D.C. City Council Considers Election Reform

On July 13, 2009, D.C. City Council’s Committee on Government Operations and the Environment held a hearing on the Omnibus Election Reform Act of 2009 (Bill 18-345). Introduced by Councilmembers Mary Cheh, Harry Thomas and Chairman Vincent Gray, the bill includes a variety of FairVote-endorsed election reforms and has strong support from a number of pro-democracy organizations in the District. The bill would allow 16-year-olds to pre-register to vote, permit 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they are eligible to vote in the general election and establish same-day registration. It also expands the eligibility requirements for poll workers and sets up a commission to study the feasibility of automatic voter registration. FairVote has previously argued that Washington, D.C. should be a beacon of democracy, a model for election reform and administration that can serve as a positive example to the rest of the country. FairVote’s Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified at the hearing.

• Omnibus Election Reform Act of 2009 (Bill 18-345)
• Read Adam Fogel’s Testimony
• Making the District More of a Democracy (Washington Post)
• More on Youth Voter Pre-Registration
• More on 17-year-old Primary Voting