Dear John,

Last night, we saw the impact of high voter turnout in elections across the country. Now, just a year away from the next Presidential election -- and primary voting beginning in states even sooner, it’s never been more important that we get people registered to vote nationwide.

With this top of mind, of all the impediments to voting, actually getting registered shouldn’t be one of them.

The majority of adult Americans have already given their states all the information needed to register -- name, date of birth, residence -- when they applied for a driver’s license or official ID. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia use this information to offer “Automatic Voter Registration” (AVR). But there is no automated system in the other 26 states.

Eighteen of the 24 states offer “front end” registration, meaning that citizens have an opportunity to choose whether to register to vote when they complete the transaction with the DMV or other government agency.

Six states (Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Oregon) offer a more comprehensive “back end” registration, where the voter is automatically registered, but given an opportunity to opt out, either at the time of the transaction, or via a mailer sent afterward. This method, of course, results in higher registration rates, and greater opportunities for citizens to vote on election day.

Democracy is strengthened when more people vote. Sign the petition today to reduce barriers to voting and make Automatic Voter Registration available in every state.

The information used for automatic registration can also be used to automatically update a voter’s registration when, for example, they file an address change with the DMV or other government agency.

Voter registration at the DMV first became available via paper records in 1993, when Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). This required states to provide opportunities to register to vote at the DMV or other state agency. Because of the connection with obtaining a driver’s license, this is often referred to as “motor voter” registration.

However, it wasn’t until 2016 that Oregon became the first state to implement an automated digital system for registering voters using DMV data. Electronic records are more accurate and require fewer resources to maintain, so other states soon followed suit. Currently, however, in 26 states there is still no automated system for voter registration in place.

In these states, voters must actively seek out the opportunity to register, and given how busy people are, it’s a task that can easily be put off or forgotten until it’s too late and the voter finds that they are ineligible to submit a ballot.

No citizen should be denied the right to vote based on such a technicality. Sign the petition today to reduce barriers to voting.

Thank you for making it easier for citizens to engage in the political process.

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action