Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Madison reaffirms same-day registration, democracy wins

Welcome back to Madison, ladies and gentleman, the city where politics never sleeps. Hopefully you spent your spring break preparing for another round of politics, because the city held a slew of local elections on Tuesday to celebrate your return.

Which elections you ask? Well, a lot of them actually. On Tuesday, Wisconsin residents cast almost 94,000 ballots in contests to elect City Council representatives, School Board members, alders and a long, long list of miscellaneous local positions. Some races, like the re-election of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers with 79 percent of the vote, had finished before they started. Others, such as the 4-way race for the Shorewood Hills Village Trustee, in which no candidate finished with less than 23 percent of the vote, came down to the wire.

Fortunately, even if you failed to cast a ballot, these elections were a big win for you and for popular democracy. Why? The most important item on the ballot, the Dane County referendum to maintain same-day election registration, passed with an overwhelming 81.7 percent of the vote. This law ensures that people who do not have the time or inclination to register before Election Day have a second chance when it matters. The benefits are many and the downsides non-existent. According to the think tank Demos, same-day registration increases voter participation to the tune of 10 to 12 percent on average. In terms of this election, that would mean about 10,000 votes.

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Dane County residents obviously understand the value this service provides. Same-day voter registration is one of the most effective laws on the books today because everyone, both right and left, values the democratic culture of the United States and desires to keep it healthy. Measures that increase the probability of people exercising their civic rights are tremendously useful – they provide more avenues for ordinary people to influence our state and enhance the legitimacy of both the government and the voting process.

Laws like these are also politically inexpensive, an important attribute in a political climate where government attempts to mandate simple things are met with hyperbolic cries of “tyranny!” and “fascism!” Because really, what could be a greater danger to personal liberty than being forced to go to a voting center maybe three times a year, stand in a five minute line and then punch several holes through a confidential piece of paper? Not in my America. 

We might pay more attention to the downsides of same-day registration if our rates of participation were higher. But when you compare turnouts from American elections to other WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and developed, that is) countries, the differences are staggering. The Bipartisan Research Center estimates that voter turnout in the 2012 U.S. presidential elections was 57.5 percent. According to Accurate Democracy, in Australia, rates of voter participation are more than 95 percent. Germany’s voter participation rate is 79 percent, and Canada’s rate is 70 percent.

What can the government do to increase participation? There are, generally speaking, two ways to influence behaviors: rewards and punishments. Australia, and its envious 96 percent voting rate, employs a punishment system. According to the Australian Electoral Commission, “Voting is compulsory for every Australian citizen aged 18 years or older. If you do not vote and do not have a valid and sufficient reason for failing to vote, a penalty is imposed. Initially the Australian Electoral Commission will write to all apparent non-voters requesting that they either provide a reason for their failure to vote or pay a $20 penalty.”

A reward system would be more complicated. Inspired by the populist success of the Powerball lottery, political analyst Norman Orenstein has suggested a system where every person who casts a vote would be entered into a lottery to win a substantial quantity of money. If people are willing to wait 20 minutes to buy a lottery ticket, it stands to reason they would wait in a voting line for the same reward.

Dane County residents understand same-day registration is integral to the health of civil society. It’s effective, democratic and practically cost-free. Maybe one day we’ll have the nerve to do something more progressive with our antiquated voting system. Until then, pat yourself on the back, Dane County. Democracy won this week.

Nathaniel Olson ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science, history and psychology.

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