Donald Trump Is Objecting To Policies Which Benefit Him – Automatic voter registration is now in place in 23 of the 50 voting states across America.
Its gradual introduction across the United States has been ongoing since 2016, and has expanded from Oregon into nearly half of the nation. Pennsylvania became the latest to implement an automated system, where eligible voters are automatically enrolled into the state’s electoral register.
“Pennsylvania is at it again!” wrote former president Donald Trump following Gov. Josh Shapiro’s announcement last month.“The Radical Left Governor, Josh Shapiro, has just announced a switch to Automatic Voter Registration, a disaster for the Election of Republicans, including your favorite President, ME!”
Demographics And Democrats
Of course, the Republican frontrunner thinks any decision which may in the slightest way help the Democrats to be part of a scheme against his presidential ambitions.
In reality, it follows the logic of multiple behavioral studies, which found that people are less likely to “opt out” of a system than “opt in”.
Trump is right to note of the 23 states where automatic voter registration is implemented, 20 of them are Democrat-controlled. The party has also led the congressional effort through the For the People Act in 2021, which included a requirement that state-elections chiefs implement the policy, although the bill never passed the Senate.
Realistically, the implementation will benefit both parties, no matter who introduces it.
Certainly in Oregon, where a study found that new voters entering into the electoral roll were more likely to be younger, more rural, lower income, and more ethnically diverse than the electorate as a whole – demographics which should, in theory, benefit the GOP as much as the Democrats.
In a swing state such as Pennsylvania, it’s easy to see why changes to the electoral process are so heavily scrutinized.
Trump won the state in 2016, and lost it in 2020. While Pennsylvania alone did not decide the election, it certainly joined the trend of the other states which did.
Despite a strong turnout among Philadelphian black voters for Joe Biden in 2020 (a group which comprised one-sixth of his statewide vote), the state’s unique registration system through the Department of Motor Vehicles suggests city-based unregistered voters, many of whom may use public transport, are unlikely to benefit from the “opt out” system.
Democrats are adamant that there is no benefit to the party’s election chances by introducing the automated system, and Republicans have not challenged Gov. Shapiro’s new measure in court. Donald Trump’s outbursts are arguably only an opportunity to mask his ongoing election interference debacles, for which he is being criminally charged in two separate courts.
In reality, rural voters are set to benefit more than the urban electorate, which may play into the GOP’s hands come November 2024.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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