A new bill that passed the state Legislature last week would significantly increase the number of registered voters in California by requiring eligible voters be automatically registered when they get a state I.D., driver’s license or change their address at the DMV.
Advocates say SB 299, which is now before Gov. Gavin Newsom, would especially impact young people and predominantly Black, Latino and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
“We recognize that voter registration is a key barrier for our communities to exercise our constitutional rights to vote,” said Sydney Fang, the policy director at Asian, Americans and Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment (AAPI Force). “And we know that democracy only works when all eligible citizens have access to the ballot.”
AAPI Force is part of the California Grassroots Democracy Coalition, which is backing the bill authored by state Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara).
So-called motor-voter laws first gained prominence a generation ago, when voter turnout in the United States hit historic lows. The laws passed by both federal and state governments gave citizens the option of registering to vote when they have business with the DMV.
Amendments to California’s motor-voter law in 2015 got the state closer to an automatic system, but it still allowed DMV customers to “opt out” of registering.
Fang and other advocates in the California Grassroots Democracy Coalition say there’s still room for improvement. It estimates there are 4.7 million eligible, but unregistered, voters in California. Fang said “opt-out” rates remain high.
“Actually 50% of people who are presented with this question — do you want to register to vote — during their transaction, 50% of people actually declined,” Fang said.
The bill aims to reduce that percentage through technology, allowing the agency to check whether a person is eligible to be registered. If their information clears the system and demonstrates they’re an eligible voter, they’d automatically be put on the voter rolls. The bill gives the California Secretary of State authority on the selection and implementation of the technology.
Laura Wray-Lake, a UCLA professor of social welfare, said California currently ranks 25th in the nation for young voters’ registration.
“A lot of states have successfully implemented this and they have found that it does especially benefit, added 2 to 3% (registration) increase,” Wray-Lake said.
Opponents of the bill said it could have unintended consequences.
Brittany Stonesifer of the ACLU pointed to a possible scenario in which an immigrant or noncitizen were to be accidentally registered. It would feed unfounded fears of voter fraud and put them at risk, she said.
“We expressed concerns that previous versions of the bill would create serious risks for noncitizens,” Stonesifer said.
Others say the bill can still accomplish increasing registration while protecting immigrants.
“We want to make sure that there is a system in place that is protecting folks, a policy in place, and this would be doing just that,” said Itzel Maganda Chavez from Alliance San Diego, a local nonprofit focused on inclusive democracy.
Fang said Gov. Newsom will have until the end of September to sign the bill. If signed, it could go into effect as early as 2030.
