Voter Registration Efforts Ramp Across the Country Ahead of 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, Sept. 5, a nonprofit aligned with House Democrats, House Majority Forward, announced the start of a $20 million voter registration drive, calling the kickoff just an “initial” investment.
The registration campaign will provide all eligible citizens, regardless of party affiliation, equal access to the drive’s efforts, though the campaign itself will focus on key regions in a wide swath of states from Alaska to Pennsylvania to Washington. The effort will also prioritize outreach to communities targeted by suppressive voting policies, specifically communities of color and young people.
The drive comes at a time when states and small municipalities alike gear up for 2024. Election officials have gotten creative in their efforts to bring people, especially the youth, into the political process.
In Iowa, Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) created an award that recognizes high schools that register at least 90% of their eligible students. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, fourth graders have the opportunity to design the state’s “I Voted” sticker for next year’s elections as a part of the state’s curriculum on civic engagement. Mesa County, Colorado is also hosting a similar contest to encourage highly beneficial long-term interest. The contests come after last year’s successful youth engagement program in Ulster County, New York went viral, which prompted more people to turn out, according to one county election official. In Indiana, the secretary of state’s office sponsored voter registration efforts at the state fair.
Voter registration rates vary across states and reflect the level of democratic access in the state. Oregon leads the country with 83% of its eligible voting population registered while North Carolina is last at only 61% registered. Eligibility requirements (such as those surrounding felony disenfranchisement), the existence of same-day registration or automatic registration at departments of motor vehicles and the competitiveness of a state’s legislative maps all play a role in the amount of engagement in the electoral process.