Now That Motor Voter is Law, California's Biggest Challenge Will Be Getting People to Vote

image
CA FwdCA Fwd
Published: 13 Oct, 2015
2 min read

Californians, including the estimated 6.6 million eligible Californians who aren’t registered, will soon have fewer excuses for not registering to vote.

Governor Brown signed a landmark measure into law over the weekend that will allow eligible Californians to be automatically registered to vote when they go to the Department of Motor Vehicles office to obtain or renew a driver’s license.

"In a free society, the right to vote is fundamental," California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who had sponsored and promoted the bill, said in a statement. "I applaud Governor Brown for his leadership and bold action to increase voter participation in our state."

Voter turnout, a problem nationally, reared its head last November when just 42 percent of Californians turned out.

A similar "motor voter" bill was passed in Oregon earlier this year.

Making it easier to vote is a first step, but actually inspiring people to vote is another. 

The Future of California Elections is a collaboration among election officials, civil rights organizations and election reform advocates to examine and address the unique challenges facing California’s election system.

"California's new law allowing easier voting registration is a positive step for improving voter participation," said Vince Hall, executive director of FoCE. "Registering to vote is one thing, getting people to actually vote is another which is a focus of our work between now and the 2016 elections."

Other reform efforts are focusing on improving the voting experience and streamlining Election Day administration. Los Angeles County is one of the nation’s largest and most complex county election jurisdiction in the country with more than 500 political districts and 4.8 million registered voters. Led by the well-regarded Dean Logan, the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, county officials are planning to introduce a new, innovative system for voters to cast their ballots.

One feature of the new system is the option for voters to access and mark interactive sample versions of their ballots on their personal computers or mobile devices. Voters can take these sample ballots (which have unique bar codes) to the polls, where they can use touch-screen devices to scan the bar codes and retrieve their selections.

IVP Donate

Another question is how election administration is paid for in California. That’s been a focus of work undertaken by California Forward.

California counties operate elections according to prescribed law, but fund their elections in differing ways, including varying revenue sources and formulas.

“Until now, there has been no comprehensive study to explore county election funding models, thus it has been difficult to establish baseline needs,” said Caitlin Maple, research analyst for CA Fwd. “Using data-driven analysis and informed participation from other states, the Election Funding Project will create a list of options for counties to more sustainably fund election administration in California.”

Editor's note: This article, written by Ed Coghlan, originally published on CA Fwd's blog and has been modified slightly for publication on IVN. 

You Might Also Like

SQ836 supporters
Oklahoma GOP Fails To Block Open Primaries Initiative from Going Before Voters
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously rejected a challenge to a proposed ballot initiative that would open taxpayer-funded primary elections to all candidates and voters, regardless of party affiliation – paving the way for the signature petition process to begin....
17 Sep, 2025
-
4 min read
Supreme Court of the United States
Forward Party Joins Petition to SCOTUS Against State of Florida
Right now, the divide between the Republican and Democratic Parties appears beyond repair. The political rhetoric is toxic, the nation’s leadership puts party gain before lasting solutions, and few voters actually feel heard by the people elected to represent them. At a time when it seems things will only get worse from here, the Independent Voter Project filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court along with Open Primaries and the Forward Party in support of a lawsuit that targets one of the biggest culprits behind all of this....
16 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
congress flag
Poll: 82% of Americans Want Redistricting Done by Independent Commission, Not Politicians
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
10 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read