TIME TO STOP TUNING OUT ON TURNOUT

Voter participation levels drop, but elected officials all too silent

State Spotlight : Election Day Registration laws boosting turnout in some states, but bipartisan reform bill in Connecticut stymied by Gubernatorial veto.

Washington, DC – July 18, 2003 – In the U.S., voter turnout at all levels of government continues to decline, and now ranks among the lowest in the world. But despite new federal laws on campaign finance and election administration, most lawmakers ignore this fundamental flaw in our democracy. A case in point: last week Connecticut’s John Rowland vetoed bi-partisan legislation to institute election day registration, a promising approach to boost turnout.

According to the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (www.idea.int ), the United States ranks 139th in the world in average turnout since World War II and dead last among NATO countries. Virginia’s June 2003 primary that determined most state legislative seats is just one glaring example: turnout fell to 8.7% of registered voters and 6.6% of adults.

“Incumbents continue to undermine sensible attempts to turn around our abysmal voter turnout rates. Low turnout may boost their re-election chances, but it undermines the health of our democracy,” said John B. Anderson,  the former Congressman who chairs the Center for Voting and Democracy. “How low must it go before they put the public interest first?”

To boost voter turnout, a growing number of civic organizations advocate election day registration (EDR). This promising approach allows citizens to register and vote on election day. Despite technological advances that eliminate the need for advanced registration, most states require voters to register weeks before the election. Six states allow EDR: Minnesota, Maine, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Wyoming and Idaho. Studies by Demos (www.demos-usa.org,  212-633-1405) show that these states have voter turnout rates 8-15% higher than the national average.

The Connecticut Coalition for Effective Democracy, a broad-based group of civic organizations organized by DemocracyWorks (www.democracyworksct.org , 860-727-1157), helped pass an EDR bill in the Connecticut legislature last month. The bill had broad bi-partisan support as well as the endorsement of the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut, but last week Governor Rowland vetoed the measure because of concerns about voter fraud.

DemocracyWorks’ Carolyn Gabel responded to the veto by observing “The experience of other states has not shown any issue with fraud. We made a strong effort to balance expanding participation while maintaining the integrity of the system.  The state’s new voter registry and voter ID requirements make that possible. We will definitely try again in Connecticut.”

Democracy USA is a new initiative designed to protect, enhance and exercise the power of the right to vote. Coordinated by the Center for Voting and Democracy, its November conference has backing from several leading national organizations. For more information, visit www.democracyusa.org.

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