UNLIKELY FOES: It’s not often the ACLU finds itself at odds with like-minded grassroots advocacy groups on the topic of expanding voter registration. But a bill aiming to do just that has the influential civil liberties union taking a strong stand to buck traditional allies, working to gut the proposal as it comes before the Assembly Elections Committee tomorrow morning. The measure, backed by the California Grassroots Democracy Coalition, would automatically register people to vote who are eligible and have not already done so when they submit documents to the DMV for a license or otherwise. But the bill is expected to be watered down in committee tomorrow to remove the automatic registration component, instead creating a “preapproved registration list” where people would still need to opt in before registering. The proposed changes follow heavy lobbying from the ACLU, League of Women Voters and NALEO, which had worked to implement the current voter registration system that has been in place for nearly a decade. But the groups remain opposed to the bill because they fear it still allows the DMV to “be the arbiter of citizenship” and provide “building blocks” toward a system they reject, Dora Rose, deputy director of the League of Women Voters of California, told Playbook. Advocates argue changes like automatic registration are necessary to help sign up the 4.7 million eligible Californians not yet registered, pointing to the low turnout in the March primary elections. Ten other states and Washington, D.C., have similar automatic systems in place. But the three groups argued that switching to a “back-end” model would increase confusion, erroneously sign up ineligible people to vote and cost the DMV millions of dollars annually. “Switching from the system that we have in place that's been working well for years to that system — without any evidence to support that it would be better — is not just extremely expensive and risky, we see it as reckless,” said Brittany Stonesifer, an attorney for the ACLU of Northern California. Currently, through a “front-end” process, a person must answer a set of questions at the DMV certifying they are eligible to vote before they can be registered. The bill’s advocates contend the current process complicates registration and leads to millions of people — many of whom come from underrepresented groups — opting out entirely. They dispute the opposition's concerns as “containing numerous misrepresentations or misunderstandings.” Christina Montoya, communications director for the bill’s author Sen. Monique Limón, told Playbook the amendments were necessary to get the support of the elections committee and another surprising critic of the bill: former local elections official and committee chair Gail Pellerin. Pellerin originally signed on as a co-author last year but removed her name after looking closer into the bill, telling Playbook she had been an enthusiastic new member but the measure ultimately “was not what I had thought it was.” “I learned something from everybody,” Pellerin said when asked if the ACLU’s opposition played a role in her shift. Pellerin, who served as Santa Cruz County’s chief elections official for nearly two decades prior to winning an Assembly seat in 2022, said she has worked with and respects the groups on both sides. “It's tough being in the middle of something like this,” Pellerin said. “But I do have a fundamental concern with registering people to vote without their consent or knowledge.” Limón said over 140 organizations support the proposal, but lamented that there are “three very, very, important ones that are not necessarily supportive.” “It’s unfortunate that this is where we're at,” Limón said after speaking at a rally for the bill outside the Capitol earlier in the month. Neal Ubriani, policy and research director with the left-leaning nonprofit Institute for Responsive Government, which backs automatic voter registration efforts nationwide, struck a diplomatic tone in response to the amendments — which he worked on with Limón and Pellerin. “This compromise will provide meaningful updates to the current system that will better protect non-citizens from legal jeopardy, streamline DMV registration and provide a pathway to welcome California’s 4-plus million eligible but unregistered voters into our democracy,” Ubriani said in a text message. Among those pushing for automatic registration is Dolores Huerta. The 94-year-old labor leader said she’s been working on voting rights since the 1950s, championing laws to allow for citizen deputy registrars and to require Spanish-language ballots. She told Playbook that during those efforts, “I don't remember the League of Women Voters or ACLU being there with me.” They were bills, Huerta said, that “we carried ourselves and we had to lobby to make sure that it passed.” IT’S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to ehe@politico.com.
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