Dear David:
Thanks for the reference. A suggestion -- why not have everyone
automatically registered to vote? When citizens turn 18, the relevant
authorities contact them and get them registered. It would be much cheaper
for all concerned this way. The cross-national research on turnout suggests
that this factor is a powerful explanation of high (vs. low) turnout rates.
Best,
Fabrice Lehoucq
Division of Political Studies
Centro de Investigaci—n y Docencia Econ—mica (CIDE)
Carret. Mexico-Toluca 3655
Lomas de Santa Fˇ, Mexico City, DF, CP 01210
Tel. 52/5727-9800, ext. 2215 (voice) & -9871 or 9873 (fax)
E-mail: Fabrice.Lehoucq@cide.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-election-law_gl@majordomo.lls.edu
[mailto:owner-election-law_gl@majordomo.lls.edu]On Behalf Of David
Lublin
Sent: Martes, 01 de Octubre de 2002 01:22 p.m.
To: election-law@majordomo.lls.edu
Subject: Same Day Registration
Actually, same-day registration could accomplish a lot. If I correct
recall Steve Knack's article in the Journal of Politics, this is the one
reform that is most likely to increase voter turnout.
Also, the idea that turnout has declined in recent decades is apparently
a myth. As Michael McDonald and Samuel Popkin nicely explained in a
relatively recent issue of the American Political Science Review,
turnout has not declined if one calculates turnout as those who vote
among the voting-eligible population. Turnout has declined among the
voting-age population because so many people of voting-age are not
eligible. In particular, the non-citizen immigrant share of the
population has substantially risen. The number of people disfranchised
due to felony convictions has also increased quite a bit over the past
several decades.
Has anyone seen any good recent research on the long-term impact of the
National Voter Registration ("Motor Voter") Act now that it has been in
place for some time? I know from South Carolina statistics that NVRA
registrants participate at a lower rate than people who registered the
old-fashioned way. However, does anyone know any broader or more
national implications?
Regards,
David Lublin
dlublin@american.edu