THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603280007
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Gov. George F. Allen succeeded in delaying implementation of ``motor voter'' registration in Virginia past last November's hard-fought General Assembly elections. Motor voter is the popular name for procedural reforms that enable citizens to register as voters when applying for drivers' licenses or public assistance and or even through the mail.
Republicans blocked federal motor-voter legislation for years; President Bush vetoed the moter-votor law that reached his desk. But President Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act sent him when Democrats still controlled Congress. The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently ruled the legislation constitutional.
The federal law took effect New Year's Day 1995. For a time, Governor Allen, who had said no to compliance by Virginia, seemed ready to take his insubstantial objections to court. That would have wasted time, energy and money. Common sense prevailed; the governor yielded; and Virginia is falling in line.
Motor voter is adding close to a million people a month to registration rolls. In 41 states, 11 million people have registered or updated their registration since motor voter came in. Florida has added the most people - (1,327,431), with Texas close behind (1,296,105).
Republican resistance to easing the path to registration reflected fear that most new registrants would vote for Democrats. But voting patterns of new registrants are like the voting patterns of people who were on the rolls before them.
The challenge to constitutional democracy American style is to turn citizens on and boost the percentages of citizens who participate in its fundamental rite.
The challenge is tough because millions of Americans have concluded that politics is irrelevant to their lives or that their votes don't make a difference or that the game is rigged to further enrich and empower, at the expense of ordinary people, the rich and powerful who make big political contributions.
Many citizens who still vote are similarly angry and disillusioned. The thumping rejection of (1) George Bush in 1992 and (2) congressional Democrats in 1994 reflected deep discontent that has not dissipated.
Americans' unhappiness with politics, politicians and government is hardly novel, of course. But grass-roots bitterness has appeared especially pronounced in recent years.
Despite that bitterness, the 1992 presidential election provided evidence that citizens will turn out in robust numbers for elections that they believe present them with candidates who could make a difference in their lives. The percentage of voting-age Americans casting ballots in presidential elections declined from 54 percent in 1980 (Carter/Reagan) to 53.1 percent in 1984 (Reagan/Mondale) to 50.2 percent in 1988 (Bush/Dukakis). But with Ross Perot running as an independent in 1992, participation rose to 55.9 percent.
That was a heartening sign of civic health. So, too, is the rapid rise in voter registration. And if the rise translates into a an even greater portion of voting-age citizens casting ballots in the 1996 presidential election than in 1992, it will signal that we are far from giving up on the Great American Experiment. And that will be very good news indeed. by CNB