January 1991 Home   Newsletters

February 1991

March 1991

Charter Review and the Public (Jean Aoki)
Balance of Service (Marilyn Bornhorst)
Viewpoint (Arlene Ellis)
Women at the Peace Table (Ruth W. Iams)
Proposed Budget FY 1991-92
Ala Wai Community and Convention Center (Queen Emma Foundation)
Committee Nominates Slate of Directors for Honolulu League
Action Alert
Guide to Ethics in Municipal Government (W. Edwin Sumner)
Your Opinion Matters
Thank You (Anne Parton)
Membership Column

Action Alert

The League's campaign for voter registration reform has commenced in the 102nd Congress!

The National Voter Registration Act of 1991 was introduced on Wednesday, January 23 by Senator Wendell Ford (D KY) and Senator Mark Hatfield (R OR). This "motor-voter" bill, S 250, would enable citizens to apply to register to vote in federal elections through:

  • motor voter registration-simultaneously with their driver's license application

  • mail registration

  • agency registration-in person at offices of selected government agencies.

Please contact your senators now and urge them to co-sponsor S 250 -- the National Voter Registration Act. Remind Your senators that their support is needed for this critical legislation, which would:

  • break down unnecessary barriers to voter registration,

  • reach over 90% of eligible voters, enfranchising millions of Americans.

It is expected that "motor-voter" legislation will be introduced in the House shortly by Representative Al Swift (D WA).

The need for voter registration reform on the national level is great. Voter turnout in the 1990 election was approximately 36%, the lowest since 1942. Barely half of eligible voters participated in the 1988 presidential election. The hodgepodge of state and local registration practices constitutes a significant barrier to voter participation. In fact, these procedures are discriminatory in some jurisdictions.

When people are registered, they do vote. Fully 80% to 90% of registered voters participate in presidential elections. The National Voter Registration Act, if passed, would reach more than 90% of the eligible electorate.

The Senate is expected to hold hearings on S 250 at the end of March. The League anticipates testifying at the hearings, and it is essential to have as many co-sponsors of the legislation as possible at that time. Please contact your senator now.

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