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With any luck, automatic voter registration will pass out of the NY Assembly tomorrow and head to the Governor's desk. #AVR4NY This is a big deal. Here's why:
AVR is a powerful reform to the way folks get registered at state agencies like the DMV. It consists of 2 changes: 1) upgrading to electronic (not snail mail) transfer of registrations from agencies to elections officials; and 2) switching from an opt-in to an opt-out system.
So, agencies use the data collected when you apply for a driver's license or other service to register you to vote UNLESS you tell them not to. This may seem like a small change, but people tend to go with the flow and take the default option, so it has a big impact...
Since 2015, 16 states and D.C. have adopted AVR and the results have been dramatic. @BrennanCenter research shows that every state that had the policy in effect by 2018 saw big increases in voter registration as a result. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/avr-impact-state-voter-registration
Of course in NY, lots of people don't drive and don't go to the DMV. But the bill that passed the @NYSenate today would register people automatically when they apply for many types of services, including Medicaid, unemployment, and public housing. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s8806
When the bill goes into effect, we could see a big expansion of the NY electorate. The last obstacle to voting for so many will fall away and voter rolls will be automatically updated to reflect changes. This is big for NY, which has lagged behind in elections policy for so long.
But it's also big for the rest of the country. As more and more of the country embraces AVR - big states (NY & CA) & small (RI & WV), red states (GA) and blue (IL) - the message to Congress is clear: AVR should be federal policy.
The House has already heard this message. AVR was part of #HR1, the For the People Act, which the House passed in 2019. In 2021, with momentum building in Albany and elsewhere, it could become the law of the land. https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/ensure-every-american-can-vote/voting-reform/hr-1-democracy-reform
So here's hoping the bill passes the Assembly tomorrow and @NYGovCuomo signs it soon. It's been a long time coming, with so much work from the @LetNYvote coalition and others to get it here.
