By Bob Katzen

The House 16-139, rejected an amendment that would allow voters to register to vote at the polls on Election Day. Under current law, a person must register at least 20 days before the date of the election.

“Election Day Voter Registration is the ultimate way to ensure that every voter is enfranchised,” said the amendment’s sponsor Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (D-Northampton).“It falls to the Legislature to make voting as easy and accessible as possible to as many as possible, particularly our constituents who spend more time worrying about how they are going to pay their bills than if their voter registration is up-to-date or turned in. The need and the urgency for us to make things as easy and straightforward for the average person has never been more pressing than in the era of COVID-19.”

“I spoke with the clerks several times throughout the bill drafting process to understand their needs and provide solutions that will make the 2020 elections fair and safe for everyone,” said Rep. Lawn. “We believe that the final bill does just that and overwhelmingly my colleagues agree. While considering the new technology that clerks will be using, the great increase in processing mail-in ballots and our heavy reliance on senior poll workers, we feel that Election Day registration would be an added stress and may lead to potentially longer lines at the polls, making it more challenging to keep our voters and election officials healthy and safe.”