VOTER WATCH : Give Up, Gov. Wilson

Gov. Pete Wilson’s dogged attempt in the face of consistent reversals to invalidate the federal “Motor Voter” law is not just unwise but unseemly.

The National Voter Registration Act, which took effect last January, requires personnel in offices of the state Department of Motor Vehicles to help register those who wish to vote. Wilson and a few other governors have long contended that “Motor Voter” imposes a new unfunded federal mandate on the states. Their claim is dubious at best.

In the first place, the Constitution’s delegation of power to Congress to “make or alter” the regulations governing elections (Article I, Section 4) makes voter registration an inherently different sort of requirement than, say, obligating the states to fund health care for illegal immigrants.

Indeed, neither the federal trial judge who heard Wilson’s challenge last March nor the panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that considered it last July agreed with his position. The governor is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

What’s more, Wilson’s claim that “Motor Voter” imposes substantial new burdens on state employees is unsupported. County registrars of voters historically have handled the job of registration, and the counties themselves are legal creations of the state. The new law imposes no new obligation on the state.

California’s percentage of voter registration is among the nation’s lowest. Wilson says he applauds efforts to increase involvement in the political process. Then it’s time for him to applaud--if not applaud, at least not hinder--a law intended to do just that.