By Howard Fischer || Capitol Media Services
Groups involved with signing up people to vote are asking a federal judge to block a new law that could leave some who move with no voter registration at all.
Groups involved with signing up people to vote are asking a federal judge to block a new law that could leave some who move with no registration at all.
And it could make felons out of volunteers who get people to register.
Attorney Daniel Arrellano said SB 1260 requires a county recorder to cancel someone’s registration on learning that person is registered to vote somewhere else.
Only thing is, he told U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow in filing a lawsuit challenging the law, there is nothing illegal about being registered in more than one place. And he said that happens when people move because they don’t automatically cancel their old registration.
What is illegal, Arellano said, is voting in more than one place.
The problem, he said, comes when each recorder discovers a registration from elsewhere — and each cancels the registration.
“This double cancellation could result in a person being suddenly stripped of any active voter registration and being removed from all active early voting lists, without any notice whatsoever,” from either county, Arellano wrote. “And even if a voter’s registrations are not all canceled, nothing in the Cancellation Provision prevents the cancellation of the voter’s registration where the voter currently resides, is eligible and intends to vote — a scenario that could also lead to disenfranchisement without notice.”
