Assembly Passes Bill That Would Allow Election Day Voter Registration

The Assembly on Thursday reversed itself and narrowly approved controversial legislation that would allow Californians to vote on Election Day without registering in advance.

The bill, authored by Assemblyman Peter Chacon (D-San Diego), would permit voters to cast their ballots in statewide elections after showing identification or being identified by another person registered to vote in their precinct.

Voters without identification or someone to vouch for them could vote after signing a statement swearing that they live in the precinct in which they are voting. Ballots cast in such a manner would not be counted until the county registrar of voters could verify the person’s residence.

Backed by Democrats

Chacon’s bill fell three votes short of passage in the Assembly Monday, but the San Diego lawmaker was given permission to take up the matter again. On Thursday, he was able to get the minimum 41 votes needed with 38 opposed, winning Assembly passage and sending the bill to the Senate.

All those voting for the bill were Democrats. The bill is part of a Democrat-backed package of election reform legislation.

Chacon said his legislation would end what he called an “elitist” system of requiring people to register to vote at least 29 days before an election. He said the current system discriminates against those who move shortly before an election, who forget to register or who do not become interested in the election until the last minute.

He said the bill was “the best single way to increase voter turnout.”

But Republicans balked, arguing that the bill was unnecessary and would encourage voter fraud.

Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-La Habra) blamed low voter turnout on Californians’ dissatisfaction with the work of the Legislature.

“All of us should look in the mirror,” Johnson said. “They (voters) believe the Legislature is unresponsive to their needs. This Legislature dawdles and then wrings their hands.”

Assemblyman Richard L. Mountjoy (R-Monrovia) said a similar laws in other states have been repealed or are under attack because of increased election fraud.

“No bill is more subject to fraudulent election practices than this bill,” Mountjoy said.

Used in Three States

But Chacon and his supporters said the three states that have Election Day registration now--Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin--do not have problems with voter fraud. They said the requirements for identification on Election Day would be stiffer than those now in place under registration by postcard or absentee voting.

Times staff writer Jerry Gillam contributed to this story.