When Andrew Degerstrom was a University of Minnesota student in 2009, he didn’t vote in that year’s elections because he didn’t know they were taking place. He said he probably would have voted if he had been given voter registration information when he moved to Minneapolis. Landlords will soon be required to provide their tenants with voter registration information when they move in under a new ordinance the Minneapolis City Council passed last week. “If this ordinance had been in effect at that time, I would’ve received information on registering to vote when I moved in, and I most likely would have [voted],” said Degerstrom, who is the president of the East Isles Residents Association. Degerstrom testified in support of the ordinance at a council committee meeting earlier this month.
Though some support the measure as a way to increase voter turnout among the city’s renters, others say it could unnecessarily burden landlords with additional responsibilities.
Ward 3 Councilman Jacob Frey, who first proposed the change, said he hopes to decrease barriers to voting, especially among younger voters. “The University especially is primed for additional voter engagement,” he said. “If we eliminate a couple of barriers such as voting registration, perhaps people will be more prompted to head out on Election Day.”
In 2014’s primary election, the University area and nearby neighborhoods Marcy-Holmes and Southeast Como saw the lowest voter turnout in the city. Some University-area voting precincts in Ward 2 had a less than .70 percent turnout, while a nearby Ward 3 precinct had a 3.27 percent voter turnout.
Full Article: Voter registration ordinance passes | mndaily.com – The Minnesota Daily.