Automatic voter registration?

Five states, including Oregon and California, have passed laws that call for the automatic registration of eligible voters when they interact with government agencies such as the DMV or Social Security office.

Eligible voters are sent a card after an interaction with a government agency, informing them that they have been registered to vote and giving them the choice to opt-out if they desire.

Under federal law, other states, including New Hampshire, must offer eligible voters the option to register when they renew their driver’s license or otherwise interact with a state agency – an ‘opt-in’ approach that detractors of automatic voter registration argue is sufficient. Such opponents hold that responsibility for registering to vote should remain with the individual, not the government.

However, reports from states that have passed automatic voter registration measures show much higher rates of voter registration, leading supporters of the move to argue that taking the ‘opt-out’ approach leads to more voters getting onto the rolls and could increase voter turnout.

In New Hampshire, an estimated 31% of eligible voting-age adults are not registered to vote. There is no current effort underway to institute automatic voter registration in the state.