President’s Veto Puts Brake on ‘Motor-Voter’ Registration Bill

WASHINGTON — President Bush on Thursday vetoed legislation that would require states to register voters when they apply for driver’s licenses or government benefits, saying it would impose needless, costly and constitutionally questionable federal regulation.

“It would also expose the election process to an unacceptable risk of fraud and corruption without any reason to believe that it would increase electoral participation to any significant degree,” Bush said in his veto message.

But Sen. Wendell H. Ford (D-Ky.), the primary author of the measure dubbed the “motor-voter bill,” said Bush’s fear that fraud would result is “not justified by the facts.” He said the 28 states that already have such a registration system have recorded no increase in voting fraud.

People for the American Way, a liberal lobbying group, called the veto “baldly political” and justified “with the most flimsy and unconvincing rationale.”

Because driver’s licenses have become almost as common as Social Security cards, supporters said the bill would reach 90% of the estimated 60 million people who are eligible to vote but are not now registered.

Bush noted that the bill would exempt states from its requirements if it permitted voters to register on Election Day. That would increase the difficulties of verifying voter eligibility and “thus, the bill would increase substantially the risk of voting fraud,” he said.