UNIVERSAL VOTER REGISTRATION ACT OF 1977

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1977

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION,

Washington, D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:00 a.m., in room 2318, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Frank Thompson, Jr., chairman, presiding.

Present: Representatives Thompson, Gaydos, Minish, Davis, Burton, Panetta, Ammerman, Cleveland, Wiggins, Frenzel, Stockman, and Badham.

Also present: William H. Cable, Staff Director and Associate Counsel, Robert E. Moss, General Counsel, and Linda Nave, Minority Staff.

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN THOMPSON

Chairman THOMPSON. The hearing will come to order.

We are beginning today a series of legislative hearings on H.R. 5400, the Universal Voter Registration Act of 1977.

H.R. 5400 has broad bipartisan support. I have been joined in the original House sponsorship of the legislation by my colleagues, Representatives Brademas, Conte, and Whalen.

Last year in what was a logical extension of electoral reform legislation going back many years, this committee reported and the House passed a bill providing for a national system of postcard voter registration. That bill, however, was not enacted into law.

In my judgment the bill before us today is superior in both concept and procedure to postcard registration. This improvement is the result of a joint effort to rethink the approach to simplifying our voter registration laws on the part of the White House, particularly Vice President Mondale, Senators Cannon, Kennedy, Cranston, Congressman Brademas, and myself.

We analyzed the experience of postcard registration as compared with election day registration and found the latter a far more effective and less costly approach to increasing citizen participation in the electoral process.

H.R. 5400 is built around the concept of election day registration which has proved effective in the four States that utilized it in 1976, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, and North Dakota.

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Unregistered citizens who are otherwise qualified under State law will show up and identify themselves at polling places on election day. Their identity will be established and they may then register and vote. That is the basic thrust of H.R. 5400. Qualified citizens will be permitted to register and vote on election day.

Additionally, we encourage registration between elections and provide a vehicle to administer the act and we provide severe penalties for registration fraud, a $10,000 fine and 5 years in prison or both for the first offense.

I personally have been deeply involved at every level of registration of American voters for more than 30 years, from knocking on doors to serving as the national chairman of President Kennedy's 1960 effort.

I am firmly committed to the removal of all barriers to citizen participation in the electoral process. That means a simple and honest system for voter registration. I think H.R. 5400 will accomplish that goal.

[The bill, H.R. 5400 follows:]

95TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION

Union Calendar No. 162

H. R. 5400

[Report No. 95-318]

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 22, 1977

Mr. THOMPSON (for himself, Mr. BRADEMAS, Mr. CONTE, and Mr. WHALEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration

MAY 13, 1977

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]

A BILL

To establish a universal voter registration program, and for other

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purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa

2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

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-SHORT TITLE

SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the "Universal

5 Voter Registration Act of 1977”,

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FINDINGS AND PURPOS

SEC. 2. (a) The Congress hereby finds that

(1) the Congress has authority, under sections 4

and 8 of article I, section 1 of article II, article VI,

sections 1 and 5 of article XIV, article XV, and other

provisions of the Constitution of the United States, to

I-O

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regulate the time and manner in which citizens may register for, and vote in, elections for Federal office; and

(2) the establishment of national standards for voter registration with respect to elections for Federal -office would facilitate the participation of citizens in the

-electoral process and would remove unequal barriers regarding such participation.

(b) It is the purpose of this Aet

(1) to establish uniform practices with respect to the time and manner in which citizens may register for, and vote in, elections for Federal office, includ

ing practices which permit citizens qualified to vote in Federal elections under State law to register for, and vote in, a Federal election at an appropriate polling place on the date of such election; and

(2) to provide financial and other assistance to encourage States to provide expanded opportunities for voter registration before and on the date of Federal elections and State or local elections, and to modernize the administration of elections and voter registration.

-DEFINITIONS

SEC. 3. For purposes of this Aet

(1) the term "Administrator" means the Adminis

trator of Voter Registration appointed under section 4(b)(1);

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(2) the term "Commission" means the Federal Election Commission;

(3) the term "Federal office" means the office of

President or Vice President, or the office of elector for

President or Vice President, or the office of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress;

(4) the term "Federal election" means any general election and any special election, including any runoff -election held with respect to a special election, hold for

the purpose of electing candidates for any Federal office; (5) the term "State" means each State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Common wealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession

of the United States;

(6) the term "State or local election" means any general election for public office other than a Federal -election;

(7) the term "State or local official" means any individual who acts as an official or agent of a govern ment of a State or of a unit of general local government,

an election board of a unit of general local government,

er a voter registration board of a unit of general local

government, to register qualified voters or to conduct or

supervise any Federal election in a State; and