Wilson Asks Supreme Court to Kill ‘Motor Voter’ Law : Politics: Governor says it is unconstitutional to require Department of Motor Vehicles to register voters.

Gov. Pete Wilson appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to resolve his challenge of a federal law requiring state Department of Motor Vehicles offices to register voters.

Wilson is one of a few governors who have complained that the federal requirement--passed by Congress and made effective last January--is unconstitutional because it violates fundamental concepts regarding federalism and states’ rights.

Wilson’s challenge lost its first round in March in a federal court in San Jose. Last July, the governor’s case was rejected again in a unanimous decision of a conservative, three-judge panel on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Wilson officials said, however, they are undeterred because the decision involves important constitutional questions about federalism that require an interpretation from the U.S. Supreme Court.

“While I applaud efforts to increase involvement in the political process, ‘Motor Voter’ is the Clinton Administration’s latest assault on states’ sovereign rights to run their own agencies and to determine the jobs of their own employees,” Wilson said in a statement Monday.

“What business does the federal government have in telling state motor vehicle clerks that they need to set aside their state job responsibilities to carry out Washington’s newest mandate?”

Wilson has complained that the federal requirement will cost California about $18 million a year.

But advocates for expanding voter registration efforts--including the American Civil Liberties Union--say it has already proven effective at opening the political process to large segments that have not participated. Advocates estimate that about 50% to 70% of eligible voters in California are now registered and that the federal law could raise that figure to 95%.

For Wilson, however, the so-called “Motor Voter” bill is a symptom of a broader problem in the United States. The governor has spoken extensively about the need to reduce federal regulations and turn over more authority to the states, an issue focused on interpretations of the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment.

“We are confident that, should the high court take up this important matter, it will make a strong statement about the 10th Amendment and the limits of the federal government to commandeer agencies and employees of state government,” Wilson said.