The popular perception is that people can register to vote at Department of Motor Vehicles offices when they go there to get a driver’s license.

Tthat’s what politicians were counting on when they made it a law, commonly called “Motor Voter,” that aims to make voter registration available at many public places.

But when Julia Neville, a 19-year-old student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, went to a DMV outside of Chicago to apply for a driver’s license this past summer, no one even brought it up.

“No one asked me … but I wasn’t aware that they were supposed to,” Neville said.

The failure of DMV employees to ask Neville whether she was registered to vote is one of the ways governmental reforms and programs have fallen short. Though officials say they’ve registered significant numbers of voters – at the DMV, the library, public aid offices and more – there still are some question marks, at least for students.

Other reforms such as Election-Day registration have not become widespread, despite one expert’s research that shows they increase voter turnout, particularly among youths.

And the Help America Vote Act of 2002 could inadvertently cause obstacles for young voters even as it tries to prevent fraud.

Motor Voter’s Effect
Under Motor Voter, employees at Illinois driver’s license agencies are required to ask people whether they would like to register when they change their addresses or apply for, renew or replace driver’s licenses or state IDs.

Yet, of University of Illinois students who went to the DMV since turning 18, 37.8 percent said they definitely were not asked to register, according to a survey conducted by I-ELECT. Another 26.7 percent weren’t sure. Only 35.5 percent said they remembered being asked.

It’s possible that some of those respondents weren’t supposed to be asked. The law does not mandate that employees ask people who come for other licensing and permit services at the DMV.

“We are not required or able to offer applications to anyone who is not processing a driver’s license or state ID transaction,” said Jill Zwick, director of intergovernmental affairs for the secretary of state.

Passed in 44 states in 1993, Motor Voter is an attempt to boost voter turnout by making it easier to register to vote at convenient places such as the DMV as well as public assistance offices. The act also allows people to mail in registration forms.

The DMV computers are programmed so that clerks cannot proceed with driver’s license transactions until they type “yes” or “no” to the Motor Voter question, Zwick stated in an e-mail.

In Illinois, 65 percent of the people who are registered to vote have registered through the Motor Voter program, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said at a roundtable discussion at the University of Illinois. Of the I-ELECT survey respondents, only 12.7 percent were reached through Motor Voter.

When told about the I-ELECT survey percentages, White said he was “shocked to know” people were not asked to become registered voters at the DMV.
“(Employees) are required to do that – ask you to become a registered voter and ask you to become an organ donor,” White said. “I pledge that I will get after that as early as today to make sure that corrections are made.”


Same-day registration
Other reforms can boost voter turnout among the youth, according to Mary Fitzgerald, a political science professor at James Madison University and a report Fitzgerald wrote for the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. The organization, commonly referred to as CIRCLE, promotes research on the civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25.

States that allow voters to register the day of the election have seen youth voter turnout increase by up to 14 percentage points, according to a February 2003 CIRCLE report Fitzgerald wrote.

Allowing people to register and vote at the same time is crucial for young people because they are the least likely to register, Fitzgerald said.

But it’s only available in six states. Opponents of same-day registration, in states such as Colorado and California, where the reform was voted down in 2002, fear it will cause voter fraud. Others are afraid the reform will cause long lines at the polls.

“I think it could potentially disrupt existing power structures with regards to who has the power in each state,” Fitzgerald said.

Still, Fitzgerald argues that Election-Day registration could have a positive impact on voter turnout. Voter mobilization efforts also may be more effective in states where it’s easier to vote, she said. In states with early voting or same-day registration, candidates can court potential voters until Election Day.

“Political parties and candidates expand their mobilization efforts, and they are more likely to contact a larger, more diverse group because in a competitive election, every vote makes a difference because potentially more people can vote,” Fitzgerald said.

Identification obstacles
The high voter turnout expected this November will be a test for the newest federal voting reform effort, the Help America Vote Act. The act, called HAVA, was aimed at preventing fraud while continuing to ease the process of voting by updating technology and requiring identification for new voters.
But some experts say the new identification requires could significantly affect young voters, voters like Sofia Torres, a junior at the University of Illinois.

Because Torres, 21, did not write down her driver’s license when she registered to vote, she will have to bring additional identification. She lives in a dorm and pays no bills at that address. She doesn’t have that address on her driver’s license, either. She hopes a credit card bill will work.

The law also requires all new voters to have identification – either a state-issued photo ID with their local voting address or another official document that shows their current local address, such as a utility bill or government check.

But many students aren’t likely to have those documents readily available. Many students have their parents’ home address on their driver’s license. And if they don’t pay the utilities – like students living in university dorms – they can’t bring a bill.

Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden said University of Illinois IDs are not valid because they do not list a current address. But students living in University of Illinois dorms can get a form certifying their residency at the University Housing Information Office, located in Clark Hall, 1203 S. Fourth St., Champaign.

“Unfortunately, most of the forms of identification that are specifically delineated in HAVA are the ones that students are not likely to have,” said Adam Alexander, spokesman for the New Voters Project, a nonpartisan campaign intended to increase voter turnout.

And with a record turnout expected, potential problems could only increase, said Doug Chapin, the director of electionline.org, a clearinghouse of election reform information.

“I think they are expecting lots of controversy about or lots of potential problems with (HAVA) because of the large number of new voters that are being brought into the process in 2004,” Chapin said.

But state officials say those worries are unfounded. People without proper ID can cast a provisional ballot, which will be accepted only if they can bring identification to their county clerk’s office within 48 hours of Election Day.

The state has put out public service announcements in an attempt to notify the public of the new identification requirements, said Cris Cray, director of legislation with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Voter registration cards should also state whether ID is needed, Shelden said. And if his office has time, Shelden hopes to send letters to all voters about the type of ID they need.

“You will not get turned away at the polls,” Cray said. “If you are, call me.”

But Torres, who will need ID when she votes, said the hassle would be too much. She wouldn’t bother to go home for proper ID or go to Shelden’s office after casting a provisional ballot.

“I think you need to let people know when you’re registering down here that that’s the kind of identification you need,” she said.

Dan Farnham contributed to this report.