Rock the youth vote

July 29, 6:07 AMWashington Law ExaminerMichael Reitz

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A recent look at the state voter database revealed over 16,000 teens who were registered to vote in Washington before they were eligible. Mobilizing the youth vote is fine, but this flaw in our voter registration database has resulted in at least 127 illegal votes over the last eight years. Four underage votes were cast in the presidential primary last February.

State law allows 17-year-olds to register to vote if they will turn 18 before the next election. But while most people think of November as election season, the state also has special elections and primaries. Since 2000, over 16,000 teens have been prematurely registered.

Analysts at the Evergreen Freedom Foundation discovered this problem and filed a complaint with the Secretary of State. Here's the response from the election division. One of the most effective security measures we can pursue is a clean voter registration list. After the razor-thin magin of victory in the 2004 gubenatorial election, Washingtonians know all too well that every vote can make a difference.  

Listen here as EFF legal counsel Jonathan Bechtle and I discuss the problem.