Since the New Jersey primary is next week I thought it might be a good idea to talk about the latest legislative proposal regarding the idea of automatic voter registration when applying for or renewing a driver’s license. Plus this legislation would also give 17 years old the right to vote in the June primary, they would have to be 18 years old to vote in the general election.
The way it works now is that you have to get a form from the Division of Elections website, the DMV, or the county Commissioner of Registration’s office. Then you must complete the form and mail it or hand delivered it to a local Commissioners of Registration Office. There is neither online registration nor online voting, you are only allowed to vote early by getting your absentee ballot to the office of the county clerk.
By a vote of 52-21-1, the full Assembly on Thursday approved legislation (A-1944) sponsored by Assembly Democrats Craig Coughlin, Gary Schaer, Tim Eustace and Joann Downey that would require the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to automatically register or update a person’s voter registration as part of the process of applying for or renewing a driver’s license. “This bill is designed to encourage participation in the democratic process by integrating voter registration with the process of driver registration,” said Coughlin (D). “This simple move will hopefully encourage more young people to register to vote and make it easier for residents to fulfill their civic duty.”
Per The Voting News Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D) said “Sometimes voter turnout can be stymied simply by the fact that would-be voters have forgotten to update their registration because they moved. Hopefully this will encourage first time drivers to engage in the voting process and also make it easier for others to ensure that their voter registration stays current.” And Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D) also pointed out that “Given the increasingly low voter turnouts we see regularly nowadays, this bill will hopefully help boost voter registration and encourage participation in the democratic process by making it easier for folks to register.”
Assemblywoman Joann Downey further pointed out that “Youth turnout in elections has been at an historic low in recent years. By making it easier for them to register, hopefully we can create a more conscientious mindset towards voting amongst our youngest generation.”
This legislation Bill A-1944 was approved on Thursday May 26th by the full Assembly, now it must go onto the Senate. The sponsors of the bill are Assembly Democrats Craig Coughlin, Gary Schaer, Tim Eustace and Joann Downey. These four legislators have not thought this bill out very well, because it does not take into account the problems of those who can not register to vote! You must meet certain criteria– you must be a citizen of the United States, be at least 17 years old, and understand that you may not vote until reaching the age of 18, a resident of the county you reside in for 30 days before the election and you must not be currently serving a sentence, on probation or parole because of a felony conviction.
So tell me how would the MVC know if you meet all of the above mentioned criteria without you the person being registered giving the correct answers that enable you to become a voter? Doing it this way could allow a non-citizen to vote because you are not allowed to ask for identification when you go to vote. This is just another way of trying to boost the voter rolls for the Democratic Party and a veiled attempt to subvert the democratic process. I hope that if the Senate approves this bill that the Governor vetoes it, as he has done previously.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
