The newly created panel, which calls itself the Committee to Modernize Voter Registration, announced its organization and a barebones strategy on Monday. The goal is to make it easier for voters to get registered and bring the system up to speed with technologies that are available.
Right now the process is left almost exclusively to states, and the committee says that has led to an outdated, shoddy patchwork system that is vulnerable to a myriad of problems.
The committee is headed by GOP lawyer Trevor Potter and Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, who have served as general counsel to their parties’ respective nominees in the last two presidential elections – Potter with Sen. John McCain
John Sidney McCainJuan Williams: Obama's dire warnings about right-wing media Democrats' squabbling vindicates Biden non-campaign McSally, staff asked to break up maskless photo op inside Capitol MORE (R-Ariz.) in 2008 and Elias with Sen. John Kerry
John Forbes KerryOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Kerry says Paris climate deal alone 'is not enough' | EPA halts planned Taiwan trip for Wheeler| EPA sued over rule extending life of toxic coal ash ponds Biden Cabinet picks largely unify Democrats — so far Intercept DC bureau chief says Biden picks are 'same people' from Obama years MORE (D-Mass.) in 2004.
Also signing on are former Sens. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and John Danforth (R-Mo.), as well as former Reps. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) and Susan Molinari (R-N.Y.). The proposal is also backed by the Pew Center on the States, Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution and Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute.
Potter said other pieces of federal legislation, such as the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), haven’t been successfully implemented, and that he has become convinced a new federally focused system is the way to go.
He cited the increased turnout in the 2008 election and consternation over third-party voter registration groups as an impetus for the effort.
“The registration system is operating on an infrastructure left over from horse-and-buggy days,” Potter said.
Potter frequently mentioned the example of ACORN, a Democratic-leaning third-party voter registration group which was accused of fraudulent voter registrations in the closing days of the 2008 election. He said a federal voter registration movement would eliminate much of the controversy surrounding third-party groups.
Elias, meanwhile, discussed the need for the program by talking about the recount effort he spearheaded on behalf of now-Sen. Al Franken
Alan (Al) Stuart FrankenThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC - Trump, Biden clash over transition holdup, pandemic plans The Hill's Morning Report - Fearing defeat, Trump claims 'illegal' ballots The Hill's Morning Report - Biden inches closer to victory MORE (D-Minn.) over the last year.
Elias said even Minnesota’s voter registration system, which is based in one of the most electorally proficient states in the country, left something to be desired.
“It would seem that, if there were anywhere in the country that would not have had an issue with voter registration, it would have been Minnesota,” Elias said.
The proposal set forth by the committee advocates using existing databases to automatically register voters. An example would be using the federal Selective Service database to alert states when a newly eligible voter reaches the age of 18.
It also would like registrations to be portable, so that there is not confusion or re-registration when voters move within their home state.
The committee says the new program would wind up saving money by taking the onus off of state elections officials who are already stretched thin and could find their forces decimated by current state budget cuts.
Beyond that, though, the committee didn’t get into many specifics. Elias said the formation of the committee and Monday’s announcement was the first step of a long process.
But even as the group presented its case together, it was clear there will be some disagreements about implementation, and not just among partisans.
Doug Chapin of the Pew Center on the States electoral project emphasized the legislative process will chart its own path.
“The goal is to have a system that works,” Chapin said. “Whether that’s a federal mandate or states making those improvements on their own, the goal is a system that works. … All the rest is the policy process.”
Potter emphasized that Pew might feel differently than the committee does about going federal with the issue.
“Our view is that there needs to be a federal mandate for improved registration in the states,” Potter said.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) has already introduced a bill that includes some of the finer points of the committee’s proposal, and the committee said Sen. Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerUS national security policy in the 117th Congress and a new administration Voters say Biden should make coronavirus vaccine a priority: poll New York City subway service could be slashed 40 percent, officials warn MORE (D-N.Y.) has expressed interest in pushing the idea in the Senate Rules Committee, which he
chairs.
It's not clear where opposition will come from, but privacy concerns and state's rights issues could be among the reasons cited for opposing the plan, the committee leaders said.
They estimated the process could take years, but hoped it might be ready for the 2012 or 2014 election.
-- This article was updated at 5:50 p.m.
