Civic Register
| 8.24.17

Automatic Voter Registration: It Works in Oregon, Now the Rest of America?

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What’s the story?

Statistics are now available on the success of Oregon’s Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) Program and they’re impressive. Oregon was the first state to implement an automatic registration program. Nine states have passed laws embracing AVR, 31 states are considering it, and now Congress is looking at expanding the idea across the country.

Why does it matter?

If the United States calls itself a participatory democracy, voter participation in elections should be a top priority, shouldn’t it? According to statistics highlighted by The Nation, presidential election participation has hovered between 50-65 percent of eligible voters for decades. Primary participation ranges from 25-45 percent, while participation in local elections is often even lower, sometimes as low as single digits.

That’s not a lot of participation.

Until Oregon instituted AVR in January 2016, every voter registration system in the country put the burden on the individual to initiate participation. AVR puts the burden on the government, by using standard government records to identify and register residents, who can then choose to opt out.

How does AVR work?

Demos, a public advocacy organization that compiled the statistics on AVR following the 2016 presidential election, summarized how AVR works in Oregon. Basically, it uses the Department of Motor Vehicles as the means to identify residents and contact them:

"eligible but unregistered voters found through the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) databases are notified by mail that they will be added to the voter rolls, unless they decline registration within 21 days by returning a postcard to the state’s election authorities. For purposes of primary voting, this notification postcard also allows individuals to choose a political party. If no response is given, these individuals become automatically registered as “nonaffiliated" voters, which makes them ineligible to vote in primaries (Oregon has a closed primary system). Automatic address updates and notifications also take place through this system.”

The goal of the program was not only to increase overall voter participation, but also to address historic imbalances in registrations, where minority and poor voters are consistently underrepresented.

How well did AVR work?

A significant share of AVR registered voters participated in the 2016 presidential election.

  • 44 percent of AVR registrants voted

  • 95 percent of AVR registrants who voted were first time voters

AVR got more People of Color (POC) and young people voting

  • POC were 15 percent of AVR voters, compared to 6 percent of non-AVR voters

  • 37 percent of AVR voters were between the age of 18-29, compared to 13 percent of non-AVR voters

AVR got more poor people voting

  • 39 percent of AVR voters were below the state median income, compared to 34 percent of the non-AVR electorate

Oregon already had higher than average voter turnout, but AVR increased participation in the 2016 election higher than any other state.

  • National average increase in voter participation in the 2016 presidential election was 1.6 percent

  • Oregon’s increase in participation following AVR implementation was 4 percent, from 64 to 68 percent of the eligible electorate

Only 8 percent of enrollees through the AVR program decided to opt out. But only 11 percent chose a party, so the increase in participation in primaries will be less impressive than if Oregon had open primaries.

At a time when many states are pursuing stricter voter registration laws, which have been proven to reduce electoral participation, Oregon has taken the opposite tack.

HR 2840, would amend the Voting Rights Act, to expand the Oregon model to the whole country. It was introduced by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), and has 119 co-sponsors, all Democrats.

What do you think?

Is increasing voter participation important to you? Do you think AVR should be expanded to other states? If not, what are your concerns about this system?

Tell us in the comments and then use the Take Action button to tell your reps what you think!

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Brennan Center for Justice)

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