April 01, 2006

Casting Vote for Easier Registration

"Under fire from county registrars and voter advocates, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said Friday that he would press for changes in state election law to avert widespread voting troubles that some elections officials have predicted for the June 6 primary.

Trudy Schafer, program director for the League of Women Voters of California, said the changes would be a step in the right direction but do not resolve all concerns about voters' being kept off the election rolls.

The dispute concerns California's new method for confirming the identities of people who register to vote or those already registered who change their addresses or other information.

In January, McPherson established a statewide database to double-check registration forms by comparing names and driver's license numbers with state and federal records. Congress required the statewide database as part of a 2002 overhaul of election laws.

But county officials have complained that many registration forms submitted to the database for verification have been rejected, some because voters did not list their driver's license numbers and others because of typos or slight variations in spelling."

Posted by Randy Riddle at April 1, 2006 06:02 PM