Should voter registration be made easier for individuals who move between states?
This bill seeks to make it easier for individuals moving between states to change their voter registration by streamlining the registration process between states and requiring apartments, rental agencies, and mortgage lenders to provide information to new residents about registering in their new state of residence.
Sponsor: Rep. Nikema Williams (Democrat, Georgia, District 5)
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Opponents say
• "From the perspective of partisan activists, the US states are battlegrounds; the future of democracy depends on how policymakers act on issues such as no-excuse mail voting, early voting, automatic registration, voter identification, felon disenfranchisement, and so on. And yet, there is little evidence in the scholarly record suggesting contemporary election rules affect political outcomes. Most laws barely make a dent on voter turnout, let alone on who wins or loses." Source: Justin Grimmer (Professor of Political Science, Stanford University) and Eitan Hersh (Professor of Political Science, Tufts University) in a 2023 joint study of the impacts of election laws on voter turnout
Proponents say
• "Each year, roughly one in ten Americans move. Over a five year period, the number of Americans who move at least once rises to one in three. Each time that Americans change their address, they need to re-register to vote. Yet many Americans lack the time or resources, or simply forget, to register to vote when they get to their new home. These challenges are particularly acute for low-income Americans who rely on federal housing programs. Studies show that the more recently an American has moved, the less likely they are to be registered to vote and that low-income Americans are less likely to be registered to vote than high-income Americans. The Voters on the Move Registration Act will help Americans register to vote by requiring federal housing agencies, as well as residential and multi-family mortgage loan providers to provide information to new renters and homeowners about how to register to vote." Source: Sen. Raphael Warnock, (Democrat, Georgia), sponsor of the equivalent Senate resolution
• "The voting process should be simple, convenient, and fair for everyone. But millions of Americans never make it on the rolls or to the polls, while hurdles like long lines, limited voting times, or malfunctioning voting equipment block many more. Communities of color, low-income communities, students, and seniors are especially vulnerable. That’s why we support a range of proposals to expand access to registration and voting." Source: Brennan Center for Justice
• "As we mark the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, we face the same struggle for voting rights as the freedom fighters who convened on the National Mall in 1963 fighting for jobs and freedom. All of our rights and basic freedoms come from free and fair access to the ballot. Every generation has an obligation to move our country one step forward. My legislative package takes a major step to ensuring everyone has free and fair access to the ballot. As Jim Crow 2.0 continues to rise across the country, we urgently need comprehensive national standards to protect voting rights for everyone—no matter your ZIP Code, no matter your bank account." Source: Rep. Nikema Williams (Democrat, Georgia, District 5), sponsor of the resolution
- “Has Your State Made it Harder to Vote?” (FiveThirtyEight)
- “The Times Called Officials in Every State: No Evidence of Voter Fraud” (New York Times)
- Cost of Voting in the American States: 2022 (New York Times)
- Judge: Federal laws, not state, govern voting rights in Arizona (AZ Central)
- Rep. Nikema Williams' Open Secrets Page
