CHARLESTON (AP) – A push to automatically sign up voters that began with new laws in Oregon and California will soon likely hit a third, notably less liberal state – West Virginia.
The proposed change has taken a less-than-conventional route to the governor’s desk.
After condemning a Republican voter ID bill as the “voter suppression act,” Democrats offered an amendment to include automatic registration when people get driver’s licenses or IDs. The Republican-led Legislature accepted it without much resistance.
The reception was much cooler on the West Coast – only one Republican in California and none in Oregon voted for similar automatic registration setups. And in New Jersey, Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a similar proposal cleared by Democrats last year.
But West Virginia’s Republican Senate president had only positive things to say.
“If managed properly, automatic registration is a great benefit to our citizens and will encourage more people to go to the polls,” said Senate President Bill Cole, R-Mercer.
