Citizens should be able to easily both register and vote. Measures that would impose unreasonable burdens on voter registration should be rejected. A voter ID measure adds another required step and another possible barrier for legal voters, especially those who vote by mail. Laws that risk lowering turnout and making the democratic process more cumbersome for voters, hurts the kind of voters and candidates that the ASP would want to empower. The existing two-party system would be strengthened rather than allowing an opportunity for third-party voters and lesser-known candidates.

On March 25, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to accusations that President Trump, despite railing against mail-in voting, voted by mail in Florida’s March special election. Johnson responded by saying Florida was one of those states that “[handles] mail-in balloting well.” The message seems to be that voting by mail is legitimate in states that favor the Republicans and yet dubious in states that don’t. This is not a neutral position of election integrity. It is a partisan double standard. California already verifies voters through registration procedures and signature checks. This would fail to be the kind of meaningful reform that actually democratizes politics. The better mindset when it comes to voter reform is one which expands secure convenience, rather than one which is preoccupied with tightening access.