Editorial: Voter registration law isn’t working well here

The presidential race has generated a record number of new voter registrations, an exciting development in a nation plagued with low voter turnout.

But even with this new interest, registration rates of eligible voters remain low. Fifteen years ago, Congress tried to do something about it, passing a law to remove barriers to registration. As a Senate committee noted, "The purpose of our election process is not to test the fortitude and determination of the voter, but to discern the will of the majority."

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires states to offer registration to citizens when they interact with government. The "motor voter" part of the law, allowing citizens to register to vote when they apply for their driver's license, is well known.

But not everyone has a car or can drive (especially the poor and disabled). An equally important part requires states to offer voter registration to citizens when they apply for public assistance (such as food stamps or Medicaid). The aim is to reach lower-income citizens, who have low voter registration rates.

This part of the law is not living up to its promise. A congressional hearing held by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, on Tuesday revealed high levels of noncompliance. For example, a new study by Project Vote, "Unequal Access: Neglecting the National Voter Registration Act" (at projectvote.org), found that voter registration at public assistance agencies has plummeted from 2.6 million in 1995-1996 to just 550,000 in 2005-2006.

California is one of the worst offenders. In 2005-2006, only 20,355 citizens registered to vote at public assistance agencies, down from 129,273 in 1995-1996.

In some counties, the record is worse than dismal. Last year, Los Angeles County reported registering only 72 people in 2005-2006 through public assistance agencies. Sacramento County reported none for 2005-2006, but the elections office says the actual number is 595, which is still extremely low for a county the size of Sacramento.

Sacramento County registrar Jill LaVine says that it has been several years since her office has done training with local health and human services agencies. But she has contacted them recently and hopes to do training this year.

In a state where 21.3 million are eligible to vote, 8 million aren't registered to vote. (About 1.3 million of those come from low-income households.) That means that 38 percent of eligible adults are not registered to vote – 6 percentage points higher than the national average.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen, county election officials and heads of county health and human services agencies need to hash out training and procedures for offering voter registration applications before summer.

At the national level, Lofgren has noted that a big part of the problem has been lack of enforcement by the U.S. Department of Justice since 2000. She is drafting a letter on the status of enforcement actions over the last decade and considering follow-up hearings.

Good. California and other states still have plenty of time to turn things around before October voter registration deadlines for the November election.