* New York Times editorial…
Illinois made the right choice this week, becoming the 10th state, along with the District of Columbia, to enact automatic voter registration. The bill, which could add as many as one million voters to the state’s rolls, was signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican who had vetoed similar legislation last year.
Under the new law, all eligible voters will be registered to vote when they visit the Department of Motor Vehicles or other state agencies. If they do not want to be registered, they may opt out.
“The right to vote is foundational for the rights of Americans in our democracy,” Mr. Rauner said at a bill-signing ceremony on Monday. “We as a people need to do everything we can to knock down barriers, remove hurdles for all those who are eligible to vote, to be able to vote.”
These are incontestable propositions, and yet for most officials from Mr. Rauner’s party, showing even mild support for them is apostasy. […]
What’s really outrageous is the brazenness with which Republican lawmakers continue to hawk their antivoter laws, and their bogus claims of widespread fraud, pretending to care about electoral integrity when what they’re really after is a smaller, whiter electorate that they believe is their ticket to eternal victory.
- The Dude Abides - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 11:38 am:
I have to give props to Rauner for signing the bill. I was half expecting him to come up with some fallacious excuse to veto it.
The voter ID laws pushed by the GOP is clearly nothing more than an attempt to suppress the vote of those who would likely vote for the other party.
- phocion - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 11:39 am:
Rauner winning accolades from both the NYT and the Wall Street Journal on the same day. He must be doing something right.
- Seats - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 11:41 am:
Props to Rauner for not vetoing this indeed
- Galena Guy - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 11:50 am:
As my dad used to say “Even a blind sow will find an acorn once in a while.”
Thanks to Bruce for doing the right thing.
- Anotherretiree - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 12:05 pm:
==blind sow…acorn…..== ..I’m writing that one down. Every once in awhile he does the right thing. But then there is the Life Ins veto….
I always thought this conservative push was about voter suppression. It was only recently I realized my mother didn’t have a Gov. id when she died. Angers me know when I hear them pushing this. She first voted WWW..Win With Wilkie
- H-W - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 12:06 pm:
I was told the decision to veto last year was in order to delay full implementation until after the next election. I am not sure, but that seems reasonable given the similarity between the rejected bill and the passed bill.
- Montrose - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 12:13 pm:
AVR, Transgender rights, immigrant rights, education funding - In about a week’s time, Rauner has done more to look like the governor he campaigned to be than he has in the past two and half years.
- Muscular - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 12:32 pm:
Bruce Rauner is turning himself into a RINO. I don’t know if he is acting like a Governor, but he is certainly pandering to Democrats.
- A guy - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 12:36 pm:
Half the strategy in registering non-traditional voters is (in addition to registering them at a new address) getting a very reliable contact (cell) phone number that puts them into the queue to barrage with messages.
Auto-register actually works against that very expensive and very labor intensive effort. This measure actually helps the GOP. It removes the most effective motivation method left to mobilize this group.
- Norseman - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 12:57 pm:
As Willy says, governors own.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 1:02 pm:
This is a good thing. Good on the Governor, and while it might seem like it could backfire, the reality is in the long run, there won’t be a worry of dragging out voters to vote and wonder their status in the overall. Just vote ‘em.
Thanks, - Norseman -.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 1:42 pm:
==Bruce Rauner is turning himself into a RINO==
Oh boy. Here we go. The litmus test police are out. You believe automatic voter registration is not a Republican issue?
+++++++++++++
To the post -
I’ve never understood the opposition to automatic voter registration. Those who oppose it act like there’s no check on it and that we will now be flooded with all kinds of illegal immigrant and other ineligible voters. You have to show the same sort of proof to register as you would in any other circumstance.
Heaven forbid we work to get as many people registered to vote as possible.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 1:43 pm:
Well, hopefully my post eventually comes through. I often am baffled as to why they get held up.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 1:46 pm:
===Bruce Rauner is turning himself into a RINO===
Get over yourself.
The RaunerS are Raunerites.
This is a good thing. Heaven forbid even fewer people vote.
- Veil of Ignorance - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 2:10 pm:
Would’ve been good for Sen. Manar and Rep. Gabel to get at least a mention, but it’s good to be the Governor sometimes…flick of the pen and you own everybody else’s hard work! Smart call by Rauner on this one.
- Galena Guy - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 2:12 pm:
BTW, my dad was born on a farm in Sesser, IL
- walker - Thursday, Aug 31, 17 @ 2:21 pm:
Rauner turned a bad week into a good one.