The Effect of Automatic Voter Registration Policies on Young Adult Turnout

• In Event: Elections, Turnout, and Ballot-Box Policy Making

Abstract

Do automatic voter registration (AVR) policies have the potential to address voting disparities by age? Compared to the population as a whole, the electorate is substantially older. AVR may be especially beneficial for young voters for two reasons. First, younger populations are far more mobile than their older counterparts. Each time a person moves, they must re-register to vote, placing a larger burden on younger voters. Second, young Americans tend to be more uncertain about their state’s voter registration policies/deadlines and their own eligibility to register. AVR may serve to offset both the physical costs and informational costs of registering to vote by streamlining the process and resolving uncertainty around registration requirements. Using both survey data and voter file data, I investigate whether the effects of state-level AVR policies vary by age. Results from a difference-in-differences design suggest that AVR policies increase turnout most for voters aged 18-24, while older cohorts of voters do not benefit as much from AVR.

Author

• Rachel Funk Fordham, University of California, Berkeley
  Presenting Author