This week we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), passed by Congress in 1993 with the intent of making voting accessible and free to all Americans.
In essence, the NVRA protects and preserves the most basic element of democracy. States are required to offer voter registration to anyone applying for a driver’s license, as well as to applicants for public assistance programs. The act also preserves the rights of Americans and civic organizations to run voter registration drives that help to enfranchise those citizens who are most at risk of failing to vote.
Despite some state’s efforts to complicate the voting process with additional regulations and requirements, the NVRA requires all states to recognize a one-page voting application that simply requires voters to swear they are who they say they are.
The NVRA “makes real our nation’s commitment to the principle that all citizens, no matter how poor, are equal members of our society,” says Dale Ho, managing attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU has been an integral part of the battle against voter registration reform in Arizona, where some groups want to change the law to require citizens to produce hard evidence of their citizenship. The ACLU maintains that such regulations unfairly burden the voter and can work to disenfranchise those citizens most in need of making their voices heard.
Throughout American history, oppressed populations have fought valiantly for the right to have their say in the political process. Still, despite the painstaking work of activists from suffragettes to civil rights leaders, less than 60 percent of voting-age Americans cast a ballot in the 2012 presidential election. Meanwhile, several states are working on legislation that will introduce new obstacles to the voting process.
Celebrate the NVRA’s birthday by registering to vote!
Click here for more information on the ACLU’s celebration of the anniversary of the NVRA.
Click here for a timeline of the history of voting rights.
Author Bio
Valerie Johnson
Founder
Valerie Johnson is a North Carolina personal injury and workers’ compensation attorney dedicated to helping injured and working people across the state. A board-certified specialist since 2000, she is the Immediate Past President of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and author of North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law: A Practical Guide to Success at Every Stage of a Claim.
