[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 31, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E72]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               REPEAL THE NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB STUMP

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 31, 2001

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, on the First day of the 107th Congress, I 
introduced legislation, H.R. 189, to repeal the National Voter 
Registration Act of 1993, the ``motor voter'' bill.
  The motor voter law, which was championed by the Clinton 
Administration, took effect in most states on January 1, 1995. It 
requires states to allow citizens to register to vote by mail, when 
applying for a driver's license and at certain public assistance 
agencies. Although motor voter's supporters touted the measure as a way 
to increase voter turnout by simplifying voter registration, the law 
has done very little to invigorate election interest. To the contrary, 
it has devalued voter registration and given citizens good reason to 
question the integrity of their vote.
  It is interesting to note that in 1992, President Bush vetoed motor 
voter legislation stating it amounted to an ``open invitation to fraud 
and corruption.'' His words could not have been more prophetic. Since 
the law's implementation, numerous incidents of illegal voting have 
surfaced. In fact, motor voter could be responsible for inviting 
millions of non-citizens and illegal aliens to register to vote.
  Motor voter has also created numerous administrative headaches for 
local election officials and has made the process of purging inactive 
voters for more cumbersome. It inhibits their ability to remove ``dead 
wood'' from their rolls by requiring them to keep registrants who fail 
to vote or who are unresponsive to voter registration correspondence to 
be maintained on the voter rolls for years. Motor voter is also 
responsible for numerous election-related glitches. In many 
jurisdictions, voters who thought they registered to vote when applying 
for a driver's license, found they were not registered when they went 
to the polls to cast their ballots. As noteworthy, in Durham county, 
North Carolina, the law created an odd statistical glitch. In 1999, the 
number of registration voters in the county surpassed the number of 
residents old enough to vote.
  Mr. Speaker, motor voter is unreasonable and overzealous. There is no 
need for this unyielding federal presence in voter registration. The 
states carry the responsibility for administering all elections and 
should be able to do so unfettered by unnecessary and burdensome 
federal intervention.
  Mr. Speaker, previous efforts to repeal motor voter has been 
unsuccessful, largely because of President Clinton's position. Under 
the Bush Administration, I believe we not have an opportunity to move 
forward with this important reform and reinstate confidence and 
integrity in our electoral system. I respectfully urge my colleagues to 
join me in re-establishing the rights of the states and local 
jurisdictions to administer voting programs that work best for them by 
cosponsoring H.R. 189.

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