APPLETON — As we get closer to the spring elections in April, efforts are underway to ensure that every eligible resident in the Fox Cities is empowered to cast their vote.
- A collaboration between League of Women Voters & local DMV aims to streamline voter registration
- Common challenge: People neglect to update their home address.
- Volunteers available at DMV until March 13th, deadline for online registration for April 2nd elections
There is a collaboration between the nonpartisan League of Women Voters and the local Department of Motor Vehicles aimed at streamlining the voter registration process.
Linda Bjella, President of the League of Women Voters, Appleton Fox Cities, emphasizes the mission of the organization: "Our mission has always been to empower all voters, not just women."
Tami Mackie registers to vote at the Appleton DMV.
Right now every DMV in our area features a dedicated kiosk for online voter registration.
However, what sets this project apart is the presence of trained League volunteers in Appleton, ready to assist residents with registering to vote or updating their information.
Karen Pfefferle, a League of Women Voters volunteer, says, "I would say 95 percent of the people want to talk about it. They are enthusiastic about it."
Addressing a common challenge, Bjella notes, "A lot of people don't take the time to update their address in the voting system if they have moved."
For residents like Tami Mackie, having the League's assistance at the DMV was a big help.
"I didn't know they were going to be here, so when I was entering the door, I thought I would like to take care of it right away now," Mackie explains. "I moved fairly recently as well, so I had to register again, and this will make it much simpler so I don't have to re-register and I can just vote."
In its first week, the initiative has already encouraged 60 local residents to register to vote.
Volunteers will remain available at the DMV until March 13th, the deadline to register online for the spring elections on April 2nd.
