Universal Voter Registration

Reniqua Allen explains the controversy behind Texas' voter ID law and weighs in on Mitt Romney's cold reception at the NAACP. Konstantin Kakaes breaks down the science of the Higgs Boson, and argues that its discovery has been overhyped. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Media Contact
Liz Wu
(510) 295-9859
wu@newamerica.net

Sacramento, CA - The California legislature approved AB 30 (Price & Swanson), a bill lowering the voter registration age to 17. If signed by the Governor, this legislation could dramatically improve California's alarmingly low voter participation rate for young voters. Almost half of the eligible voters between 18 and 24 years of age were not registered to vote in 2004 (the most recent year for which data is available).

Sacramento, CA -- Diana Li, President of the California Association of Student Councils, along with student leaders from around the state, asked that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sign Assembly Bill 30, a bill to lower the voter registration age to 17, at a Capitol press conference yesterday. Following the press conference, Li and her fellow student leaders met with a legislative deputy to the Governor and presented a petition signed by students seeking support for the legislation. The Governor has until October 11 to either sign or veto the legislation.

On October 11, 2009, a bill to uniformly set California’s voter registration age at 17 was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Media Contact
Liz Wu
California Media Relations Manager
510-295-9859
wu@newamerica.net

Media Contact
Liz Wu
California Media Relations Manager
510-295-9859
wu@newamerica.net

SACRAMENTO, CA - In the wake of Tuesday's record low voter turnout and the resounding defeat of five of six ballot measures proposed by the Legislature, the New America Foundation renewed its call for a fundamental overhaul of California's dysfunctional electoral system.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sacramento, CA--The New America Foundation applauded the advancement of two bills designed to increase the number of Californians who are registered to vote.  The bills, AB 30 (Price) and AB 106 (Price), were approved yesterday by the Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting by a solid 5-1 vote. If passed, the bills would make great strides toward bringing California closer to 100 percent voter registration.

Californians and their state government are drifting further apart.

A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found only 20 percent of November voters believe our state will be a better place to live in 2025; 51 percent say it will be worse. Another poll by the New America Foundation found widespread dissatisfaction with the two major political parties, even Democratic and Republican voters indicating their weariness of voting for the "lesser of two evils."