In a bold move last weekend, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that automatically registers Californians to vote when they obtain or renew their driver’s licenses or state-issued identification cards. California now joins Oregon in moving toward a more robust and inclusive electoral process by reaching out to voters through their motor vehicle departments. Will New Jersey be next? Regrettably, that’s doubtful, even as a bill to reform statewide voting procedures languishes on Gov. Chris Christie’s desk. At the end of June, the state Senate passed the New Jersey Democracy Act, a package of measures designed to broaden citizen participation through expanded early-voting opportunities, online voter registration and automatic voter registration at Motor Vehicle Commission offices.
Polls show that New Jersey residents strongly support these moves. A recent Rutgers report found that 67 percent of respondents favored early-voting measures, and two-thirds were behind allowing automatic registration through Motor Vehicles and printing voting materials in languages other than English.
The impetus behind the act is elegantly simple: The best governments reflect the makeup of their citizens.
Full Article: Governor should sign N.J. Democracy Act | Editorial | NJ.com.