With latest win, nearly half of U.S. has automatic voter registration
In the recent past, automatic voter registration was a well-known policy in many advanced democracies, but not in the United States. Slowly but surely, the idea is gaining traction on American soil.
CBS News reported the latest on joining the growing club late last week.
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed into law the Democracy for the People Act on Friday, a sweeping law aimed at expanding voting access and containing long-awaited pro-suffrage provisions. The legislation introduces automatic voter registration, allows 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, and creates a permanent list of mail-in voters that automatically mails a ballot to people who register at every election.
“Today is a great day for democracy,” said the Democratic governor. “The ballot is the most powerful thing we have. Your vote is in your ballot. And if you don’t have access to it or it’s made difficult, your voice will be stifled.”
According to the Minnesota Secretary of State, there are currently around 575,000 unregistered voters in the land of 10,000 lakes. The newly signed Democracy for the People Act should put many of them on the electoral rolls.
According to a report in the Pioneer Press in St. Paul, requests for the following would result in automatic voter registration:
- New or renewed driver’s license or state ID card.
- Initial or renewal application for MinnesotaCare or Medical Assistance.
- Applying for benefits or services from another participating agency.
If the overall tally of the National Conference of State Legislatures is correct, Minnesota will be the 23rd state, plus the District of Columbia, to introduce AVR.
Not bad for a policy that didn’t exist in any state eight years ago.
Looking back at our previous coverage, I have long felt that this is a policy that is difficult to argue against. Traditionally, when it comes to registering to vote in the United States, the onus is on the individual: if you are eligible to vote, it is up to you to take the proactive steps required to register. Automated voter registration, already in place in many democracies around the world, turns this model on its head.
The idea is exactly what it sounds like: Under the policy, states will automatically register eligible voters who interact with state agencies, shifting the burden away from the individual. Those who wish to withdraw from the system can do so voluntarily without penalty, but otherwise Americans are routinely included on the electoral rolls in these states.
To date, it has reached almost half of the states. The holdouts are typically Republican strongholds, led by GOP officials who are generally reluctant to open up the voting process, but AVR advocates have continued to make strides in ways that have been difficult to predict in the recent past.
addendum: At the federal level, it’s worth noting that automatic voter registration was a key element of the Democrats’ For the People Act, which the Republicans derailed last Congress. When that bill failed, Democrats tried again with a more streamlined Freedom to Vote Act that included automatic voter registration and also defeated the GOP senators with a filibuster.
This post revises our related prior reporting.