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House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	December 15, 2015 04:57 PM
From:	Representative Ed Gainey
To:	All House members
Subject:	Automatic Voter Registration and Voter Identification

In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation reforming the voter registration system by instituting automatic registration of all eligible voters with provisions for opt out. To ensure the integrity of our elections, my proposal will also require the issuance of voter identifications for all newly registered, qualified electors. Voting is a fundamental right guaranteed to all Americans. Without Women’s Suffrage and the Civil Rights Movement, many of us would not be able to enjoy a right for which our predecessors fought. Unfortunately, many do not vote citing the burdens associated with voter registration, and the time and financial costs resulting from going to the polls as their reasons. In this age of technology, this General Assembly has an obligation to find efficient and effective methods for assisting the citizens of the Commonwealth in exercising this fundamental right. Under my proposal, the responsibility of voter registration will be passed from eligible voters onto the Pennsylvania Department of State. The Secretary of the Commonwealth will initiate a program to automatically register eligible voters whose information is provided to PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, or the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Secretary of the Commonwealth will forward the data, which includes citizenship and other pertinent information, to the registration commission of the county in which the qualified elector resides. The commission will then send a postcard with information on how to opt out of registration altogether and how to choose a party affiliation. A newly registered voter will have 21 days to opt out of registration. If the commission does not receive a notice to cancel, the individual shall be assigned a unique number from the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors and mailed a voter identification. As you may be aware, on March 16, 2015, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed the first automatic voter registration bill into law in the United States. On October 10, 2015, Governor Jerry Brown signed a similar bill into law, which will add over 6 million voters to the rolls in California. I believe it is time that Pennsylvania follow this trend and ensure access to the ballot for all qualified electors. By reforming this cumbersome process, Please join me in supporting this important legislation.

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