Don't relax the requirements for filling out voter registration forms!
Given that the current requirements for filling out Virginia’s voter registration form have existed for over a decade, it is difficult to understand why the Virginia Department of Elections has now decided that the guidelines for a completed registration form’s rejection must be relaxed. This is especially true given that the Virginia Code specifically requires a positive affirmation of the requirements that the proposed policy change will now effectively render as optional. The 2006 Code of Virginia § 24.2-418 - Application for registration says: “The form of the application to register shall require the applicant to provide the following information: full name; gender; date of birth; social security number, if any; whether the applicant is presently a United States citizen; address of residence in the precinct; place of last previous registration to vote; and whether the applicant has ever been adjudicated incapacitated or convicted of a felony, and if so, under what circumstances the applicant's right to vote has been restored."
The proposed relaxation of the requirements for filling out voter application forms is inviting a lot more fraud and abuse. Furthermore, if someone can’t even ensure that he/she has properly and completely filled out Virginia’s simple voter registration form, he/she isn’t capable of making an informed decision in the voting booth!