New health care law could mean more voters According to the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, motor vehicle departments and places that provide public assistance, such as food stamps or Medicaid, or services for people with disabilities, must also offer voter registration. But states are divided over whether the law applies to the insurance marketplaces. Hawaii concluded that its exchange was not responsible for registering new voters, while several other states, including Connecticut, Vermont and California, have designated theirs as mandated voter registration agencies. Colorado determined that the exchange is not a state agency but decided to put a voter registration link on its Web site anyway. Even the states that have said they will offer registration vary widely on how to do so - whether to put a link on the Web site, include a form with the paper application, send forms to consumers who request them or offer a registration form to download and mail. The federal government, which is running exchanges for 36 states, determined that voter registration must be offered to consumers because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rules on Medicaid eligibility. Both the paper and the online applications include a line that says, "If you want to register to vote, you can complete a voter registration form at usa.gov." "This could end up being a huge legal battle in many states around the nation," said Mindy Romero, who directs the California Civic Engagement Project at the University of California at Davis. The fiercest of the debates will hinge on the impact on the electorate. Romero said Republicans and Democrats will be looking at how their party will benefit from the millions of potential new voters, many expected to be low income. But she said that if history of the voter law is any indicator, just because someone registers doesn't mean they will vote - or that they will do so for any particular party. Research has shown that the national voter law had a significant impact on registration but not on turnout. And an increasing number of new voters are not identifying with one party, Romero said. Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, said he doesn't have a problem with government agencies registering people to vote. But he said this effort is too selective, targeting those who are receiving free or subsidized health insurance and likely "favor the party that is in power." Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group that opposes the health law, said in an interview that President Obama is trying to gain political advantage by registering voters through the federal exchange.