California lawmaker introduces bill making voting mandatory

(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

published 6 February 2020

If a California lawmaker has his way, registered voters in the state will be required to participate in every election.

On Tuesday, Assemblyman Marc Levine (D) introduced Assembly Bill 2070, making voting mandatory. "Democracy is not a spectator sport — it requires the active participation of all its citizens," Levine said in a statement. "California is a national leader on expanding voting rights to its citizens. Those rights come with a responsibility by registered voters to cast their ballot and make sure that their voice is heard by their government."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

California's latest statewide report on elections found that there are more than 20.3 million registered voters in the state, with nearly two million more eligible to vote, but not registered. In recent years, voters have been coming out to the polls in higher numbers, with 64.5 percent of California's registered voters participating in the November 2018 election. This year, the state's primary was moved up to March 3, in order to encourage even more people to vote.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox