Democrats in Utah have proposed HB 91, which would provide for same-day voter registration as ostensibly a means of countering lower voter turnout in Utah.
For decades in the late 20th century, Utah had some of the highest voter turnout rates in the nation. Since then, we’ve fallen to the bottom third. Several factors are at play here — not least among them a series of vocal, anti-communist leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the ’70s and ’80s who fear-mongered the Democratic party — and with it, real electoral competition — out of Utah, thus leading to a pervasive attitude of apathy among Utah voters. (Recall that Utah voted for Lyndon Johnson in his re-election bid in the mid-60s.)
However, this does not completely account for low voter turnout rates, to which Utah House Democrats are vigorously trying to find a redress.
A second cause of low voter turnout that has produced the same effect — pervasive voter apathy — is safe Congressional districts. These are the first cause of low voter turnout to the extent that they serve as a disincentive for compromise and moderation, and an incentive not just to advocate extreme policies but to obstruct — or blatantly monkey-wrench — the mechanisms of government.
Moreover, Utah voters have become so busy that there is no longer sufficient time to vote — though this seems more a cop out than a reason. Can we really put a time limit on democracy, and if so, can we really call ourselves small-d democrats in any meaningful sense of the term?
The final and most explanatory cause derives from the fact that the pursuit of happiness has been perfected in a way such that it has discouraged people from partaking in efforts that, on the surface, do not seem directly, but only tangentially or incidentally, related to their autonomy and sovereignty as individuals and freedom.
So the consequent of the question, “what happens when the pursuit of happiness is perfected?” is that we stop acting like, or even being, Democrats — and thus we lose the condition that enabled the pursuit of perfection in the first place: our commitment to participating in small-d democratic politics.
What does that make us then, those who have perfected their pursuit of happiness? It makes us democratic losers and voyeur patriots, choosing to watch democracy happen from afar rather than take democracy for ourselves.
Utah Democrats have introduced HB 91 to solve this problem of low voter turn out, democratic loserness and voyeur patriotism. While same-day voter registration couldn’t conceivably hurt voter turnout, the problem is much larger and much deeper than this.