather than later.
