Last Saturday, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a litany of measures aimed at creating a stable budget without extending tax credits for certain organizations.
Among approved legislation was the New Motor Voter Act, which Brown hope will draw some 6.6 million Californians to polling places next November by automatically registering them to vote when they obtain or renew a driver's license. Oregon has a similar law, though the Beaver State isn't as open in granting driver's licenses to non-citizens.
Since California allows non-citizens to drive, and voting places can't verify whether a person is a legal resident, critics say Brown's initiative gives undocumented immigrants unlawful voting privileges.
"You may not even know that when you get your driver's license you're also being registered to vote. And there's no requirement of proof of citizenship." Fox News analyst and former judge Andrew Napolitano argued on Tuesday's edition of "Fox and Friends." "All 50 states limit voting to citizens except when the state allows you to sort-of sneak in without proving your citizenship by getting a driver's license instead."
According to a Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman, about half a million driver's licenses have gone to undocumented immigrants since the state began issue special permits in January. The department doesn't ask about a person's ethnic background, but the spokesman said most applicants this year have been Hispanic.
While most of the bills Brown signed appear to facilitate future elections - like one offering provisional voting at certain offices 14 days ahead of Election Day - no other law tip toes the line between human rights and those granted by government.
"The Supreme Court has wrongly said it's a fundamental right," Napolitano said. "And once it said that, states like California decided to allow people to vote who aren't qualified by law to vote because of the fundamental aspect." It is one of few states actively looking to expand on voter ID laws.
All but nine states have introduced restrictive voting bills since 2010; in 15 of them, these restrictions will take effect ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Two months ago, Alabama announced the impending closure of 31 DMV offices due to budget cuts. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, affected offices are in predominately black counties living well below the poverty line. Citizens are not only forced to travel to different counties just to get a driver's license, they can't even vote without taking the same trip.
California's approach coincides with a meager 42 percent turnout rate for last November's statewide election. It is set to take effect on Jan. 1.
"The New Motor Voter Act will make our democracy stronger by removing a key barrier to voting for millions of California citizens," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. "Citizens should not be required to opt in to their fundamental right to vote. We do not have to opt in to other rights, such as free speech or due process."
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