The “Pre-registration of Voters Everywhere (PROVE) Act”
Have you heard about Congressional Bill S.1783 (aka The PROVE Act)? The PROVE act is a bill to require each State to implement a process under which individuals who are 16 years of age may apply to register to vote in Federal elections. It would also direct the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to States to increase the involvement of minors in public election activities.
In other words, it would make it easier for young citizens to register to vote. Imagine registering at the same time you get your driver’s license. Or registering as a statement of civic engagement even if you can’t vote yet. The bill’s language specifically mentions “Activities to Encourage Involvement of Minors in Election Activities”.
On top of that, the bill proposes modifications to the curriculum of secondary schools to promote civic engagement and “such other activities to encourage the involvement of young people in the electoral process as the State considers appropriate.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois is the sponsor of the bill. It was introduced on Sept 7, 2017 and is still in the first state of the legislative process. We need to get some traction behind the bill. Currently the Senators who have signed on to it are all Democrats:
Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (joined Sep 7, 2017)
Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] (joined Sep 12, 2017)
Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (joined Sep 14, 2017)
Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (joined Sep 19, 2017)
Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (joined Sep 25, 2017)
Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (joined Sep 26, 2017)
Brown, Sherrod [D-OH] (joined Oct 16, 2017)
In addition, there is a related bill in the House (H.R. 3684), sponsored by Donald Beyer from Virginia.
Contact your representatives to tell them you want to see this move forward!
VOICE OF THE VOTELESS 