UCSA proposes automatic online voter registration for students

Students may be able to register online to vote when they enroll for classes, if state legislators approve a program a student lobbying organization announced earlier this month.

The University of California Student Association, or UCSA, announced the Automatic Student Voter Registration Proposal at its board meeting Feb. 6. The initiative will automatically register eligible citizens to vote during class enrollment, said Paul Monge, a UCSA member who co-wrote the proposal.

UCSA is an association that advocates on behalf of students on issues concerning all aspects of higher education.

The University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges students would participate in the program, and students who do not wish to register can opt out of the service, according to the proposal.

The proposal also states participating students will receive emails from the California Secretary of State’s office that confirm they are eligible to vote, after the office reviews students’ registration forms.

In October, Gov. Jerry Brown passed the New Motor Voter Act to increase voter turnout, which allowed people to register to vote when they apply for a license or a state identification card. Monge said the Automatic Student Voter Registration Proposal is modeled after the New Motor Voter Act.

Monge said he and Cindy Dinh, a UC Berkeley law student who co-authored the bill, are currently drafting legislation to introduce a bill to the California State Assembly.

UCSA President Kevin Sabo said the next step is to speak to state Assembly members and ask them to sponsor the bill.

“We don’t have the resources to implement this without the funding that legislative action will provide,” Sabo said.

Monge said he thinks it’s important for students to use their political power and register to vote. He added he thinks fewer youths than adults register to vote because their information constantly changes.

“The biggest obstacle to political participation is that students move constantly, and registration does not keep up with their movement,” he said.

In the 2014 general elections, California experienced a historically low voter turnout of 42 percent, Monge and Dinh wrote in the proposal. Monge added 18- to 24-year-olds only made up about 4 percent of the voting population.

Monge said UCSA will work with UC President Janet Napolitano, individual UC campuses, registrars’ offices and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to approve and implement the initiative, which is currently in the proposal stages.

Sabo said he hopes the bill will be implemented by Jan. 1, 2017.