SACRAMENTO – Saturday Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1461 , also known as the California New Motor Voter Act to automatically register driver’s license and identification applicants at the Department of Motor Vehicles who are eligible to vote.
The California New Motor Voter Act will register every voting-eligible resident who applies for or renews a driver’s license or ID card at a (DMV), with the ability to opt out, potentially adding millions of new registered voters to California’s voter rolls.
“As we watch states across the country do their best to disenfranchise voters, I’m proud to have legislation signed into law today that actually expands voting opportunities for all Californians,” said Gonzalez. “Removing an unnecessary barrier to voter registration will allow us to get down to the business of increasing actual participation.”
Assemblymembers Luis Alejo (D-Watsonville) and Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) served as joint authors for the bill, and Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Los Angeles County) managed the bill in the Senate as principal co-author.
Statistics show that less than 1 out of every five residents who interact with the DMV through the current motor voter program opt-in to vote, and a recent study of internet search data estimated that 3 to 4 million more otherwise eligible citizens would have voted in the 2012 presidential election if not for restrictive registration rules. Padilla, who sponsored by the bill as Secretary of State, said AB 1461 would provide Californians easier access to their right to vote by removing an unnecessary step.
“In a free society, the right to vote is fundamental. I ran for Secretary of State to expand access to the polls. Government should not impede a citizen’s right to vote,” said Padilla, who was elected California as Secretary of State in 2014. “The New Motor Voter Act will make our democracy stronger by removing a key barrier to voting for millions of California citizens. I applaud Governor Brown for his leadership and bold action to increase voter participation in our state.”
The California New Motor Voter Act calls for data already being collected by the DMV to be provided to local election officials to expand voter registration while protecting the public’s right to privacy and to decline registration. Data collected by the DMV would be provided to the California Secretary of State’s Office after verifying a resident’s legal eligibility to vote. The Secretary of State then provides the information to county Registrars of Voters who maintain each county’s voter rolls. The bill would continue to protect those covered by existing confidentiality policies, such as peace officers, and voters would retain their right to cancel their voter registration at any time.
An estimated 6.6 million Californians are eligible to vote but unregistered, ranking the state 38th among the 50 states in voter registration. Just 30% of eligible voters participated in the 2014 statewide election, ranking 43rd nationwide. A recent academic study of online web search and voter participation data from the 2012 presidential election estimated that an 3-4 million people nationwide would have voted but couldn’t because they missed the registration deadline. A recent UC Davis examination of California voter registration and participation found that eligible but unregistered voters are disproportionately Latinos and Asian-Americans.
In 2014, Gonzalez authored the VOTE Act (AB 1873, 2014), creating a pilot program in San Diego County to provide all voters with mail ballots in special legislative elections. An expansion of the VOTE Act – Assembly Bill 547 – was also signed into law by the Governor today.
The California New Motor Voter Act was approved by the Senate on a 25-15 vote September 10 and the Assembly on a 52-26 vote September 11. The bill will take effect on January 1, 2016.
