The 2018 elections saw a slew of victories at the ballot box to make voting easier, more accessible, and more secure. Now numerous states are in a position to follow suit and expand voting rights further.
One of the most important such reforms is automatic voter registration, which voters just passed in Michigan and Nevada. As shown on the map at the top of this post, 13 states and Washington, D.C., now automatically register eligible voters when they interact with certain state agencies, but many more are in the position to pass it.
Newly elected Democratic legislative trifectas—states where Democrats control both legislative chambers and the governor's office, or can override gubernatorial vetoes—could pass automatic registration in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, and New York. Furthermore, voting rights advocates could follow the lead of those in Michigan and Nevada in 2018 and use ballot initiatives to establish automatic registration in many other states in order to circumvent potential opposition from legislators, including in pivotal swing states like Arizona, Florida, and Ohio.
As Republicans pass measures in state after state to restrict voting rights in an effort to shrink the electorate, it's critical that those who support free and fair elections fight back to ensure that everyone can exercise their right to vote. Many other democracies automatically register their citizens, and this policy will lower barriers to voting while ensuring the voter rolls stay up to date.
But automatic registration isn’t the only critical voting rights policy that Democrats—or voters themselves—can pass, as we’ll explore below.
While automatic registration helps ensure ahead of time that voters who transact business with government agencies like the DMV or public assistance offices get registered, another key registration reform has a long history of helping increase turnout: letting voters register and cast a ballot at the same time, either during early voting or on Election Day. This practice is known as same-day registration, and it’s the law in 18 states. (North Carolina also allows same-day registration, but only during the early-voting period.)
Democratic trifectas could enact same-day registration in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, and Rhode Island, while voters could use ballot initiatives in important states like Arizona, Florida, and Ohio.
Registration isn’t the only barrier to exercising one’s right to vote, but there are many ways to make it easier to cast a ballot itself. Currently, 38 states allow citizens either to vote early or to cast an absentee ballot without an excuse. Extending this policy to the remaining 12 would remove obstacles for time-constrained voters, including those who have to work or take care of others on Election Day. Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island all have Democratic governments that could pass this policy; Connecticut's legislature may soon vote to put this measure on the 2020 ballot for final approval from voters. Meanwhile, Mississippi and Missouri could pass these policies by ballot initiative alone.
There’s one more important reform to consider. As shown on the map above, three states—Colorado, Oregon, and Washington—vote almost entirely by mail. Everyone who is a registered voter gets mailed a ballot they can return without needing an excuse. Combining this policy with automatic registration and prepaid mail postage would make voting easier than ever and should dramatically increase turnout.
Indeed, states with policies that encourage voting consistently have some of the highest turnout rates in the country. Every state should adopt reforms that make voting as easy and accessible as possible, so that citizens can exercise the most sacred right in any democracy—the right to vote and shape the very government that governs them.