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Youth pre-registration laws by state
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While United States citizens attain the right to vote at the age of 18, states have different rules governing which individuals younger than 18 years old can pre-register to vote.
As of September 2025, 49 states and the District of Columbia allow prospective voters younger than 18 years old to pre-register to vote. North Dakota does not have voter registration.
Twenty states allow anyone who will be 18 years of age at the time of the next election to pre-register, 10 states allow at least some 17-year-olds to pre-register, 18 states and the District of Columbia allow 16-year-olds to pre-register, and Colorado allows 15-year-olds to pre-register. Some states allow pre-registration only at certainly sites, such as a department of motor vehicles office.
Pre-registration laws are different from policies some states have allowing 17-year-olds to participate in primary elections if they will be 18 years old before the general election.
Background
In 2024, states reported to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission that they pre-registered over 1.1 million individuals.[1] The state that reported pre-registering the most individuals was California, with 244,996 pre-registrations. Four states — Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Tennessee — reported having zero pre-registrations in 2024.[1]
Youth pre-registration by state
The following table lists the type of youth pre-registration law in each state:
| State | Type of requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old on or before Election Day | Alabama Secretary of State |
| Alaska | Pre-registration allowed within 90 days of an individual's 18th birthday | AS 15.07.040 |
| Arizona | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old on or before the date of the regular general election next following their registration | A.R.S. 16-101 |
| Arkansas | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will turn 18 years old on or before the next election | Arkansas Secretary of State |
| California | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | CA Elec. Code §2102(2)(d) |
| Colorado | Pre-registration allowed for 15-year-olds | C.R.S. 1-2-101 |
| Connecticut | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old on or before Election Day | Conn. Gen. Stat. §9-12(b) |
| Delaware | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds[2] | 15 Del. Code § 1701(b) |
| District of Columbia | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | D.C. Code § 1-1001.07(a-2) |
| Florida | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | Fla. Stat. §97.041 |
| Georgia | Pre-registration allowed within six months of an individual's 18th birthday | § 21-2-216 |
| Hawaii | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | HRS §11-12 |
| Idaho | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be at least 18 years old before the next election | I.C. § 34-408(2) |
| Illinois | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | 10 ILCS 5/3-6 |
| Indiana | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be at least 18 years old before the next election | Ind. Code §3-7-13-1 |
| Iowa | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who is 17 years old and will be 18 years old by the date of the next election | Iowa Code §48A.5 |
| Kansas | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be at least 18 years old before the next statewide general election | Kan. Stat. Ann. §25-2306 |
| Kentucky | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be at least 18 years old before the next regular election | KRS §116.045 |
| Louisiana | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds[3] | Louis. Rev. Stat. 18:101 A(3) |
| Maine | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | 21- M.R.S.A. §155 |
| Maryland | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | MD Elec. Law §3-102 |
| Massachusetts | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | M.G.L.A. 51 § 47A |
| Michigan | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | Mich. Comp. Laws §168.495 |
| Minnesota | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | Minn. Stat. Ann. §201.071 |
| Mississippi | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 by Election Day | Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-11 |
| Missouri | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who is 17 years and six months old | Mo. Rev. Stat §115.133(1) |
| Montana | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old on or before Election Day | Mont. Code Ann. §13-2-205 |
| Nebraska | Pre-registration allowed for 17-year-olds, provided they will be 18 years old "on or before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of the then current calendar year." | Neb. Rev. Stat. §32-110 |
| Nevada | Pre-registration allowed for 17-year-olds | Nev. Rev. Stat. 293.4855 |
| New Hampshire | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 on or before Election Day | NH RSA 654:7 |
| New Jersey | Pre-registration allowed for 17-year-olds | NJ Rev Stat § 19:4-1.2 |
| New Mexico | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old on or before Election Day | NM Stat § 1-4-2 |
| New York | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | Statute 5-507 |
| North Carolina | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds[4] | North Carolina Board of Elections |
| North Dakota | North Dakota does not have voter registration | N/A |
| Ohio | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 on or before the day of the next general election | Ohio Secretary of State R.C. 3503.01 |
| Oklahoma | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who is 17 years and six months old | 26 Okl. Stat. Ann. § 4-103 |
| Oregon | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | ORS §247.016 |
| Pennsylvania | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be at least 18 years old on Election Day | § 163-82.1 |
| Rhode Island | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | R.I. Gen. Laws §17-9.1-33 |
| South Carolina | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old before the next election | S.C. Code Ann. §7-5-180 |
| South Dakota | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old at the next ensuing election | SDCL 12-4-1 |
| Tennessee | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old on or before the next election | Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-2-104 |
| Texas | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who is at least 17 years and 10 months old | Tex. Elec. Code Ann. §13.001 |
| Utah | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | UT Code 20A-2-101.1 |
| Vermont | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old on or before the date of the next general election | 17 VSA § 2121 |
| Virginia | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | Va. Code §24.2-403.1 |
| Washington | Pre-registration allowed for 16-year-olds | RCW 29A.08.170 |
| West Virginia | Pre-registration allowed for 17-year-olds who be 18 years of age by the next ensuing general election | W. Va. Code §3-2-2 |
| Wisconsin | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be 18 years old on or before Election Day | Wis. Stat. §605) |
| Wyoming | Pre-registration allowed for anyone who will be at least 18 years old on the day of the next general election | Wy. Stat. §22-3-102 |
Support and opposition
Support
Pre-registration programs increase voter participation among young people and reduce logistical hurdles
In 2023, Michigan state Rep. Betsy Coffia (D) said youth pre-registration laws helped increase interest in politics among young voters, saying that young people "really are looking for ways to become more involved, and so this feels like just another step to smooth that path for them to be all set to go at 18."[5] Illinois state Sen. Mike Simmons (D) made a similar argument in 2023 in support of legislation to establish youth pre-registration for 16-year-olds.[6]
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D), who supported voter pre-registration as a Colorado state legislator, said in 2019 that pre-registration helps overcome logistical hurdles to voter registration. For young people, Neguse said, "things are perhaps getting lost in the shuffle as they transition into college and so forth, they are automatically registered and don't have to worry about taking that extra step."[7]
Interim East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks said pre-registration could help prevent long lines at polling places on college campuses and that it "would be a huge time saver for us."[8]
Opposition
Pre-registration programs impose administrative challenges
Arguing in opposition to Michigan's youth pre-registration law in 2023, state Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R) said that because "youth may move between that registration and their first chance to vote, information may frequently be no longer accurate or valid."[9]
DeBoyer argued Colorado's pre-registration program cost nearly $600,000 to implement and that "additional costs could be incurred having to notify these pre-registered voters once they turn 18 to confirm personal information – which also leads to security issues."[9]
During debate over repealing North Carolina's pre-registration law in 2013, state Sen. Bob Rucho (R) said the state's law posed logistical problems for election officials. "We looked at it and said 'wait a minute' this is way too confusing and way too difficult to administrate,” Rucho said.[10]
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 EAC, "Election Administration and Voting Survey 2024 Comprehensive Report," accessed September 11, 2025
- ↑ Pre-registration is only allowed through the Department of Motor Vehicles when an individual is applying for a driver's license
- ↑ 16-year-olds may only pre-register at a driver's license facility or at the office of the registrar of voters. 17-year-olds may register via any method
- ↑ North Carolina repealed its youth pre-registration statute in 2013. A federal appeals court, however, reinstated pre-registration in 2016
- ↑ Michigan Advance, "16-year-olds could be pre-registered to vote under Michigan legislation," June 2, 2023
- ↑ Illinois Senate Democrats, "Simmons secures passage of bill to allow 16-year-olds to pre-register to vote," May 31, 2023
- ↑ CBS 4, "Colorado Law Allowing 16-Year-Olds To Pre-Register To Vote May Become Model For U.S.," February 22, 2019
- ↑ Votebeat, "Bill in Michigan House would let 16-year-olds kick-start their voter registration early," May 30, 2023
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Michigan House Republicans, "Rep. DeBoyer: Elections bills create more problems than they look to solve," May 23, 2023
- ↑ North Carolina Public Radio, "No More Pre-Registration Puts Youth Vote In Question," September 6, 2013
