Gov. Jerry Brown signs same-day voter registration bill
By Daily Bruin Staff
Sept. 27, 2012 6:04 a.m.
Starting as soon as 2014, California residents looking to vote in state and national elections will be able to register up until and on Election Day, according to a new bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday.
The current deadline to register to vote is two weeks before an electionÂÂÂ. This year, California residents must register by Oct. 22 to be eligible for the upcoming election on Nov. 6.
The bill, or AB 1436, was introduced by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) in an attempt to increase voter participation in elections. When the bill goes in effect, Californians will be able to vote with a temporary ballot if they bring a completed registration form to their county elections office.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill to make it easier for Californians to vote, according to a statement on his website.
Under the new law, a voter’s registration information must match data of that on file with the California Department of Motor Vehicles or the Social Security Administration.
The measure will become law Jan. 2013, though officials are working to create a new statewide voter database to allow real-time verification of whether applicants are registered in other counties, the Los Angeles Times reported this week.
The database, known as VoteCal, is expected to be up and running in 2015, Nicole Winger, a spokeswoman for the California secretary of state, told the Los Angeles Times. Voter fraud on the form would be punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $25,000 fine, according to the legislation.
The same-day voter registration bill was signed into law despite opposition by Republicans, who argued the later deadline would encourage voter fraud, according to the Sacramento Bee.
“Voting ““ the sacred right of every citizen ““ should be simple and convenient,” Brown said in the statement. “While other states try to restrict voters with new laws that burden the process, California allows voters to register online ““ and even on Election Day.”
Several other states, including Maine and Idaho, already offer same-day voter registration.
Compiled by Katherine Hafner, Bruin senior staff.
