It isn’t often that I agree with Rich Moniak, but I do agree with him that linking Permanent Fund Dividend and voter registration will cost the state without the results stated by the supporters.
Decades ago federal law mandated that the Division of Motor Vehicles, public assistance and military recruitment offices offer everyone an opportunity to register to vote. Before retirement, I worked for public assistance, and it was a rare occasion that anyone actually took the opportunity to register.
Second, the State of Alaska and federal agencies have links on their websites to register to vote. If Alaskans can find the link to register for their PFD and other state services, then they can find the link to register to vote.
The real problem isn’t getting people registered; the problem is getting them to VOTE! The measure of success is not how many are registered but the percentage of registered voters that actually vote. The only value in the measure is to update addresses on voter registration, and the financial cost is too high for that small benefit. I will vote “No” on Ballot Measure 1.
Valerie Horner
Juneau