Connecticut & Mandatory Voter Registration - A Recipe for a Slow Motion Train Wreck

Mandatory voter registration is the most recent nonsensical idea sprouting up on the left. The basic premise is simple, at least according to their theory. However the actual implementation and execution of the process is another matter altogether especially when the DMV is involved.

The basic idea is that whenever a person goes into the DMV to procure a license or an ID, they will be mandatorily registered to vote that is unless they want to opt out. A few states that have decided to give this a try but it is unlikely to provide any benefit at the polls if our experience is similar to that of other countries that have forced citizens to register. For example, Canada attempted the same process back in the 90s only to see voter turnout decline. So what is the driving force? Votes.

Connecticut is one of the states that has recently adopted the process. However, their method could best be described as underhanded. Denise Merrill, Connecticut Secretary of State, and Michael Bzdyra, Connecticut DMV Commissioner, recently took it upon themselves to bypass the legislature and consequently the will of the people.

The "memorandum of agreement," signed Monday by DMV Commissioner Michael Bzdyra and Deputy Secretary of the State James Spallone, says the new system, under which the DMV customer would be registered to vote unless he or she specifically declines by choosing to opt out, would begin operating by August 2018.

Under the current program, the DMV customer is registered to vote only if he or she actively chooses that option.

On Tuesday, Bzdyra and the state's top elections official, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, jointly announced the agreement that accomplishes what Merrill proposed in a bill that did not win approval during the recently concluded regular 2016 General Assembly session.

Connecticut’s DMV has had numerous issues with voter registration in the past. It seems beyond reason or at the very minimum counterintuitive that a bill unable to make it through the state legislature is put in place anyway without the blessing of its citizens. This is simply deceitful and appalling. It is an affront to the citizens of the great state of Connecticut. The DMV’s track record clearly does not justify adding more responsibility to the agency. This fact coupled with method in which the system is being adopted show that the push is not about the people. It’s about a perceived benefit during elections. Something is not right with the whole situation and whenever that is the case, all you need to do is follow the money. Check out line 12.