Universal Voter Registration: The Massachusetts Health Care Model
The overall goal of FairVote's 100% Registration Project is to create a
voter
registration system under which the government shares responsibility
for registration with its citizens to ensure full and
accurate voter
rolls. Massachusetts recently enacted bi-partisan health care reform
legislation that requires residents to obtain health coverage, while
providing expanded funding and assistance for coverage through the
state. In such a way, the state has created a model for how to balance
government and individual responsibility that can be applied to other
policy areas, such as voter registration. Having 100% registration will
address the remarkably low 72%
rate of registration among eligible voters that contributes to low
voter turnout, significantly reduce
duplications and omissions in the voter rolls and help create a system
that balances the concerns of election accessibility and voter fraud.We reviewed whether state governments have the power to implement compulsory voter registration laws to achieve universal voter registration in a manner similar to the Massachusetts Act that requires all state residents to obtain health insurance policies. We conclude that such a policy is not only possible, but could potentially serve as a powerful model for boosting registration, turnout and civic engagement among many sectors of society. Our legal research memo outlines how such a policy would have to be enacted and includes sample legislation.
[Download Universal Voter Registration Memo - .pdf - 210 KB] NEW!