Motor Voter" Registers One Million Each Month
According to HumanSERVE, the NAACP and the League of Women Voters, about 11 million people have registered to vote or have updated voting records under the "motor voter" law that went into effect on January 1,1995. The 1993 law forces states to make voter registration accessible through motor vehicle administrations, welfare and disability agencies, the US mail and military recruitment offices . An estimated 20 million people will have registered in this manner by the November 1996 elections. Currently over half of the registrations through National Voter Registration Act come through motor vehicle business such as getting a driver's license.
A number of states did not immediately implement the National Voter Registration Act , and a hearing is still pending in Michigan. The law became effective in the state of Virginia just three weeks ago, and already 6,000 new voters have registered. HumanSERVE says the 1 million a month national rate is the highest since registration practices were established in the late 19th century.
Media Resources: : The Nando Net and the Associated Press - March 27, 1996; Reuters - March 26, 1996