How does the U.S. system of voter registration work? Explain how voter registration increases the costs of voting and affects voter turnout

Question

What would happen if other states adopted Election Day voter registration procedures? What would happen if the United States adopted the voter registration procedures used in most other democracies? What other elements of elections in other democracies could the United States adopt to increase voter turnout? The United States attempted to boost turnout by adopting the Motor Voter law. What does the law do and how has it affected the costs of registering to vote? How has this law affected voter turnout? Why do you think Motor Voter has had this effect?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An ideal response will:
1, Explain that voter registration in the United States requires nearly all citizens to place their names on the electoral roll in order to be eligible to vote.
2, Explain that voter registration makes it more costly to vote by requiring citizens to make themselves eligible to vote, usually several weeks before an election. Higher costs of voting tend to suppress voter turnout.
3, Evaluate what would happen if other states adopted Election Day voter registration procedures. Because such procedures reduce the costs of voting, turnout would likely increase.
4, Evaluate what would happen if the United States used the same voter registration procedures used in most other democracies. Note that in other democracies, the government takes responsibility for registering voters. In contrast, U.S. voters must take responsibility for their own voter registration if they wish to be able to vote. If the United States adopted this approach, the costs of voting would decrease and turnout would likely increase.
5, Describe the elements of elections in other democracies that could be adopted to increase voter turnout. For example, voters could be asked to vote less often, for fewer offices, and on weekends or holidays.
6, Note that Motor Voter allows citizens to register to vote when they apply for or renew their driver's license. This significantly reduces the costs of registering to vote by bringing to process to a place where citizens already interact with the government. While the law resulted in more voter registrations, voter turnout after passage of Motor Voter is not significantly different from voter turnout before the law was enacted.
7, Speculate as to why voter turnout did not increase after passage of Motor Voter. Students might note that Motor Voter makes it so easy to register that the rolls are flooded with voters with little or no interest in politics or voting. Alternatively, students might postulate that other factors were depressing turnout while Motor Voter stimulated turnout, resulting in no net change in the percentage of citizens who showed up at the polls. Students may offer other reasons for the lack of increased voter turnout after Motor Voter.