Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform organization which works to remove barriers to registration and voting for traditionally underrepresented constituencies. Formed in 2017 to continue the work of the Fair Elections Legal Network, the Center works to improve election administration through legislative, legal and administrative reform, to protect access to the ballot through litigation, and to provide election law expertise, voter information and technical assistance to voter mobilization organizations. In 2012, Fair Elections Center launched its Campus Vote Project (CVP) to expand its work around student voting issues. CVP works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting, and institutionalize civic engagement at our partner institutions.
HB 2025 would establish pre-registration for 16- and 17-year olds. Expanding voter registration to include preregistration for young voters prepares them for voting when they turn 18, automatically registers them as voters, gets them on the list to receive information from election officials, and makes updates more efficient.
Preregistration at this age aligns with these citizens’ initial interactions with the department of motor vehicles and facilitates voter registration efforts in high schools. These are two of the best opportunities to provide voter registration services to this population in a centralized and coordinated way before they disperse to join the workforce or enroll at a college or university.
Fair Elections Center urges you to move this bill forward. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Michelle Kanter Cohen, Senior Counsel, Fair Elections Center, (202) 331-0114, mkantercohen@fairelectionscenter.org.
