PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZA FRENETTE
Voting is the most essential part of our democracy. Looking through the Constitution, you can see that there are six amendments that specifically protect our right to vote.
As college students, we have two options: register to vote at home or here at Hamilton. No matter what you choose, we should be able to vote-by-mail; unfortunately, this is not a right everyone is entitled to.
In New York State, there is absentee voting, but you must have an excuse for not being able to physically vote on election day. These range from “absence from county or New York City on election day,” to “permanent illness or physical disability.”
New York recently passed an expansive voting reform law that allows for high school students to preregister to vote, nine days of early voting, and a single primary for federal and state elections. New York is the only state in the country to hold separate primaries for federal and state races.
Unfortunately, more important goals like same day registration and no-excuse absentee voting must be passed as constitutional amendments. This process is much more rigorous; the measure must be passed in two consecutive legislative sessions and then be approved by voters. This prevents these reforms from being implemented until 2021.
WIth such low voter turnout rates, it is important that we make voting as accessible as possible. Many states across the country are taking steps to actively encourage their citizens to actually get involved and vote.
New Jersey lawmakers recently passed a new bill dictating that everyone who voted-by mail in 2016–2018 automatically receives an election ballot in the mail. This will ensure that less frequent voters that voted in major federal elections, will still be involved in off-year election where the entire state government is up for election.
Colorado, Oregon, and Washington conduct all of their elections by mail. Critics might say that conducting elections in this manner might be much more expensive than conducting normal elections. In 2016, a study from the Pew Charitable Trusts found that Colorado cut their election administration costs by 40 percent over three years.
Another report from the National Vote and Home Institute found that states that conduct all their elections all by VBM had an increase of 10 percent in voter turnout. If voter turnout increased across the nation by that same percentage, 25 million more voters would come out and vote. 25 million more people deciding the path our country wants to take. That is the ideal we should aspire to.
When it comes down to it, everyone should have an equal opportunity to influence how our government functions. The decisions that are made from the federal level all the way down to local boards of education truly impact our communities and quality of life.
We as a nation have such a long way to go to make sure that every citizen not only has the right, but the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. But with the initiatives taken by New York and other states, I know we are starting down the path towards justice.
