Automatic voter registration map: Find out if your state has it and how effective it is.
This story was updated to add new information.
Hundreds of celebrities took to social media on National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, encouraging their mass of followers to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Celebrity endorsements can go a long way: Taylor Swift’s recent post endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris inspired more than 405,000 people to visit Vote.gov.
While there are plenty of avenues for eligible voters to register, one of the most common methods is at your local motor vehicle office.
The National Voter Registration Act established voter registration services at state motor vehicle agencies, coining the term the "Motor Voter" law. Since its passage, at least 24 states and Washington, D.C., have implemented automatic voter registration systems. This method automatically registers eligible citizens who interact with their local driver's licensing department, unless they decline, according to the MIT Election Data and Science Lab.
Supporters of automatic voter registration said it helps expand voting access and modernizes the registration process. Opponents of the system say there is inconclusive evidence that automatic registering has an effect on voter turnout.
What is automatic voter registration?
When an eligible voter interacts with a government agency, like their local licensing department, they are automatically registered to vote or their existing registration is automatically updated. The details of the automatic voter registration may vary by state, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Oregon was the first state to enact this system in 2015. In September of 2023, Pennsylvania began implementing automatic registration at its driver's license centers, it joined 23 states and Washington, D.C.
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Automatic voter registration and its impact on turnout
Research has shown that automatic registration successfully increased voter registration rates. The Brennan Center found that voter registration rates increased anywhere from 9% to 94% across states with an automatic registering system.
An analysis of Oregon's automatic voter registration system found that 272,702 individuals were automatically registered to vote in 2016 and more than 98,000 new voters participated in the 2016 presidential election, according to the Center for American Progress. The research determined that over 116,000 people registered who were "unlikely to have done so otherwise."
Other research has found that automatic voter registration raises registration rates substantially, but these registrants are less likely to vote.
By 2018, 10 states and Washington, D.C., had implemented automatic voter registration systems.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows how voter registration and voter turnout among the eligible voter population changed in these 11 locations. The data highlights the share of registered voters in each state and those who turned out to vote in the 2014 midterm election through the 2022 midterm elections.
Automatic registration boosts sign-ups for both Democrats and Republicans
Data from Pennsylvania's Voter Services Department shows a 58% boost in new voter registration at driver's license centers between September of 2023 and 2024, compared to the same period two years prior.
Since automatic voter registration was implemented in September of 2023, over 151,000 new voters have been registered and more than 422,000 automatic voter registration applications have been received. About 34% of those new voters are registered as Republicans while 30% are registered as Democrats, the data shows.
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Contributing: Janet Loehrke, Paste BN