Mar 17, 2015 2 min read

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, and the irony that many states, mostly dominated by the GOP, have been working diligently to curtail the ability of citizens to cast ballots by reducing early voting hours and enacting pointless voter ID laws to combat “fraud” has been ruefully noted in many quarters.

Of course, the real intent of these laws isn’t to strengthen the ballot, as supporters claim, but to keep certain voters away from polling places, and they would mostly be poor people, minorities and students who move frequently or don’t have the time or resources to leap through the necessary hoops to get the requisite identification or wait in line on Election Day.

Considering that only 36 percent of eligible voters across the country cast ballots in the midterm election in November, the lowest percentage since World War II, we should be doing more to encourage people to vote, and making it easier.

One state, thankfully, is doing just that.

On Monday, Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon signed a measure that would automatically register residents whose information is contained with that state’s Department of Motor Vehicles system. They then will be sent a postcard asking if they would like to opt out of registration, and to choose a party. If they decline to pick a party, they will then be designated as “unaffiliated.”

It’s expected to add about 300,000 new voters to the rolls. Voting in Oregon is already easier than it is in other states, with a vote-by-mail system that has boosted turnout there. In November, close to 70 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. In comparison, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia all had turnouts closer to 40 percent.

“I challenge every other state in this nation to examine their policies, and to find ways to ensure there are as few barriers as possible for citizens’ right to vote,” Brown said upon signing the bill.

More states – including our own – should follow Oregon’s example.