Automatic voter registration, a new reform that will modernize voter registration and dramatically increase registration rates, is gaining momentum around the country. Six states and the District of Columbia have already approved the policy. So far in 2017, 28 states have introduced bills to implement or expand automatic registration (and one more state has an AVR bill that carried over from 2016). A full breakdown of these bills, as well as those introduced in 2015 and 2016, is available below.

Automatic voter registration makes two transformative, yet simple, changes to voter registration: Eligible citizens who interact with government agencies are registered to vote unless they decline, and agencies transfer voter registration information electronically to election officials. These two changes create a seamless process that is more convenient and less error-prone for both voters and government officials. This policy boosts registration rates, cleans up the rolls, makes voting more convenient, and reduces the potential for voter fraud, all while lowering costs.

In March 2015, Oregon became the first to pass a breakthrough law to automatically register eligible citizens who have driver’s licenses (except those who decline). The state has already seen significant registration increases since implementing the policy in January 2016. California — with its estimated 6.6 million eligible but unregistered voters — was the next to pass automatic registration, adopting the policy in October 2015.

2016 was the biggest year yet for automatic registration. The West Virginia and Vermont legislatures passed automatic voter registration with strong bipartisan support, and both bills were promptly signed into law in April. Connecticut approved automatic registration administratively in May, and in November, the District of Columbia Council unanimously passed automatic registration legislation that became law in February 2017. The Illinois and New Jersey legislatures also approved automatic registration in 2016, but both bills were vetoed.

On November 8, 2016, Alaska became the latest state to approve the policy. Alaskans passed a ballot measure to institute automatic voter registration through the state’s Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), a sum paid by the state to all eligible residents. Once the new system is implemented, eligible citizens will be automatically registered to vote or have their existing registration information updated when they complete their annual PFD application, unless they decline. 

Automatic registration has also garnered attention at the national level. In February 2016, outgoing President Barack Obama called on legislators to “mak[e] automatic voter registration the new norm across America.” In July 2016, Rep. Robert Brady introduced a bill  to automatically register eligible citizens to vote in federal elections when they interact with numerous state and federal government agencies; Sens. Patrick Leahy, Amy Klobuchar, and Dick Durbin cosponsored identical legislation in the Senate.

For more information on why states should implement automatic voter registration, see The Case for Automatic Voter Registration. This report urges adoption of the four components of a permanent registration system, with automatic registration as its central plank. For in-depth answers describing how states can use existing technology to implement automatic registration, see Automatic and Permanent Voter Registration: How it Works.

2017 Automatic Voter Registration Bills Introduced

*Legislation has been amended

2016 Automatic Voter Registration Bills Introduced

*Bills introduced in 2016 carry into the 2017 legislative session. 

2015 Automatic Voter Registration Bills Introduced

*LA HR 132 would have created a House subcommittee to examine and study automatic registration in Louisiana.