Two months after announcing her bid for the 2016 Presidential race, Hillary Clinton is pushing for universal, automatic voter registration for all Americans at the age of 18. Clinton spoke at Texas Southern University in Houston, one of the largest HBCUs in the country, after receiving the Barbara Jordan Public-Private Leadership Award. Jordan, a Civil Rights Movement activist, was the first black politician to be elected to the Texas Senate and the first southern black woman to be elected to the House of Representatives. This honor also correlated with Clinton’s belief that there is a growing effort to dismantle the voting rights of people of color.
Clinton made clear the fact that people could decide not to be included in the automatic registration, if that was their choice. She also proposed for an early voting standard of at least 20 days before any election, better availability to register online and a decrease on waiting times for election days. Clinton says, “I think this would have a profound impact on our elections and our democracy.”
Clinton also used the moment to criticize Rick Perry (who just recently announced his own 2016 Presidential bid) and fellow Republicans, such as Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush for their lack of progressive action towards extended voting rights. However, the RNC called Clinton’s comments “misleading and divisive.” Orlando Washington, RNC communications for black media reported to BuzzFeed News: “In reality, the vast majority of Americans—including minority voters—support commonsense measures to prevent voter fraud. Clinton’s shameless attacks ignore the fact her Democrat-led home state of New York does not allow early voting while dozens of Republican-led states do.”
Clinton further referenced a law passed in Oregon in March which registered any person who visited the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as a staple for increased voting rights in the country—a law which no Republicans passed. Matt Barreto, a political scientist and principal at the polling firm Latino Decisions say Oregon has displayed the closest law to opt-out voting rights than most. “You’re not forcing anyone to vote but you’re taking those barriers down,” Barreto explained. “It gets her back into that discussion about fairness and equality and puts Republicans on the defensive about if they want everyone voting.” Barreto says this push for increased voting rights is a positive for Clinton’s campaign, especially since it is voted on by states: “It’s a good side to be on.” Clinton’s call for greater voting rights certainly presents a better POV for voters and sparks the beginning of our next presidential race.