Local advocacy groups are expressing their disappointment over Delaware’s State Senate failing to consider same day voter registration as the 147th General Assembly drew to a close Monday.
The Same Day Registration Coalition, an assembly of more than a dozen organizations including ACLU Delaware and Common Cause Delaware, called on lawmakers to take up the issue again in 2015.
Apryl Walker, a spokesperson for the group, says lawmakers worried about keeping their seats in an election year was just one factor contributing to HB 105 not getting a vote before the close of the legislative session on Monday.
"Unfortunately there was a lot of misinformation spread by folks about voter fraud and it being some kind of real problem when it isn’t a real problem in this state or anywhere, quite frankly, in this country," said Walker.
Same day voter registration legislation was passed by the House on April 3 of this year before stalling in the Senate. Walker says that members of both parties can work to keep that from happening again next time.
"I think there’s a lot to be done on both sides of the aisle in terms of making sure that politicians understand that it’s more important to give folks more access to the polls than it is for them to protect their incumbency, that their self interest is not more important than our democracy," said Walker.
Same day registration was not alone in failing to gain legislative approval this session. Bills to repeal the death penalty and decriminalize marijuana also came up short and will have to be re-introduced in January.
