On Nov. 29, the House of Representatives failed to override the governor’s veto of Senate Bill 250, the Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) bill. There are concerns the measure, as drafted, would run afoul of federal election law, while at the same time opening the door to voter fraud. Ensuring the proper mechanisms were included in the measure was the key reason Senate Republicans supported the Governor’s veto.
As written, Senate Bill 250 would have required that people automatically be registered to vote when they have contact with certain state agencies. For most, they would be registered when they obtain or renew a driver’s license. Currently, a person must agree to be registered to vote. Under the legislation, a person would automatically be registered unless they asked not to be.