Barriers to Third Party Voter Registration

The 2004 election cycle saw an unprecedented effort to register voters in traditionally disfranchised communities. Across the country, millions of voters who historically did not participate in elections were energized to participate in the political process by new and innovative registration programs conducted by independent groups such as non-profit organizations, religious groups, students, and political parties. These registration drives are frequently referred to as "third party" registration efforts.

Learn more about Barriers to Third Party Voter Registration

This activity was perceived by many as a refreshing exercise of democratic enthusiasm; however, to those who were more concerned with preserving political successes than with honoring our constitutional republic, this new influx of voters threatened incumbency at all levels. As a result, many states proposed or adopted legislation that strictly regulated the activities of third party organizations in the two years since the 2004 election. These legislative efforts not only created administrative obstacles for such organizations, but many of them also implemented criminal and civil penalties for individuals facilitating voter registration drives. Proponents of these restrictions rationalized discouraging eligible citizens from participating in the political process by highlighting isolated examples of voter registration fraud.

For the most part, these allegations focus on fictitious registration forms that never end up on the voter registration rolls. Legislative initiatives that make this type of misconduct less likely should be encouraged, but there are ways to accomplish this goal with out depriving eligible voters with the opportunity to effectively register. Moreover, citizens dedicated to expanding the franchise to all eligible voters should not have to conduct their registration activities under a cloud of possible indictment if they make innocent mistakes. Law makers should be committed to finding real solutions to streamlining the registration process by supporting policies that will guarantee that every eligible voter gets on the registration rolls while preventing fraudulent registration forms from taking time and resources away from election officials.

Legislatures should ensure that Statewide Voter Registration Databases are interactive and responsive. Policy makers should explore restrictions on paying voter registration workers by registration application. Election officials must ensure that all registration list maintenance programs are done fairly and effectively, and are non-discriminatory, to prevent Erroneous Voter Purges.

Recent News

September 1, 2006: Voting rights advocates won a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of Ohio's burdensome new voter registration requirements.

The Columbus Dispatch, Voter-registration rules tossed

August 28, 2006: Florida's new voter registration law, which severely limited third party voter registration, is declared unconstitutional in a victory for voting rights advocates. We applaud today's decision by U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz in helping to secure access to democracy for voters in Florida.

Read the decision here.