General Assembly Approves Freedom to Vote Act
Annapolis, Md. – We applaud the General Assembly for passing legislation to improve upon Maryland’s voter registration system, a statewide and national coalition of advocacy groups declared today. With the Freedom to Vote Act (HB 1007), our state expands the opportunity to register to vote to nearly every state agency. The move towards modernized, online or electronic voter registration systems—and away from outdated paper-based models—will save the state both time and money, making this a win for both voter and administrator alike.
Today’s action sends the legislation to Gov. Larry Hogan. The governor’s support this year for comprehensive redistricting reform is a testament to the importance he places on a fair and inclusive electoral process; we think he’ll agree this legislation furthers those ideals.
The Freedom to Vote Act will give many agencies already offering voter registration services a technological upgrade, reducing costs and increasing the accuracy of the rolls. The Act will also expand registration opportunities to the Department of Veterans Affairs offices, the Department of Natural Resources, and One-Stop Career Centers. Through these outreach and modernization efforts, Maryland is making great strides toward ensuring that eligible citizens throughout the state have their voices heard in our elections.
“By modernizing and expanding registration procedures at agencies beyond the Motor Vehicles Agency, this bill promises to improve registration rates for a wide-range of Marylanders, including students, individuals with low-incomes, and veterans,” said Project Vote legislative director, Marissa Liebling.
While this bill improves upon our current system, we believe Maryland needs to go further toward ensuring every citizen has the opportunity to exercise his or her right to vote. We are disappointed that automatic voter registration provisions, like those proposed in SB350 and HB 1007, were dropped by the Senate. These provisions would have allowed the State Board of Elections to use government agency records to add eligible individuals to the voter registration rolls, unless they declined. This measure alone could have brought tens of thousands of new eligible voters into our elections process.
We look forward to working with the leadership and the Board of Elections to assess ways in which we can continue to improve access to voting for Maryland citizens, especially for those who face historic barriers and continue to be underrepresented in our electorate. It is our hope that Maryland will be a leader in the national effort to reach full participation by all eligible voters.
The Maryland legislation was supported by a broad coalition of groups including Common Cause/Common Cause Maryland, PIRG/Maryland PIRG, League of Women Voters Maryland, Maryland Working Families, Communities Unite, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, SEIU, Demos, Democracy Initiative, Sierra Club, Center for Popular Democracy, CASA of Maryland, SIX Action, Progressive Maryland, and Project Vote.
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Media Contacts:
Project Vote:
Erin Lee, Communications Manager
202.427.6353
elee@projectvote.org