On October 11, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a voter pre-registration measure spearheaded this year by the New America Foundation and backed by FairVote, Common Cause, Californians for Electoral Reform and many others. It establishes that all Californians turning 17 can register to vote. Voter pre-registration measures allowing 16-year-olds to pre-register have also become law in recent years in North Carolina and Florida. A member of the Massachusetts statehouse leadership announced last week that a similar measure is her top priority in coming weeks, and the Washington, D.C. City Council last week unanimously backed pre-registration legislation.FairVote's work pushing pre-registration since 2005 is also making a big difference in Rhode Island, where a major canvassing effort (the “Make it Happen” campaign) is underway in support of pre-registration. A Pew Charitable Trusts research team currently is examining the impact of pre-registration on FairVote's goal of universal registration of all soon-to-be-eligible voters, ideally twinned with civic programs explaining voting mechanics and the history of suffrage.
- Massachusetts news story detailing Rep. Ellen Story's support for pre-registration
- Rhode Island video by young activists backing pre-registraiton
- New America Foundation factsheet on preregistration in California and news story
- FairVote resources on pre-registration
- The bad news--see what good election and transparency bills the governor vetoed here
Instant runoff voting is increasingly recognized as a practical and cost-efficient way to replace low-turnout runoff elections. In New York City, the low turnout in Democratic primary runoffs and the potential of IRV made front page news in the New York Times, and FairVote’s Rob Richie advocates IRV in another Times piece. IRV also has gained more support in commentary for elections in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, as well as in the Detroit Free Press. 