Automatic voter registration
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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.[1][2]
HIGHLIGHTS
Automatic voter registration by state
As of December 23, 2020, 20 states and the District of Columbia had enacted automatic voter registration policies. See the map below.[1][2]
| Automatic voter registration, December 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Year enacted | Year implemented | Authorizing legislation |
| Alaska | 2016 | 2017 | Alaska Voter Registration via the Permanent Fund Dividend Application, Ballot Measure 1 (2016) |
| California[3] | 2015 | 2016 | AB 1461 |
| Colorado | 2017 | 2017 | Enacted through administrative rules |
| Connecticut | 2016 | 2018[4] | Enacted through administrative rules |
| District of Columbia[5] | 2016 | 2018[6] | B21-0194 |
| Georgia | 2016 | 2016 | Enacted through administrative rules |
| Illinois | 2017 | 2017-2019 | SB 1933 |
| Maine | 2019 | 2022 | HB 1070 |
| Maryland | 2018 | 2019 | SB 1048 |
| Massachusetts | 2018 | 2020 | HB 4834 |
| Michigan | 2018 | 2019 | Proposal 3 |
| New Jersey | 2018 | 2018-2019 | A 2014 |
| New Mexico | Unknown | 2018 | N/A |
| New York | 2020 | 2023-2025 | S.8806 |
| Nevada | 2018 | To be determined | Question 5 |
| Oregon[7] | 2015 | 2016 | HB 2177 |
| Rhode Island[8] | 2017 | 2018[6] | H5702 |
| Vermont[9] | 2016 | 2017 | H 458 |
| Virginia | 2020 | Unclear | HB235/SB219 |
| Washington[10] | 2018 | 2018 | HB 2595 |
| West Virginia[11] | 2016 | 2019[6] | 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:[12]
| “ | 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.[13] | ” |
| —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:[2]
| “ | 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.[13] | ” |
| —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:[14]
| “ | 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.[13] | ” |
| —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:[15]
| “ | 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.[13] | ” |
| —Amber Phillips | ||
See also
- Early voting
- Absentee voting
- Online voter registration
- Same-day voter registration
- Voter identification laws by state
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Automatic Voter Registration," August 31, 2017 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Brennan Center for Justice, "Automatic Voter Registration," February 10, 2018 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "brennancenter" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ California Legislative Information, "AB 1461," accessed March 25, 2017
- ↑ Connecticut Office of Legislative Research, "Automatic Voter Registration in Connecticut," December 21, 2017
- ↑ Council of the District of Columbia, "B21-0194 - Automatic Voter Registration Amendment Act of 2015," accessed March 25, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Brennan Center for Justice, "Automatic Voter Registration," April 17, 2018
- ↑ Oregon Legislative Assembly, "House Bill 2177," accessed March 25, 2017
- ↑ Rhode Island General Assembly, "H 5702," accessed July 20, 2017
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "H. 458," accessed March 25, 2017
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "HB 2595 - 2017-18," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "House Bill 4013," accessed March 25, 2017
- ↑ Demos, "Automatic Voter Registration; Finding America's Missing Voters," January 20, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Heritage Foundation, "Mandatory Voter Registration: How Universal Registration Threatens Electoral Integrity," March 27, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "How to argue about automatic voter registration, as Oregon gets the ball rolling," February 13, 2016
