Voter Registration Policy

IMG_0588aIn 49 out of 50 states, participating in the American democratic process requires an important first step: registering to vote.

Throughout American history, however, voter registration has frequently been used as a bureaucratic hurdle placed between eligible Americans and the ballot box.

That’s why Project Vote works across the country to ensure simple, fair, equitable voter registration policies that make it easier, not harder, for eligible citizens to register to vote.

From fighting laws that place unfair restrictions on community-based voter registration drives, to advocating for innovations like Automatic Voter Registration, Online Registration, Same-Day Registration, and Permanent-Portable Registration, Project Vote wants to make sure that every eligible American can register to vote.

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New Memos Assess Election Laws in 11 States

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In preparation for the 2010 legislative season, Project Vote’s Election Administration (EA) Program is releasing a series of election administration... Read more

Project Vote Joins Petition for High School Registration Regulations in New Jersey

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As part of coalition of voting rights groups, Project Vote and the New Jersey Department of Public Advocate filed a petition with the State Board of Elections today, proposing new regulations to improve and enforce voter registration efforts in New Jersey Schools. Read more

Project Vote Joins Petition for High School Registration Regulations in New Jersey

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The Department of the Public Advocate has joined a coalition of voting rights groups to file papers with the State Board of Education today proposing new regulations aimed at ramping up voter registration efforts in New Jersey schools. Read more

Fact Sheet: Expanding the Youth Electorate through Preregistration

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Preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds is an important step in addressing underrepresentation among youth in the U.S. electorate. Several factors demonstrate why preregistration legislation is necessary. Read more

Fact Sheet: Expanding the Youth Electorate in Arizona through Preregistration

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Preregistration for 16 and 17-year-olds is an important step in addressing underrepresentation among youth in Arizona’s electorate. Several factors demonstrate why preregistration legislation is necessary. Read more

Bipartisan Support for Bringing Voter Registration to the 21st Century Underway

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Not too long ago, the means of accessing and staying on the voter registration rolls was a highly controversial issue that often got lost in a partisan shuffle. However, after more than two million voters were unable to vote due to problems with their voter registration last year, policymakers and advocates on both sides are finally listening. Whether it is extravagant efforts to automate voter registration on the national level or revamping state voting systems to utilize citizens’ access to the Internet, improving voter registration is a glimmering goal in 2009 that brings promise for restoring the democratic process in the years to come. Read more

Representational Bias in the 2008 Electorate

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A new report, Representational Bias, identifies disparities in the changing American electorate. Read more

What “Liberal” Media? Study Shows How Press is Often Manipulated to Serve Right-Wing Agenda

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Media manipulation by the right-wing to influence public perception has been a decade-long tactic to undermine voter registration in America.... Read more

Gov. Schwarzenegger Approves Engaging Young CA Voters Early

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The future of voter registration and civic engagement may just stand a chance. California (a populous state of many voters-to-be) will soon allow all 17-year-old citizens to preregister to vote so that they will be automatically enrolled as legal voters once they turn 18. This newer trend in legislation, which boasts bipartisan support, has recently passed in North Carolina and has been successfully implemented in five other states, including Florida. Read more

How to Make Voter Registration Accessible to All Citizens

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After the 2008 election, voter registration has become a focal point for legislators and advocates from all ends of the spectrum. Whichever way it is sliced, the number of registered eligible voters has still declined since 2004. As multiple problems have been cited as the cause for lowered registration rates (including mobility issues, unequal access to registration opportunities, voter caging, and even so-called apathy), voting rights advocates as well as legislators have been vocal about their solutions. Read more