WASHINGTON, D.C.— On Thursday, May 21, Minnesota’s Republican governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed the 21st Century Voter Registration Law (HF1053/SF 0660), which would have expanded the popular “motor voter” law to provide automatic voter registration for any eligible Minnesotans who apply for or renew their driver’s licenses, instruction permits, or identification cards. Today Michael Slater, executive director of the voting rights group Project Vote, issued the following statement in response:
“At a time when many states and the United States Congress are considering ways to modernize America’s antiquated voter registration system, Governor Pawlenty’s veto is a disappointing step backwards for Minnesota voters. In rejecting this important election reform—despite overwhelming support for the bill from Minnesota’s house, senate, and secretary of state—Gov. Pawlenty has indicated that he is not interested in making it easier for eligible Minnesotans to register to vote.
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said that this law would streamline and increase voter registration, reduce bottlenecks at the polls on Election Day, and save taxpayer money. In a letter announcing his veto to Ritchie and legislative leaders, however, Pawlenty said that ‘registration to vote should be a voluntary, intentional act.’
We disagree. Voting should be a voluntary, intentional act, but eligible voters should not have to climb over administrative hurdles on their way to the voting booths. The United States, in fact, is the only major democracy that places the burden of registering to vote almost entirely on the individual, not on the government; this is one of the most critical reasons America has one of the lowest registration and participation rates of any democratic nation. It is also why community organizations are burdened with the task of conducting expensive and difficult voter registration drives to reach unregistered voters, who are disproportionately low-income, minority, and younger voters. A 2007 study by Project Vote found that as many as 21 percent of Minnesota’s eligible voters remained unregistered, or over three-quarters of a million of Gov. Pawlenty’s constituents.
In drafting and passing the 21st Century Voter Registration Law, Minnesota’s lawmakers recognized that it is time for this outdated and ineffective system to change, and tried to ensure a truly democratic future for all Minnesotans. We are saddened that, with his backwards-looking veto, Gov. Pawlenty wants to maintain the broken status quo, keep hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans off the rolls, and deny the state the opportunity to be at the forefront of the movement for universal voter registration.”