Democratic Governor Announces Swing State Will Now Have Automatic Voter Registration
It’s only going to get crazier.
As the candidates for president and other offices get into gear, election officials in various states are also getting ready. And more likely than not, it’s going to be chaos.
On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania announced that all eligible Pennsylvanians will now be automatically registered to vote when they apply for or renew a driver’s license or ID card.
“I’m committed to ensuring free and fair elections that allow every eligible voter to make their voice heard,” Shapiro said, according to CNN. “Automatic voter registration is a commonsense step to ensure election security and save Pennsylvanians time and tax dollars,” he added.
Previously, the governor’s office had said that individuals would have to take “additional steps” to get registered, but that decision seems to have changed.
Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Republican, told CNN it makes the process more secure and efficient. “The voter is already in a state government facility with their identification documentation in hand, and they will have their picture taken and sign their name electronically,” he said.
But, many House Republicans are not happy about this decision, which bypassed the legislature.
One Republican told CNN that unilateral decisions like this undermine public trust in the election process.
Pennsylvania is not the only state instituting some form of automatic voter registration. According to CNN, Washington, D.C. and 23 mostly blue states have already instituted some form of automatic voter registration.
Pennsylvania was one of the battleground states in 2020, with former President Donald Trump alleging voter fraud, and the Keystone State is poised to be in the thick of the battle this time around as well with two pivotal races — the presidential election and a seat in the Senate with Democrat Bob Casey up for election — hinging on the way Pennsylvanian’s vote, CNN reported.
The issue isn’t the registration of new voters. It’s that we no longer have a voting day.
With thousands more mail-in ballots going out, the propensity for fraud only increases, especially in urban areas where ballot harvesting is legal. Registered citizens who don’t care about the elections and would never have shown up to vote are fine with handing over their ballot to someone who shows up at their door to ask if they voted.
But this time, Republicans have a chance to get in the game.
According to the online polling company CIVIQs, only 37 percent of Pennsylvanians approve of President Joe Biden’s job performance. And the number is even lower among young people — the ones registering to vote for the first time– with only 31 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 34 approving of Joe Biden.
If these young voters are now registered, Republicans can and should be knocking on their door, reminding them that they can and should vote.
One X user summed it up accurately. “Given the fact that Pennsylvania has over a million blue collar white voters who aren’t registered to vote, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” they wrote. “Stop whining about it, and go take advantage of it!”
Given the fact that Pennsylvania has over a million blue collar white voters who aren’t registered to vote, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Stop whining about it, and go take advantage of it! https://t.co/BxAQjT9alv
— Red Eagle Politics (@RedEaglePatriot) September 19, 2023
Red Eagle is right.
Republicans need to stop crying about same-day voting and play the game.
Just because they changed the rules of the game does not necessarily mean they win.
So what if we’re playing with one hand tied behind our back?
They’re playing with a star player who can barely make it up the stairs.
And this.
John Fetterman: “My message to the, the CEOs, CEOs is, you know, it’s $74 million, you know, collectively earning that, you know, how many yachts can they need, you know, to, to yacht, to water, uh, ski behind it, you know, I mean, it’s, it’s crazy.”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 19, 2023
Make sure you mail in your ballots and if possible, volunteer with your local Republican chapter.
We can still do this.
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