Cameron Kerry, brother of Senator John Kerry and possible candidate for Secretary of the Commonwealth should Bill Galvin decide to run for Governor, had an opinion piece in the Globe earlier this week advocating same-day voter registration. The argument is that same-day registration is an easy way to increase voter turnout and participation in elections. The six states that allow voters to register on election day are among those with the highest turnout rates. It also would nearly eliminate election day confusion, as voters not on the rolls simply register and vote -- no provisional ballots necessary. I have heard, however, that same-day registration is dangerous particularly in states, like our own, that have a rich tradition of voter fraud. Kerry tried to address these concerns:
Same day registration does not increase the risk of fraud. Under the bills being considered on Beacon Hill, registrants will need to present documentation of residency and identity as well as take an oath that the information they provide to election officials is accurate. This is more than is required of other registrants, much less of registered voters who simply show up at a polling place and announce a name and address to vote. The statewide voter database provides an added check that a new registrant has not voted elsewhere in the state that day. Stiff penalties for voter fraud will also deter and punish wrongdoing.While I think that people willing to commit voter fraud will obviously not be deterred by having to take an oath, I do think that same-day registration is not incompatible with preventing fraud. This is the twenty-first century. We should be able to have a secure, instantly updatable, database of voter registrations. Of course, I don't see how that stops someone from providing false information when registering on election day, but that's a problem with or without same-day registration. Already the unscrupulous can give different names at different polling places; all it takes is a glance at the list of voters and maybe some knowledge of local street names.
Personally, I think that it should be easy for people to vote. The barriers to getting to the polls and finding information about candidates should be sufficiently low to encourage people to participate, rather than discourage. Some may argue that making it difficult to vote ensures that people who do so are informed, but I don't think it's the government's place to make that distinction. Who gets to decide who's "informed" -- it's best, I think, to err on the side of caution. Our system may not be perfect, but I think it works best when everyone participates. If Election Day registration makes more people feel that they have a stake in our government, then we should at least give it a try.
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