Automatic California voting registration law passed
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law the New Motor Voter Act, which allows California residents to become registered to vote automatically through their state DMVs.
Written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, the law passed under the name Assembly Bill No. 1461 registers anyone who receives a new driver’s license or renews it to be placed on the state’s voter registration.
Furthermore, the bill also enables undocumented residents of California to vote if they have a license and proof they reside in the state. People who do not wish to register however are allowed the option to opt-out of this process upon request.
The new law is in response to a low turnout during California’s general elections in Nov. 2014. Continually dwindling voter registrations, low turnouts and voter suppression in other states have facilitated the new law.
Critics of the bill, such as True the Vote, argue that the law will increase voter fraud and enfranchise non-citizens to influence the government.
