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Win/win!!
Obamacare helping millions register to vote
03/28/14 06:54 AMUpdated 03/28/14 11:42 AM
By Zachary Roth
Its the rights worst nightmare: Obamacare working to boost not just the number of Americans who have affordable health insurancebut also the number who are registered to vote. And it could be coming true.
Take it from Rush Limbaugh.
What do you really think is going on? the conservative radio host asked his listeners while discussing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) last October. Voter registration. In addition to you going to get your health care, there is obviously massive Democrat voter registration going on at these exchanges.
Limbaugh isnt entirely wrong.
Under the terms of an agreement announced this week between California and an alliance of good government groups, the state will mail voter registration forms to 4 million people who applied for Obamacare via Californias online exchange. The deal could end up creating 400,000 new registered Golden State votersthe actual numbers will be available later this year.
Nationwide, Obamacare could ultimately be responsible for registering anywhere from 3 to 7 million voterspotentially over 10% of the total number of eligible voters who arent registered todayover the next eight years.
We think its a huge opportunity to reach people, Sarah Brannon of Project Vote, which worked on the California settlement, said of the health care law.
Heres why: Under the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which aimed to boost voter registration, people applying for public assistanceas well as DMV customersmust be offered the chance to register to vote. That means every state insurance exchange like Californias, as well as the federal exchange, will need to ask people whether they want to register. Even those people who end up getting covered via Obamacares Medicaid expansion or through other parts of the law, rather than through the private market, will still be offered the chance to register to vote.
The numbers are necessarily ballpark figuresbut theyre impressive nonetheless.
more...
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/obamacare-helping-millions-register-vote?cid=sm_facebook
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Maraya1969
(22,479 posts)bigdarryl
(13,190 posts)babylonsister
(171,059 posts)napkinz
(17,199 posts)nt
ProSense
(116,464 posts)By Faith Barksdale, Legal Assistant, ACLU & Eunice Hyon Min Rho, ACLU
Today marks the opening of the health insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act. An estimated seven million uninsured Americans are expected to apply for coverage during this first round of open enrollment; the Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2016, 25 million Americans will register for health insurance through the exchanges. In addition to expanding access to affordable healthcare, the opening of the health exchanges also has the opportunity to dramatically expand access to the ballot.
You see, one-third of uninsured Americans are also not registered to vote. And under the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)also called the "motor voter law"agencies that provide public assistance, like the new health insurance exchanges, must also provide voter registration services. Because of this law, both the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House have acknowledged that the health insurance exchanges operated by, or in partnership with the federal government must offer voter registration services.
This important law also applies to the 14 states that are operating their own exchanges independent of the federal government. Among these states, California, New York, Vermont, Maryland and Rhode Island have all acknowledged their obligation under the NVRA to provide voter registration services through the health insurance exchanges. With over 10 million uninsured Americans living in these five states, this is a tremendous opportunity to expand ballot access. Unfortunately, nine statesColorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washingtonhave yet to officially announce plans to comply with the NVRA. We will continue to press ahead and urge more states to comply with federal law so that all Americans can have an opportunity to exercise the most fundamental right in our democracy.
https://www.aclu.org/blog/voting-rights/why-today-big-day-voting-rights
GOP Furious That 1993 Voter Registration Act Guarantees Right To Register When Applying For Health Insurance
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/09/26/gop-furious-that-1993-voter-registration-act-guarantees-right-to-register-when-applying-for-health-insurance/
CatWoman
(79,301 posts)Tarheel_Dem
(31,233 posts)babylonsister
(171,059 posts)Tarheel_Dem
(31,233 posts)many folks might figure why bother, it's "JUST a mid-term". However, even sadder than that is that they may wake up in 2016 only to learn that they've lost their voting rights because these crazy assed rightwingers control all the state houses, the USSC, as well as the US Congress.
joshcryer
(62,270 posts)Really weird.
Tarheel_Dem
(31,233 posts)done after the midterms. There's so much that needs to happen before this president leaves office, and the circular firing squads won't help us stem our losses in the House, nor hold our majority in the Senate. The fact of the matter is, historically, our base isn't as active in off year elections, and that gives me a sad.