PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May 25, 2017) — Legislation to automatically put anyone who applies for a Rhode Island driver’s license on the state’s voter rolls — unless they opt out — is headed for a full House vote after a committee approved it on Wednesday, despite recent findings that voters are registered now at police stations, UPS stores, strip malls and other bogus “home” addresses.
The legislation was one of 13 pieces of legislation slated for votes by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, on their way to House approval.
Championed by Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, the move towards automatic voter-registration has the backing of a litany of groups, including the NAACP, League of Women Voters, Common Cause Rhode Island, Young Democrats of R.I. , the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and Gov. Gina Raimondo.
