Every state in the union has formal voter registration procedures except North Dakota. But a dozen states and the District of Columbia have revamped the process to make it a lot easier—instead of the onus on the voter to affirmatively sign up to vote, they have enacted Automatic Voter Registration. As the name suggests, it requires state agencies to register those who, for example, obtain or renew a driver’s license, and the presumption shifts—a voter must now opt out from registering rather than opt in to vote.
These include a diverse mix of big and small states like California and Rhode Island, and red and blue states, like Georgia and Vermont. In West Virginia, AVR was passed by a largely Republican legislature and signed into law by a Democratic governor. In Illinois, AVR was passed by a largely Democratic legislature and signed into law by a Republican governor. It has been done administratively in some states, like Colorado, without the need for legislative action. In Alaska, AVR was adopted via a ballot initiative. Just this year, AVR has been signed into law in three different states—Washington, Maryland and New Jersey. Legislatures are still in session in many other states, so we may see others join in.
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