Voter registration drives in front of the Student Union could be a thing of the past.
If the Student Voter Opportunity to Encourage Registration Act is passed, students attending universities all across the nation could choose to be registered voters by checking a box when they enroll in classes online.
The VOTER Act would require all universities that receive federal funds to offer voter registration to students at the time of enrollment.
Introduced by Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the bill has attracted support from politicians and organizations on both sides of the aisle, as well as a litany of nonpartisan groups, as well as voter and youth advocacy groups. The Facebook group for the bill, Pass the Student VOTER Act! has more than 2,500 members from across the country.
Ross Harrison, junior molecular biology and microbiology major and president of the UCF College Democrats, said, "It would make our job easier as a club on campus."
The UCF College Democrats as well as the UCF College Republicans work every election cycle to register as many students as possible, regardless of political affiliation.
Harrison said that with voter registration out of the way, political clubs on campus could focus more on informing students.
"I think the legislation is definitely something the state and … our generation will benefit from," said Justin York, a junior and member of the UCF College Republicans.
However, York also saw an ulterior motive for some of the support for the Student VOTER Act. "It's nakedly political," he said. "Young people are trending democratic. But beyond the political side, it's still certainly a good thing."
The Washington D.C.- based organization that conceived the idea for the bill, Student Association for Voter Empowerment, is a nonpartisan and nonprofit group founded and run by young people.
"We're really proud that this is a bipartisan effort," said Bobby Campbell, director of policy and programs for SAVE.
Universities are already required to "make a good faith effort" to register students to vote.
Campbell said that because of this, universities already have the registration forms and other resources necessary to register their students, but that they aren't being used as effectively as they could be.
"The biggest question we get asked from a critical standpoint is the cost," he said. "There isn't going to be a substantial increase in cost to any party."
An effort similar to the Student VOTER Act was implemented in 1994 when the National Voter Registration Act passed, requiring voter registration to be made available when obtaining or renewing a driver's license. Of all the ways to register the vote, registering at the Department of Motor Vehicles was the most popular among voters age 18 to 29, according to a study from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
The specifics of how this bill would be implemented vary between different states and institutions. However, Campbell offered one idea of how voter registration could be integrated with online enrollment based on an example from a few community colleges in California.
After a student enters information for enrollment, they have the option to check a box to have their information put into a voter registration form.
The form is then printed and sent to the student for a signature. Once signed, the student would only need to mail in the form to be registered.
The bill was introduced in July of last year, and has since been referred to the Committee on House Administration and a series of other committees and subcommittees.
Campbell expects the bill to be out of the committee system and close to a signature from the president by the end of summer.
For further information concerning the Student VOTER Act, visit http://www.savevoting.org.
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