Automatic voter registration

Election Information
2026 election and voting dates
Voter registration
Early voting
Absentee/mail-in voting
All-mail voting
Voter ID laws
State poll opening and closing times
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
Select a state from the menu below to learn more about its election administration.
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingSubmit

Under an automatic voter registration system, eligible voters are automatically registered to vote whenever they interact with government agencies (e.g., departments of motor vehicles). Eligible voters are registered by default, although they may request not to be registered.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of September 2023, 24 states and the District of Columbia had enacted automatic voter registration policies.

In 2015, California and Oregon became the first states to enact automatic voter registration policies.

In 2016, Alaska became the first state to enact an automatic voter registration policy via ballot measure.

In 2023, Delaware, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania became the latest states to enact automatic voter registration policies.

Automatic voter registration by state

As of September 2023, 24 states and the District of Columbia had enacted automatic voter registration policies. See the map below.

Automatic voter registration, 2023
State	Year enacted	Year implemented	Enacting governor	Authorizing legislation
Alaska	2016	2017	Gov. Bill Walker (I)	Alaska Voter Registration via the Permanent Fund Dividend Application, Ballot Measure 1 (2016)
California	2015	2018	Gov. Jerry Brown (D)	AB 1461
Colorado	2017	2017	Gov. John Hickenlooper (D)	Enacted through administrative rules
Connecticut	2016	2016	Gov. Dannel Malloy (D)	Enacted through administrative rules
Delaware	2021	2023	Gov. John Carney (D)	SB 5
District of Columbia	2016	2018	Mayor Muriel Bowser (D)	B21-0194
Georgia	2016	2016	Gov. Nathan Deal (R)	Enacted through administrative rules
Hawaii	2021	2021	Gov. David Ige (D)	SB 159
Illinois	2017	2018	Gov. Bruce Rauner (R)	SB 1933
Maine	2019	2022	Gov. Janet Mills (D)	HB 1070
Maryland	2018	2019	Gov. Larry Hogan (R)	SB 1048
Massachusetts	2018	2020	Gov. Charlie Baker (R)	HB 4834
Michigan	2018	2019	Gov. Rick Snyder (R)	Proposal 3
Minnesota	2023	2023	Gov. Tim Walz (D)	HF 3
New Jersey	2018	2018	Gov. Phil Murphy (D)	A 2014
New Mexico	2019	2020	Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)	SB 672
New York	2020	2023	Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D)	S.8806
Nevada	2018	2020	Gov. Brian Sandoval (R)	Question 5
Oregon	2015	2016	Gov. Kate Brown (D)	HB 2177
Pennsylvania	2023	2023	Gov. Josh Shapiro (D)	Enacted through governor's office
Rhode Island	2017	2018	Gov. Gina Raimondo (D)	H5702
Vermont	2016	2017	Gov. Peter Shumlin (D)	H 458
Virginia	2020	2020	Gov. Ralph Northam (D)	HB235/SB219
Washington	2018	2019	Gov. Jay Inslee (D)	HB 2595
West Virginia	2016	2021	Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D)	HB 4013

Support and opposition

Support

Liz Kennedy, Lew Daly, and Brenda Wright, in a 2016 report published by Demos, argued that automatic voter registration promotes civic participation, reducing barriers that might otherwise impede citizens from exercising their constitutional rights to political participation:

“	Our current voter registration system, which is designed as a voter-initiated or 'self-registration' system, creates barriers to registration that do not serve any significant purpose in a democracy. Demos believes that full participation in elections significantly depends on achieving universal voter registration through an automatic registration system. Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) builds on the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) and other voter registration reforms to improve the overall effectiveness of the voter registration system. Automatic Voter Registration uses information already on file with a variety of government agencies to identify persons who are eligible to vote and add them to the voter rolls, or update their voter information, in a paperless process. With comprehensive and inclusive AVR, states have the opportunity to take a major leap forward in voting rights by building the modern, equitable registration system that we need and deserve.	”
—Liz Kennedy, Lew Daly, and Brenda Wright

The Brennan Center for Justice, in a 2017 report, argued that automatic voter registration can reduce errors and inefficiencies in the electoral process:

“	Automatic voter registration makes two transformative, yet simple, changes to voter registration: Eligible citizens who interact with government agencies are registered to vote unless they decline, and agencies transfer voter registration information electronically to election officials. These two changes create a seamless process that is more convenient and less error-prone for both voters and government officials. This policy boosts registration rates, cleans up the rolls, makes voting more convenient, and reduces the potential for voter fraud, all while lowering costs.	”
—Brennan Center for Justice

Opposition

Hans von Spakovsky, in a 2013 report published by the Heritage Foundation, argued that automatic voter registration poses a threat to the integrity of elections by increasing the likelihood of ineligible voter participation. He also argued that automatic registration infringes upon citizens' constitutional rights:

“	Mandatory voter registration (MVR), previously termed 'universal' registration, could significantly damage the integrity of America’s voter registration system. The 'voter registration modernization' concept of automatically registering individuals through information contained in various existing government databases would throw the current system into chaos. Specifically, voter registration modernization could result in the registration of large numbers of ineligible voters as well as multiple or duplicate registrations of the same individuals. When combined with the accompanying proposal that states allow any individuals who are not automatically registered to register and vote on Election Day, MVR presents a sure formula for registration and voter fraud that could damage the integrity of elections. Automatically registering individuals to vote without their permission would also violate their basic right to choose whether they wish to participate in the U.S. political process. Indeed, this new scheme threatens one of American’s most cherished liberties: the freedom to be left alone by the government.	”
—Hans von Spakovsky

Amber Phillips, writing in 2016 for The Washington Post, argued that automatic voter registration policies can reinforce a political party's existing advantage within a state:

“	Automatic voter registration mostly benefits Democrats. Or, at least, it benefits the party in control of the state that's implementing the program. When California debated its automatic voter registration this fall, The Fix's Philip Bump made the case that boosting voter registration in a Democratic-leaning state will simply boost the number of Democratic voters more than Republicans. Preliminary numbers suggest that's been the case in Oregon. Of 437 automatically registered voters who took the next step and actually filled out a card to choose a party affiliation, about 49 percent chose the Democratic Party, 30 percent chose Republican and 5 percent chose independent. Oregon's secretary of state notes that just about mirrors the state's partisan voter breakdown now.	”
—Amber Phillips

Automatic voter registration legislation

The table below lists bills related to automatic voter registration introduced during, or carried over to each state's regular legislative session this year. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker

State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.

Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.

Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:

• Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
• We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
• And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan

The Ballot Bulletin

The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

Recent issues

Click below to view recent issues of The Ballot Bulletin.

• The Ballot Bulletin: February 20, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: February 13, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: February 6, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 30, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 23, 2026

Subscribe

Enter your email address below to subscribe to The Ballot Bulletin.

Email *

Please complete the Captcha above

See also

• Voter registration
• Online voter registration
• Same-day voter registration
• Voting
• Voter identification laws by state

Footnotes

Ballotpedia

About

Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities

---

Executive: Leslie Graves, Founder and CEO • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer

Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond
External Relations: Geoff Pallay, Director of External Relations • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Ashley Fleming • Thomas Mardik • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

---

Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams, Managing Editor of Events • Joseph Greaney, Managing Editor of Policy • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Victoria Edwards • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Thomas Grobben • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Andrew McNair • Ellie Mikus • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox