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Will L.A. Support Same Day Voter Registration?
Photo by trazomfreak via Flickr
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Photo by trazomfreak via Flickr
The Los Angeles City Council is expected to consider a resolution supporting same day voter registration on Wednesday. If passed, the weight of city hall will go behind Senator Leland Yee’s SB 1140 and Assemblymember Anthony Portantino’s AB 1531, both which would allow California voters to register the same day they vote.
Current voting law requires a citizen to register at least 15 days prior to election and must be done as an affidavit of registration, with a verified formal statement of identification.
L.A. officials recognize California's rank as one of the lowest in voter registration and how a transient population of a big city can also reduce it. In hopes of increasing participation, City Councilmembers Jose Huizar and Eric Garetti have co-authored a resolution to support the two bills.
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Assemblymember Portantino introduced his bill first to the Assembly but tagged teamed with Senator Yee’s to introduce an identical bill in the Senate. Portantino Spokesperson Wendy Gordon said they did so to create flexibility: if one bill dies, the other still has a chance push through.
Both bills are currently in appropriations in the opposite house. Portantino’s bill has passed through the Assembly and is now in appropriations in the Senate, while Yee’s bill passed through the Senate and is now in the Assembly.
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