Voter Registration Modernization

Voter Registration Modernization will remove the onus of voter registration from citizens by placing the responsibility for maintaining voter registration squarely with state governments. Modernizing the system will expand the franchise to over 65 million eligible Americans, while eliminating the burden of last minute registration placed on election officials and removing the need for third party registration drives. By bringing the registration system into the 21st century, we will eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic processes, save states money, free up precious resources for election officials, and simplify the process for voters.

Voter Registration Modernization Includes Three Features:

  • Automatic Registration: States will automatically register eligible citizens based on information on other government lists.
  • Permanence: Once a voter is on a state's voter rolls, they will remain registered so long as they continue to reside in that state.
  • Election Day Correction: Eligible citizens can register and update registration records on Election Day.

Who Benefits from Voter Registration Modernization:

  • Election Officials: Registration problems are currently the most costly, burdensome element of election administration for officials. Additionally, processing and fixing rampant registration greatly drains state resources.
  • Voters: Registration-related problems are overwhelmingly the biggest obstacle voters face each election season. Obstacles disproportionately affect military service members, seniors, students, and Americans with disabilities. Every election cycle, registration applications go unprocessed because of enormous backlogs. In addition, the overburdened registration process exacerbates other problems on Election Day, often leading to long lines, chaotic polling locations, and overwhelmed volunteers.
  • Democracy: The current patchwork of voter registration laws and procedures leaves the system vulnerable to fraud and tampering.

Why Voter Registration Modernization Works:

  • Automatic, Permanent: It will make voter registration automatic and permanent, bringing all eligible, unregistered voters onto the rolls and keeping them there, even after they move (this is particularly important for members of the military and their families, as well as with students).
  • Election Day Correction: A key component of Voter Registration Modernization, this will serve as an important backstop to errors at the polls (particularly for voters who fall through the cracks).
  • Better-Run Elections: It will free up resources and allow election officials to concentrate on important pre-election preparations to ensure elections run smoothly, rather than processing a deluge of registration forms typically received a week or two before Election Day.

Please click here for a brief fact sheet on Voter Registration Modernization.

The Brennan Center is helping to lead the effort to modernize our voter registration system to bring it into the 21st century. The following information is available on this webpage:
Hearings & Legislation: Information on federal legislation and Congressional hearings on Voter Registration Modernization, including links to hearing testimony and summaries of legislation can be found here.
News & Opinion: Selected news articles, editorials, op-eds, blog posts, and other media that discuss Voter Registration Modernization.
Research & Publications: Research and publications authored by the Brennan Center and others on aspects of Voter Registration Modernization.
Support for VRM: Election officials, newspapers, and others have expressed support for modernizing our voter registration system. See what they've said here.
Federal Election Reform: Comprehensively catalogs election reform activity at the federal level.