“These proposed amendments would make voting much more convenient. Convenient voting would increase voter participation in our elections.”
The U.S. Constitution allows the state legislatures to determine when, where and how citizens vote. It is unnecessary to propose a Constitution amendment to make voting much more convenient and to increase voter participation. If state voting laws impede voter registration or voting access they can be challenged in court as they have been in the past. I suggest that you encourage your readers to approach their state legislatures to incorporate voting related improvements.
“Every county shall have at least one location devoted to issuing voter identifications. Any county with more than 50,000 persons shall have at least one voter identification issuing office for every 50,000 persons.”
It is inappropriate to establish a fixed number of offices per county to issue voter identification in a regulation. And even more so in the Constitution. The method of voting may change (mail-in in lieu of in person). If voting is allowed in person and by mail then the number of polling places can be adjusted based on the number of people who typically vote in person.
“Election Day shall be a national holiday.”
Polls in most states are open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm so working people can vote before or after work. Some companies give employees paid time off to vote. Many stores are open on federal holidays and employees get paid extra to work on holidays. Making election day a holiday may not increase voter participation. If most people choose mail-in voting there is no need for election day to be a national holiday.
“Mail-In voting shall be allowed in all federal elections. Mail-In votes must be notarized.”
As I recall Oregon requires all voting to be conducted by mail. In our state my wife votes by absentee ballot because she can’t walk long distances or stand in line for long periods. I oppose requiring notarization of a mail-in ballot. The expense of a notary is less significant than the inconvenience.
“Everyone shall be automatically registered to vote upon issuance of a driver’s license or nondriver’s identification except when the person receiving the identification or license is less than the age of 18 or the person is a non-citizen. When such a person reaches the age of 18, they shall be automatically registered to vote. All licenses and identifications shall expire every three years.”
Many states issue driver’s licenses to non-citizens but some states don’t ask if the applicant is a citizen. Some states record political affiliation with voter registration. Voter registration should not be automatic but should be allowed when applying for a driver’s license. Some state driver’s licenses don’t expire for 10 years or more. Citizens should not have to renew their voter registration every 3 years and the state department of motor vehicles should not be burdened with keeping voter registration current. When people permanently move they normally notify the U.S. Post Office. This is potential source of current resident data.
