A hunter walks across a field. (Getty Images)
State Rep. David Rowe (R-Union) represents a lot of sportsmen in the rural 85th state House District, which includes parts of Union, Juniata, and Mifflin counties and all of Snyder County. He wants to see them more engaged with the electoral process and is planning on introducing legislation that aims to make it easier for them to register to vote.
The Sportsmen Voter Registration Act, which Rowe is dubbing the proposal, would ensure the availability of voter registration applications any time someone of voting age applies for a hunting or fishing license in Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania’s hunters and anglers are some of the most engaged citizens in our state, but too often their busy seasons in the field and on the water make it harder for them to register to vote,” Rowe wrote in a press release announcing the proposal. “This legislation ensures Pennsylvania sportsmen have greater access to voter registration, so they can have a voice in the policies that impact our land, wildlife, and way of life.”
Rowe said there is a “remarkably high number of sportsmen” who are not registered to vote in Pennsylvania. Vote4America, a group that supports President Donald Trump and aims to encourage hunters to vote, estimated that 30% of sportsmen in Pennsylvania are not registered to vote, which was more than other swing states in the previous election.
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“It really sparked an idea for me that we needed to make it easier for sportsmen to be able to be part of the democratic process,” Rowe told the Capital-Star.
Rowe said the objective would be to “simply streamline the process” for sportsmen to make registering to vote more accessible.
“The bill will not complicate the process of getting a license. The bill will not add another step to the hunting license process,” Rowe said. “Rather, it will simply make it more accessible. So, for sportsmen that are going to a state office, there will be paper registration forms available for them to simply grab.”
He also said there would be an additional link for those online who are sportsmen updating their licenses.
In Sept. 2023, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced eligible Pennsylvanians would be automatically registered to vote when they renew their driver’s licenses or ID cards at PennDOT driver and photo license centers, calling it a “commonsense step to ensure election security and save Pennsylvanians time and tax dollars.” This has been referred to as the “motor-voter” system in the state.
“You look at the hobbies of sportsmen and fishermen, hunters, whether it has to do with hunting license fees or wildlife management or trespassing laws, the state has a lot of jurisdiction over those fees and hobbies that these sportsmen enjoy,” Rowe said. “So, we should absolutely be encouraging these sportsmen to be part of the process that elects the officials that make the decisions that impact their way of life.”
Lauren Cristella is the President and CEO of Committee of Seventy, a government reform group.
“We’re all for anything that makes it easier for Pennsylvanians to register to vote, especially when things at the national level are trying to complicate that and limit access,” Cristella said.
Cristella says she believes that the “motor voter” law in Pennsylvania has been successful and thinks it’s great to make it easier for those acquiring hunting and fishing licenses to register to vote.
“I would love to see it when people interact with any government agency,” Cristella said. She referenced Medicare and barbers acquiring licenses through the state as a few examples where the state could encourage more people to register to vote.
While Cristella supports this effort, she ultimately believes that automatic voter registration should be passed and implemented.
“So that we don’t have to rely on individual, piecemeal efforts like this,” she said.
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Are other states doing this?
The goal of increasing voter registration for sportsmen and women is not new in the United States, according to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). The organization, which is dedicated to “protecting and enhancing the rights of hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers across the nation,” said the issue of voter registration was introduced at an annual meeting in 2004 by a Georgia legislator.
CSF describes “sportsmen/voter” efforts as being based on the “Motor/Voter” concept and noted that some states allow hunting or fishing licenses to be used as proof of eligibility to vote.
The organization encourages legislators and elected officials to explore and support similar efforts. It reports that sportsmen’s caucuses in Florida and Virginia have passed similar legislation regarding the matter, while at least eight other states have made attempts to, as well. CSF also references Georgia, New York, and New Jersey as states that have “successfully passed and enacted voter registration legislation.”
What’s next for this proposal?
Rowe said he’s talked to several of his colleagues on the GOP side of the House that are “very excited” about the idea and added he’s had conversations with “one or two” of his Democratic colleagues who are also “interested in the idea.”
“I think that we can all agree that our republic does better…the more people that are involved with the process, the better,” Rowe told the Capital-Star.
Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the state House and would ultimately determine which committee the proposal would be assigned to, Rowe said, but thinks it would either go through the Game & Fisheries Committee or the State Government Committee.
He would like to formally introduce the legislation in the near future.
“Nobody in the General Assembly should be opposed to registering more Pennsylvanians to vote, and so I would love to see this be a consensus issue,” Rowe said, adding that he hopes it could be part of the negotiation process this budget cycle.
“We could maybe see this bill be part of a compromise solution that allows us to get something bipartisan done right out of a Republican Senate, a very closely divided Democrat House, and Democrat governor,” Rowe added.
He didn’t want to engage in any hypothetical scenarios, but Rowe, acknowledging compromise is common in the legislative process, said “potentially some other demographics that we are trying to engage to be part of the electoral process,” could be a part of the conversation surrounding this proposal.
Cristella told the Capital-Star that she’s aware of numerous conversations happening right now with the Pennsylvania General Assembly revolving around a variety of election reforms, which include voter ID, open primaries, and mail-in ballot pre-canvassing. She thinks that there’s a “decent chance” that a compromise voter ID bill will garner enough support to pass.
“And then the exact combo of what other things might be given in exchange for that is up for debate,” Cristella said.