Saturday, October 22, 2005
Editorial: Registering a new generation
From the RoundTable blog
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Getting hooked on voting at an early age can ensure a lifetime of civic participation. The New Voters Project realizes this and sent its emissaries to college campuses around Virginia to register students for the Nov. 8 election.
Despite a few hiccups, the group's activism should help another generation take an interest in government.
The group registered thousands of young, would-be voters on campuses this year, but hit a snag when it submitted forms to local registrars. Many were incomplete or filled out incorrectly. Moreover, they arrived just before the registration deadline, which created headaches for registrars.
Fortunately, collaboration, not confrontation, is carrying the day. The New Voters Project is working with registrars to prevent the same problems from occurring next time.
One thing is beyond local solution, though. State law regarding who counts as a resident Virginian eligible to vote is open to interpretation by registrars. The secretary of state's office or the General Assembly should clarify the rules.
The trick now will be getting all those freshly registered young people to show up on Election Day.
