Kossacks Under 35: Voter Registration

kath25 asked me to write about voter registration for this week's diary; I selected this week because Election Day is this coming Tuesday. Granted, we're not even in a midterm election year for federal offices, but some states, notably Kentucky and Mississippi, have gubernatorial elections (go Steve Beshear and John Eaves, Jr.!), and some major US cities also have mayoral elections, notably San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Houston. In any case, if you want to vote, you have to register first. Follow me as I cover why it's so important for us under-35 types to vote, and then a little bit about the confusing variation in registration standards.

Kossacks Under 35 is a weekly diary series designed to create a community within DailyKos that focuses on young people. Our overall goals are to work on increasing young voters' Democratic majority, and to raise awareness about issues that particularly affect young people, with a potential eye to policy solutions. Kossacks of all ages are welcome to participate (and do!), but the overall framework of each diary will likely be on or from a younger person's perspective. If you would like more information or want to contribute a diary, please email kath25 at kossacksunder35 (at) gmail dot com

And of course, now we're on Facebook.

In 2004, there were approximately 197 million people who, at least in theory (I'm not getting into it here, but it's worth a diary series to address voter eligibility -- if only I had the time!), were eligible to vote in our elections here in the United States. Of those 197 million people, only about 142 million were actually registered to vote; of those 142 million registered voters, approximately 125.7 million bothered to vote. In short, about 72% of eligible voters registered to vote, and about 89% of registered voters cast their ballots in the most aggravating election of most of our lifetimes. The proportion of theoretically eligible voters who voted was nearly 64%.

Among people of voting age but under the age of 35, the numbers were much lower. In 2004, there were approximately 57,740,000 eligible voters under the age of 35, of whom only 36,024,000 were registered to vote and only 29,924,000 actually voted. That means that only about 62% of us youngin's who were eligible to vote bothered to register, and among those of us who registered, only about 83% voted. The proportion of theoretically eligible voters under the age of 35 who voted was just 52%. And those figures are the highest they've ever been. Clearly efforts such as Rock the Vote and Declare Yourself have helped, but it's a limited success. We need to do better.

It's a shame, too -- because we young people supported Kerry far more than older voters. And on virtually every issue -- abortion, the war in Iraq, LGBT rights, constitutional rights, the environment, education, healthcare, freedom from religious coercion, etc., etc., etc. -- we are more progressive than our elders. Perhaps this is why there is such resistance to making it easier for young voters to participate in our democracy.

But those aren't the only reasons it's a shame more young people don't vote. We get screwed by every politician of every party. And why shouldn't we? We don't vote -- so what does it matter to politicians if our college tuition increases? If our young children have to attend schools that are inadequately equipped because wealthy older adults needed another tax cut? If social welfare programs that disproportionately help people in our age range are cut to balance the state budget or to fund another bomb for the war in Iraq? If we're going to have trillions of dollars of debt dumped in our laps so our elders can have their McMansions? As long as older constituencies vote in greater numbers and at greater rates, our issues will always take a back seat -- because we don't make politicians pay for screwing us over.

Obviously, if we're ever going to force politicians to listen to us young folks, we have to vote in far greater numbers, and the first step to doing that is registering to vote in far greater numbers. But the standards for registration vary significantly from state to state, and we are such a mobile population. In 1987, some very well respected social scientists discovered that the need to re-register after every move is the most significant barrier to higher voter registration and voting rates.

Still, it can be very easy to re-register if you live in the right place. Here in Wisconsin, where I currently live, registration is as simple as showing up at the polls on election day, showing ID proving you are who you say you are and evidence that you live within the precinct (e.g., a recent utility bill). Then you just fill out some paperwork and you're all set -- you're registered to vote, and you vote right away. Honestly, I think this is the best method -- it's really not difficult for the elections supervisors to ensure that no one is double-dipping with current technology, Diebold's petty excuses notwithstanding. Or even with pen and paper. In over 25 years of its use in Wisconsin, election day registration within the precinct has never been susceptible to fraud, and it makes it very easy for an oft-moving population to remember to register to vote and avoid being disenfranchised. But Wisconsin is the exception and not the rule -- we're one of just eight states to use this method (the others are Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and Connecticut, though Connecticut only allows it for presidential elections), though two others will also be using it shortly (North Carolina's election day registration system was in place as of this October, and Iowa's will start in January). These states consistently have among the highest percentage voter turnouts in the country.

In New York, where I lived for a short while after graduating from college, I had to go to the local post office or DMV -- really any governmental building -- to register to vote, or I could have filled out a form and mailed it in. Not very difficult once I figured out what to do, but having grown up in Wisconsin, it would have been very easy to assume I could have just shown up at the polls on election day, registered, and voted all at once -- and I would have been disenfranchised for my trouble.

But I'm moving to Massachusetts in January -- will I be able to vote in the presidential primary on March 4? Absolutely, so long as I register to vote by February 13, twenty days before the ballots are cast. And how do I know this? Simple: I checked the website of the Massachusetts Secretary of State. That's generally what you have to do to figure out what the specific, detailed requirements are for you to be able to register to vote when you move -- check with the state's Board of Elections or Secretary of State, whoever is actually in charge of elections.

But if you just need generalities, here's a handy reference of what qualifications you need to vote in each state. If you're not sure if you qualify, check the list. And if you are eligible, make sure you're registered before the deadline for the next election, then exercise your right to vote.

Remember, if you're eligible to vote but don't bother, it's partially your fault if we get stuck with another psychopath in the Oval Office. Democracy is hard work, especially with Republicans working overtime to steal elections. Those of us who genuinely care about our fellow human beings, who think politicians should listen to all of We the People and not just the ones who make huge campaign contributions, who vote for the common good rather than selfish parochialism, have a multi-million person coalition of regressive conservatives and their dupes to overcome. And if there's anything we learned from the Florida debacle of 2000, it's that every vote counts (as long as we don't leave the election in the hands of the Supreme [Kangaroo] Court).

So do your part, and make sure your friends do their part as well. Because if we can boost the proportion of eligible under-35 voters who register and then actually vote, all the data show pretty conclusively that we'll be electing a lot more progressive leaders. And that, after all, is what it's all about.