
DATE: Tuesday, November 4, 1997             TAG: 9711040291

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   97 lines

WILL MORE VOTERS MEAN MORE VOTES? MOTOR-VOTER LAWS HAVE INCREASED REGISTRATION, BUT EFFECT ON TURNOUT REMAINS UNCLEAR

Voter registration across Hampton Roads has increased 20 percent to 30 percent since the federally mandated motor-voter laws went into effect last year, but officials are uncertain whether easier registration will mean more voters at the polls today.

Voting offices throughout the region have been redesigning precinct lines to prevent long lines on Election Day. That means voters may want to double-check where they are supposed to cast their ballots today.

Chesapeake has nine new precincts; Suffolk and Virginia Beach have each added one precinct since the last election. Norfolk eliminated one precinct, so the number of voters at most polling places has increased.

Anyone affected by a change in polling place should have received a letter identifying the new precinct location.

But registrars are afraid some would-be voters tossed the letters out without reading them, and will have to drive to more than one place to vote.

``New precincts are added as the number of registered voters goes up,'' said Virginia Beach Registrar Marlene Hager. ``We're reshaping the precincts to make them closer to individuals' homes as the sites become available in the city.''

But several registrars said they think the increased registration might not translate into longer lines at the polls.

Many people don't realize when they fill out their driver's license application that they are also registering to vote. Part B of the driver's license application is actually the voter registration form.

``Many times people don't know they're registering or changing their names for their voter registration, and that's been a problem,'' said Norfolk Registrar Ann Washington. ``Many times the forms are incomplete and we've had to mail them their cards and ask them to finish completing the forms.''

Washington said 75 percent to 80 percent of the increase in registration comes directly from the driver's license applications. The Department of Social Services also hands out voter registration forms when city residents apply for services. Registration cards, which can be mailed to the city, are also available in grocery stores, public libraries and public schools.

``The big question will be turnout as a result of all the registration,'' said Hager. ``Does access and registration really have an impact on turnout? I think people are beginning to see that it's not as people believed it was.''

Washington said turnout didn't increase substantially for last year's presidential election.

``We're going to have to go through several elections before we can tell whether motor-voter will have an effect on turnout,'' Washington said. ``This is a two-step process. People have done the first part of the process. Now they have to go out and vote.''

Across the country, motor-voter registration may have caused more problems than originally expected. In Massachusetts, for example, there are more registered voters than people eligible to vote.

Local election officers said that while registration is high - roughly 70 percent to 75 percent across the region - the state has implemented safeguards against abuses.

Virginia is on a statewide computer network that automatically purges voters if they register to vote at a new Virginia address. Some states still do not have a computer network which allows them to track address changes.

Under the motor-voter act, elections offices gained access to the U.S. Postal Service's address information. By using the database, Virginia elections offices can match registered voters against address changes filed with the post office. The elections office then sends out a card to registered voters, verifying the change of address. If voters have moved, they are taken off the registration lists, Hager said.

``The commonwealth has been wise in starting that program,'' she said. ``It has made it easier for people to indicate their change of address especially when they moved out of state. It has also helped the registrars know when people have moved within the city.''

The system still isn't perfect, she said. Voters who move across state lines may be able to vote twice before the registrar can confirm the duplication.

Right now the registrars keep a list of ``inactive voters'' - people who have moved according to postal records. But the registrar is not allowed to purge those voters until they confirm that the individual has actually moved.

Currently, voter registration lists in each of the Hampton Roads cities include thousands of ``inactive'' voters, who are counted in the number of registered voters but may not be eligible to vote locally.

Voters who are caught casting their ballots more than once can be charged with a felony and face a penalty of up to 10 years in prison or a $2,500 fine. Anyone convicted of a felony also loses the right to vote.

``I am so surprised if someone attempts to defraud the system today,'' Washington said. ``There are too many ways we can catch them.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

L. TODD SPENCER

Rip Green works to set up voting equipment at the Fire Training

Center precinct off Birdneck Road in Virginia Beach.

Graphic with chart of voter registration in area since 1995

Voter registration in the area is up 20 to 30 percent, due largely

to motor-voter laws. The increase has forced voting offices to

redesign precincts to avoid long lines today. If you are unsure of

your precinct, call your city's registrar. Check the front

wraparound section for the phone number.