Earlier this year, legislation that would have established automatic voter registration (AVR) almost made it to the finish line. It died without explanation.

AVR would have been an important step toward increasing Hawaii’s historically low voter turnout. AVR increases the opportunity for all eligible adults to be registered to vote at every election and brings with it a number of benefits.

Implementing AVR would increase the diversity of Hawaii voters, making it more representative of the state population. AVR lowers voter registration costs. And, AVR reduces registration-related errors.

With AVR, only eligible voters are registered to vote, state databases are promptly updated and there is greater accuracy on eligibility information, such as dates of birth, which leads to greater security of our elections.

As the legislators prepare for the 2020 session, I hope they will have the vision to encourage greater civic engagement through voting by supporting automatic voter registration in Hawaii. It can only help strengthen our democracy.

Forrest Batz

Keaau, Hawaii island

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