Assembly Bill 183, initiated by Assemblyman Joe Coto, would coerce graduating high school students who are U.S. citizens to register to vote in order to obtain their diploma. Coto is a member of the Assembly's Committee on Education. The measure is supported by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.

This requirement would be an abuse of the educational system. It is another example of the belief by many politicians that the end justifies the means and of the tendency toward ever more government mandates. No other state has such a requirement.

It is desirable for the citizens in a democracy to be well informed about policy issues and to participate in the political process. But the fact that many citizens, especially youth, don't bother to register and vote is not necessarily a social problem. If people are satisfied with the communities they live in, they may simply choose to let those who are better informed and more motivated do the voting. But people may also not register to vote because they are alienated from society or because they think that the political process is corrupt, in which case coercing them to register to vote would only reinforce their views.

California law mandates compulsory schooling, and economic opportunities are limited for students who do not have a high school diploma. Requiring students to register to vote in order to get that diploma is therefore coercive, intrusive, and an abuse of the educational system. Registering to vote should be a personal decision. Nobody is harmed if a person does not register, and a truly free society leaves voter registration to individual choice.

AB 183 would allow a student to avoid registering to vote by writing a letter stating so. The schools would then have to store these letters, creating an unnecessary cost to the taxpayers. Forcing a student to register or write a letter violates his privacy and even worse, smears the spirit of democracy. A true democracy has free citizens who willingly participate because they care about society. Citizens exercise their individual sovereignty when they vote. But if they are compelled to participate, even if only by registering to vote, they are no longer fully sovereign free individuals, but subjects of the state who are allowed to choose their master.

Some Californians have sound reasons why they choose not to register to vote. First, they may not want to be chosen for jury duty. Juries are selected from the voter rolls, as well as from driver's license lists. The probability of being selected for jury duty may be perceived to be greater if one is registered to vote. Second, some people don't intend to vote and prefer not to receive campaign literature. Third, some may prefer greater privacy and seek to be on as few lists as possible. Some people don't vote because they realize that their single vote will not determine any election, and they don't feel strongly about political participation, so they prefer to use their time for personal activities.

The voting system in California makes it difficult and costly to participate wisely. Elections have long ballots with many offices and complex propositions. Many people who vote have only a superficial understanding of the issues and don't know the candidates personally. Compelling people to register to vote does not confront these inherent disincentives. Only by radically decentralizing governance and voting will we have a less intimidating voting system that presents voters with only a few candidates and issues that they can personally get to know.

This bill to force students to register is another example of politicians seeking to inflict ever more mandates and regulations on society with measures that only treat the symptoms of problems rather than confronting the cause.