Disenfranchisement is a shame

To the editor:

A news story mentioned one voter problem being failure of Division of Motor Vehicles to share information with election offices when people have been asked at DMV whether they wish to register to vote.

Also, started by the efficiency of our DMVs (as opposed to other states’ mind-numbing processes), happy to receive our documents right away, and more concerned about the photos than anything else; people might miss mistakes that bar voter registration: one wrong digit or wrong direction in an address gets it booted as non-existent.

This may, or may not, be caught prior to Election Day when, say, getting ones utilities turned on or when mail goes missing or some other anomaly appears.

Let’s not overlook human nature, e.g., the power that DMV clerks have to sit behind their counters and decide who they wish to vote and who not, due to general appearance, ethnicity, newness to the state (oil workers beware), or whatever. Experience and practice should eliminate inputting incorrect data, but it happens.

It is each individual’s responsibility to check the data on their driver’s license etc. before leaving DMV. They are supposed to give you a new one free if the mistake wasn’t due to bad handwriting on your application. We are also advised to follow up at election offices within a reasonable time to see if registration is on file and to be sure where the polling places is. Voting is important. Voter disenfranchisement for whatever reason is a loss and a shame.

Carol Neuerman

Palmer