It’s not easy to rock the vote in Rhode Island. That’s according to a new scorecard from Rock the Vote that ranks Rhode Island’s voting system 10th-lowest based on 12 metrics related to voter registration; casting a ballot; and young voter participation.
Rhode Island scored a 30%, better than neighboring Connecticut (20%) and Massachusetts (28%). The top state was Washington at 68%; the worst were South Carolina and Virginia, both at 18%.
I asked Secretary of State Ralph Mollis for his reaction, and he sent along this statement highlighting his office’s efforts on these fronts:
In reality, Rhode Island is doing very well. We estimate that 77% of eligible Rhode Islanders age 18-24 are registered to vote, well above the national average of 58.5%.
We work tirelessly to produce those results. We stage college and high school voter registration drives, take civic education into the schools and won one of only eight national grants for young voter engagement last year.
My office has made it a priority to educate and register future voters in an effort to get them involved. We will continue these efforts and will do so with an eye towards some of the factors that Rock the Vote lists in order to improve our ranking within their list as well as improve the turnout of young voters on Election Day.
Full Article: Rhode Island among the 10 states least friendly to voting | WPRI.com Blogs.