Blog: On National Voter Registration Day, It's Time to Get Involved

Statement

Today is National Voter Registration Day, and this is a very important year to get registered and get involved in our electoral system. 471 members of Congress, 36 governors, and 46 state legislatures will be on the ballots during this year's midterm elections -- not to mention my own race for the United States Senate here in Maine. Election Day is our time and opportunity to make our voices heard. But in order to do so, we need to get as many people registered to vote as early as possible.

As of November 2012, 51 million eligible voters -- that's one in four Americans -- were not registered to vote. This lackluster participation in our democracy is a tragedy, but worse are the efforts of some politicians to stop people from voting.

We've seen it here in Maine. In July 2011, Republican Governor Paul LePage signed a bill to take away Mainers' right to same-day voter registration. That fall, as head of the Maine ACLU, I helped lead the fight to restore our voting rights. Who led the fight on the other side? Susan Collins' communications director, Lance Dutson, worked hard to defeat same day voter registration. He and his Republican allies attacked students, suggesting wrongly that they might be breaking the law by registering to vote. I remember a late-night call from one student, Ryan, and his father wanting to know if the threatening letter they had received from the Republican Secretary of State was real.

The people of Maine said no to these vicious attacks on students and voting. Voter turnout in 2011 was strong, and same day voter registration was restored. We won in every legislative district in every county in the state.

This November, when Mainers go to the polls to cast their ballots, they'll be able to register to vote onsite -- a tradition dating back to 1972 that has served to increase voter turnout and participation across the state. I was proud to help lead that fight, and I will always stand up for voting rights.

Same-day voter registration is a tradition and a privilege here in Maine -- one that we've had to fight to keep intact. But registering to vote in advance makes it far more likely that you'll make it a priority to vote, and with so much on the line this year, voting needs to be a priority. So, don't wait. Join hundreds of thousands of others across the country and register to vote today.

Too often in our past, too many people in power have abused their power to try to restrict who decides the outcomes of our elections. Cynically, they seem to fear that if too many voters participate, they will lose their power. We need to stand strong against those who would block progress and assert with a clear voice that our rights will not be infringed or challenged. There are more of us than them, and the people will win every time...if we exercise our freedom to vote. Join us today on National Voter Registration Day in a collective commitment to register any eligible voters who want to make their voices heard come Election Day. That is the promise of American citizenship, and it's one we will do everything in our power to keep.

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