Blaming ACORN for our voter registration system is a classic failure of
missing the forest for the trees. Amidst accusations of ACORN putting our
democracy in jeopardy, few are asking why private groups are even in the
business of voter registration drives. The answer is that the United
States is one of the few democracies where the federal government doesn't
assume responsibility for establishing full and accurate voter rolls --
and it just isn't working.
Each election cycle, scores of generally well-intentioned organizations
and individuals register millions of new people to vote, and inevitably
accusations of voter registration fraud -- often mistakenly termed "voter
fraud" -- follow. Some canvassers submit fraudulent names for extra pay;
this is what ACORN has been accused of. Many citizens submit forms with
inaccurate information.
Although highly unlikely to impact the actual casting of votes, voter
registration fraud is serious -- it wastes all-too-scarce resources of
local election offices, balloons voter rolls with fake names and
increases the odds of Election Day confusion. Ending voter registration
fraud is a big reason for the government to modernize
registration.
These problems are part of a much bigger failure in how we run elections.
Nearly a third of eligible voters aren't registered to vote and our
turnout rates are among the lowest in the world. That's why groups like
ACORN have to pour resources into voter registration drives every four
years instead of focusing on other means to empower people in their
communities.
The problem is our "opt-in," self-initiated voter registration system.
Right now the onus is on citizens to update their information, ensure
correct spelling and cancel old registrations when they move. Without a
parent who votes or a motivated high school teacher handing out voter
registration forms, many young people never register or learn the basics
of participation -- as if preparation for citizenship weren't an obvious
goal of an effective public school system.
Low voter registration contributes directly to low voter turnout. Once
registered, people are much more likely to vote in big elections. In
2004, the U.S. Census reported participation rates of more than 85
percent of registered voters. Four in five registered voters in the 18 to
24-year-old cohort showed up. But even 100 percent turnout of registered
voters would leave us with lower turnout than most other well-established
democracies.
At the same time, many people are on the rolls more than once and our
rolls are cluttered with people who have died or moved. Alaska
notoriously has more registered voters than eligible adults.
Implementing a few common sense reforms would go a long way in solving
our voter registration problems and lessen the necessity of groups
seeking to register so many new voters every four years.
One example is seeking to register every citizen before they reach voting
age by following the lead of Hawaii and Florida in allowing 16-year-olds
to register to vote, with their names automatically added to the voter
rolls when they reach 18. This change would ideally be twinned with
systematic registration of young people in high schools and at driver's
license agencies and "voter's ed" classes on the mechanics of
participation in communities. Other sensible proposals include Election
Day registration and moving to making voter registration permanent
through automatic updates of registration with changes of
address.
More broadly, it's time for the government to take on the responsibility
of establishing full and accurate voter rolls. This goal is not rocket
science -- it's the international norm and the very best way to prevent
voter registration fraud and our low rates of voter
registration.
Our ultimate goal should be a democracy where our policies anticipate
participation. All eligible voters, regardless of their parents' voting
behavior or where they grow up, should be registered to vote. All
students should leave school grounded in an understanding of and an
appreciation for our democracy and their role in it. It's time to respect
-- and protect -- every vote.