Two Ex-Secretaries of State Introduce Bill to Clean Up Voter Rolls

Two former secretaries of state introduced a bill yesterday that would direct states to implement a voter registration check and verification when individuals move.

Reps. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.) introduced the Voter Registration Integrity Act to help clean up out-of-date voter registration databases.

“Voting is a right, but with that right, each voter has the responsibility to be legally registered and to follow all relevant laws in casting a ballot. Voter fraud is a proven danger that dilutes honest votes and erodes public confidence in our electoral process – indeed, it threatens the very foundation of our republic,” said Rokita.

“Preventing ineligible voters from casting ballots depends in large part on having accurate, clean records of eligible voters.  As a former Indiana Secretary of State, I can attest that the Voter Registration Integrity Act will be a valuable tool to help state election administrators ensure the integrity of their voter rolls.”

Currently, when people move out of state and register their new address with the state motor vehicle department, they are also asked if they would like to register to vote. The legislation would require DMVs to determine whether individuals want their new location to serve as their residence for voting in federal elections, and then notify their former state of residence so they can be removed from the old voter registration rolls.

“This bill, along with other legislation such as the landmark voter ID law that we passed in Indiana and successfully defended before the Supreme Court, will protect the right of every American to cast a ballot that counts,” Rokita said. “I can think of nothing more worthy of protection.”

“I found it appalling when it was reported that a congressional candidate in the state of Maryland, Wendy Rosen, had registered to vote in both Maryland and Florida and voted in the 2006 and 2008 general elections and the 2008 Presidential Primary in both states,” said Miller. “This type of behavior cannot be tolerated and we must make every effort to prevent it from happening in the future.”