When applying for a health plan, people will be able to click a link to a voter registration form to print and mail, according to the report. The groups taking issue with the offering say this is not enough because it does not comply with the “motor voter” law, which orders states to give those applying for a driver’s license or public assistance the opportunity to register to vote.
The voting rights groups — including the League of Women Voters, Project Vote and think tank Demos — say state-based exchanges have complied with the law, but the federal exchange has not, according to the report.
The issue boils down to whether the federal government, which is acting in place of the states with the federal exchange, is bound by the National Voter Registration Act. The groups say navigators that help people sign up for coverage should be helping people register to vote, according to the report.
Republicans believe offering voter registration on the exchanges is not fitting in the first place, and other law experts interviewed by The New York Times said the argument is interesting, but unlikely to hold up in court.
See the full report here.
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