Art Wilson: Give GOP time for fixing
The May 18 “Missing voters” editorial was perhaps well-intended but seemed misleading.
It’s correct the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA or “Motor Voter” law) intended to make registration easier. That “easier” equated to improvement of service is debatable, but it is correct that states have to provide individuals an opportunity to register to vote when they apply for a state’s driver license.
The editorial quoted supposed statistics from seven progressive political activist groups who oppose everything the Republican legislators have done since 2010. It further quotes a reference to the DMV as “an agency that has failed to do their jobs.”
The editorial goes awry in the inference that all this is because of the new voter laws and Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration. State bureaucracies such as DMV and the State Elections Board do not share databases nor common goals, and it is quite possible they do not play well with others. Passing a federal law doesn’t change that.
Most state agencies employ the same bureaucrats, and it’s almost impossible to fire them.
Don’t blame Republican legislators for not fixing in five years what the Democrats didn’t fix in 17.
Art Wilson
Fuquay-Varina
This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Art Wilson: Give GOP time for fixing."