Voting & Democracy
Automatic Voter Registration
About This Principle of Democracy
Nearly a quarter of all eligible voters are not registered to vote. Among those that are registered, about one in eight have registration records that are invalid or have serious errors. Many of these errors are a result of first-time voters registering on their own, without access to accurate guidance, and often making mistakes.
Registration drives by schools, nonprofits, and campaigns and online tools all help enroll new voters. Automatic Voter Registration (AVR), at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reaches more people not otherwise likely to register and contributes to more complete and more accurate voter rolls.
A 2019 study by the Brennan Center found that the AVR policy increased the number of registrants, ranging anywhere from 15 to 94 percent in seven states that had implemented AVR long enough to measure results. As of 2020 the U.S. Census reported the greatest number of people currently use their Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to register to vote, more than any other method.
How It Works
AVR takes advantage of all routine interactions at DMVs to automatically enroll eligible voters that are not currently registered, unless they opt out. For those already registered, it updates their registration to reflect a change of name or address. In some states it is also done at other government agencies that can confirm the voter’s residency and citizenship.
Most AVR states allow the person to opt out during the transaction, if they so choose. In some states like Oregon and Alaska, this is done later in response to a letter confirming their new registration.
AVR is best paired with Same Day registration so voters can update their registration if the voter’s address changes closer to the election.
Benefits
- Once a person is registered and on their state’s voter roll, they are more likely to be contacted by their local election office, a campaign, or a community organization about when and where to vote and what’s on the ballot.
- It is especially helpful for young voters under 30.
- Registrations are transmitted electronically to the local or state election office, avoiding the use of paper forms which are more likely to lead to legibility issues and mistakes when adding new names to the rolls.
- As stated above, the policy is shown to increase registration rates of a large pool of people who would not have registered by other means.
Resources
Automatic Voter Registration States
Alaska | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Georgia| Illinois | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Nevada | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | Oregon | Rhode Island | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia |
