The Delaware General Assembly is considering legislation that would allow teenagers to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license. House Bill 381, introduced by Representative Valerie Longhurst, would allow any 16- or 17-year-old citizen of Delaware to register to vote at the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Currently under Delaware law, only citizens who are 18 years of age or older, or who would be 18 before the next general election, can register to vote. The bill, adopted by the House in May, was recently voted out of a Senate committee and now awaits the Senate vote.
Rep. Longhurst, asserts that pre-registration will encourage young Delawareans to become more engaged in the issues facing not only themselves but their communities.
“These teens are the leaders of tomorrow. By making driver’s licenses and pre-registering to vote available as one-stop shopping for them, we’re engaging them at an early age and encouraging them to be informed and involved in the electoral process before they turn 18 so that when they’re able to vote, they will.”
Introduced in the House of Representatives this past April, the bill was passed in the House in May by a comfortable margin. Last Wednesday, the bill was voted out of committee by the Senate Administrative Services/Elections Committee, and now awaits a full vote by the Senate. Were the bill to pass the Senate and be signed by the governor, it would not take effect until January 1, 2012.
Similar pre-registration legislation has already been passed in Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, North Carolina and Rhode Island.
David Sophrin is a legal intern with Project Vote.