National Voter Registration Day 2015: White House, National Groups Stress Voter Participation
The White House and numerous civil rights organizations are honoring National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday.
With a proclamation, President Barack Obama recognized the right to vote as "cornerstone of what it means to be a free people."
"Voting is vital to a principle at the core of our democracy -- that men and women of free will have the capacity to shape their own destinies. On National Voter Registration Day, we recommit to upholding this belief by encouraging all eligible Americans to register to vote and exercise this essential right," Obama wrote in his proclamation.
Obama said his administration is dedicated to engage citizens to register and then vote, highlighting his 2013 nonpartisan commission on improving the voter experience. During a press call on Tuesday morning, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett said the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, led by Bob Bauer and Ben Ginsberg, delivered a report recommending states to adopt commonsense policies to reduce barriers and add initiatives such as online registration.
Noting more than 50 million eligible Americans are not yet registered, Jarrett said states have taken steps to make it easier for people to vote, referencing 28 states and Washington, D.C. adopting online voter registration.
"States have been the real leaders," said Jarrett.
Jarrett also announce vote.usa.gov, a federal website managed by the U.S. General Services Administration to "create a better experience" for voters. Visitors to the website can select their state or territory with the opportunity to register online or amend questionnaires on registration forms.
"Our Nation has one of the lowest voting rates among free societies, and Americans disenfranchise themselves by disengaging from our political process too often. Our country is only as strong as the leaders we elect, and the task of democracy is not theirs alone -- it is up to all our people to build the kind of world we want our children to inherit," Obama wrote.
The League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the largest and oldest nonpartisan U.S. Latino organization, has been working on voter registration drives including swing states with rising Latino influence, such as Virginia.
As LULAC National President Roger Rocha Jr. noted in an emailed statement, "Every thirty seconds a Latino turns 18 years old and helps to make the Latino community play a decisive role in campaigns - but only when we register to vote and vote."
Elsewhere, Mi Familia Vota and other groups are also conducting voter registration drives, especially as the date coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month. Voter registration drives are also taking place in Arizona, California, Colorado and Texas.
Must Read : Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortés Sheds Light on Latino Vote, Online Voter Registration
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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
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