|
For Immediate Release
May 1, 2008
Contact: Tim Rusch, Demos, (212) 389-1407, trusch@demos.org
Federal "Election Day Registration" Bill Introduced
Statement from Election Policy Center Demos outlines EDR's success: EDR states show turnout rates 10-12 points higher than non-states; North Carolina's new law has led to over 25,000 additional votes so far
New York, NY--Today, Senators Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), with Representative Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), introduced a measure today to install Election Day Registration as a standard for all federal elections in the country. In response, Demos, a national public policy center that has studied and advocated Election Day Registration for nearly a decade, issued the following statement:
"Demos wholeheartedly endorses Election Day Registration, a reform that has already been shown to open the doors to elections to vastly greater numbers of Americans. Indeed, we believe that EDR is one of the simplest and quickest means by which the voting booth can and should be opened to all eligible citizens."
"We also believe that--in these times of troubled elections where far too many voters are turned away from the polls--Election Day Registration can clear up many voting irregularities and help restore confidence in the American democratic system."
"Ten states currently allow citizens to register and vote on the same day--Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Wyoming and North Dakota, which has no statewide registration requirement. Evidence over the past 35 years has shown that EDR states show turnout rates 10 to 12 percentage points higher than non-EDR states. While the entire difference cannot be attributed solely to EDR, experts tell us that anywhere from 3 to 6 percentage points are directly related to this reform."
"This is typified by the high turnout North Carolina is now experiencing during its early voting period. Over 261,505 people have voted in advance of their May 6th primary. Included in that number are 25,000 new voters (so far) who have benefited from recent changes in the laws that allow citizens the opportunity to register and vote during the early voting period. Without this option, those 25,000 voters would have been left out of this important election.
"Like many, we are encouraged by the tremendous voter turnout during the primary elections, and hope this enthusiasm carries on. As legislators seek to tap this energy in the future, and ensure that all Americans get their opportunity to vote, Election Day Registration should be on everyone's agenda."
"We applaud Senators Feingold and Klobuchar and Representative Ellison for recognizing the success of Election Day Registration in bringing more voters into the democratic process, and we encourage the many states with pending EDR legislation to pass it into law this session."
For more information on Election Day Registration, including national and state-level reports and legislative tracking, visit www.demos.org or contact Tim Rusch at trusch@demos.org
Demos is a national, non-partisan public policy research and advocacy center.
###
|
