Applying for a driver's license? You could be automatically registered to vote

People applying for a driver’s license would be automatically registered to vote, under a bill lawmakers advanced Thursday. And for those 17-year-olds on the cusp of being eligible to vote, another bill that moved forward would allow them to vote in the primaries.

If the two bills reach Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk, they could face a different fate then they did in the recent past. Both bills, which proponents say would increase voter participation, were vetoed by former Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

One bill, A-1521, would allow 17-year-olds to vote in a primary election if they turn 18 before the following general election. Meanwhile, the other bill, S-481, would automatically register residents who are eligible to vote when they visit their local Motor Vehicle Commission or any state agency, unless they opt out of it.

“People use different state agencies for various items, not everyone has a driver’s license or wants one,” Assemblyman Gary Schaer, D – Passaic, said of the automatic voter registration bill. “By getting people registered to vote it encourages them, hopefully, to vote – and that’s to democracy’s favor.”

The bill to automatically register voters also includes those who might not ever visit a motor vehicle commission. Any state agency, like a county welfare agency, that collects documents that would provide proof of voter eligibility, including age, citizenship and residency, could implement a procedure for automatic voter registration, according to the bill.

Opponents claim fraud

But opponents of the bill argue there’s potential for voter fraud under the bill.

“We have so many avenues to sign up for voter registration. They can go to motor vehicle, county courthouse, social service agencies,” Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, said. “I just think we’re going to be creating a problem and there’s possible fraud that could be done.”

Bucco and other opponents also said there’s a concern about the financial impact of the bill. Bucco said he received an estimate of up to $1 million for the first year to implement the initiative and $400,000 to maintain it every year after.

Schaer, however, had a different estimate and said the cost would be “miniscule.” Exact figures were not yet available.

The Assembly Appropriations committee voted 8-3 to move the automatic voter registration bill. The Senate Budget and Appropriations committee also moved the bill forward in a 7-3 vote.

The Assembly State and Local Government committee advanced the bill to allow 17-year-olds to vote in a primary election, on Thursday. Several states, like Indiana, already have similar legislation.

Christie vetoed an identical bill in 2016. In his veto he said he was “concerned that this bill sets the state on a slippery path toward further erosion of critical and constitutional requirements for voter eligibility.”

Proponents of the bill say it could increase voter turnout in elections that have seen turnout plummet in recent years.

Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker, D - Somerset, said there are more than 23,000 young people in the state whose birthdays fall after the primary but before the general election.

"Under this legislation, they would be able to vote in both elections," Zwicker said. "It's an important step forward to fully empower thousands of new voters every year.”

Email: carrera@northjersey.com