2.28.18
Suggested lead: Washington is poised to be the latest state
to authorize same-day voter registration.
Dan Frizzell has more.
Wrap (:60 total): 15 states and the District of Columbia do
it, and the governor signs the bill as expected, we’ll join the club here in the
Evergreen State. If you’re
otherwise qualified – U.S. citizen, 18 or over, Washington resident – you’ll be
able to register and vote right up to the moment the polls close on election
day. That shaves a week off the
current rules for in-person registration.
Representative Laurie Jinkins, a Tacoma Democrat, says she benefited from
same-day registration as a college student in Wisconsin, the first state to
adopt the practice. She talked
about the experience meant so much to her Tuesday in a speech on the House floor
in Olympia.
JINKINS:
“Voting young is habit-forming, and it’s contagious.
I have a ton of bad habits, but this is one really
awesome habit and I am so happy I got it.
I think this is a habit that we should want our young
people to have.” [:15]
Same-day voter registration was part of the House
majority’s Access to Democracy initiative this year.
A sweeping Voter Rights Act, another bill in the package, also got a
thumbs-up on Tuesday. In Olympia,
I’m Dan Frizzell.