The push for automatic voter registration in New York is underway. This was published in the New York Daily News and written by Denis Slattery:

Advocates, elected officials and even actress Kerry Washington are optimistic that Democrats will soon make automatic voter registration a reality in the Empire State.

Washington, who was born and raised in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, called on lawmakers to advance legislation before the end of session that would automatically add a person’s name to the voter rolls when they interact with state government agencies unless they choose to opt out.

“New York’s outdated voting laws, with its rigid registration deadlines and other arbitrary barriers to voting, have disenfranchised upwards of 4 million residents,” the “Scandal” star wrote in a letter to Gov. Cuomo and Legislative leaders obtained by the Daily News on Friday. “As a result, the state has consistently ranked among the lowest in the nation for voter registration and turnout rates.”

See full story here. Also see the complete Democracy Chronicles collection of Celebrity Politics articles. In the democratic world where popular artists and other thinkers are free to criticize government, celebrities have often gone into politics. Celebrities represent a pool of potential political candidates who are usually self-made individuals and, at the very least, not related to previous politicians.