Letter to Speaker-Designate Pelosi and Democratic Leader-Designate Hoyer - Incoming Future Forum Leadership Calls for Automatic Voter Registration Provision in H.R. 1

Letter

Dear Speaker-Designate Pelosi and Democratic Leader-Designate Hoyer:

As the incoming leadership slate for Future Forum, an organization comprised of the youngest Democratic members of the House, we thank you for your intention to advance comprehensive legislation in the 116th Congress that would make our democracy more secure, transparent, and accessible to the American people. We write to express our support for efforts to empower younger voters by creating a system enabling citizens in every U.S. state and territory to automatically register to vote, and we respectfully request that a provision to this effect be included in the comprehensive legislation.

In the aftermath of events like the Parkland shooting and the #MeToo movement, the millennial and post-millennial generations mobilized to vote in record numbers. According to estimates from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, 31 percent of citizens ages 18-29 voted in the 2018 midterm elections, a 10 percent increase from 2014. Nevertheless, young voters still had the lowest turnout rate of any age group in 2018, just as they have in every previous national election.

Automatic voter registration (AVR) is an innovative solution that can increase voter participation rates among all age groups, and especially among young people. AVR would streamline the voter registration process by making it "opt-out" rather than "opt-in." This would allow eligible voters to conveniently register to vote when interacting with a government agency unless they take affirmative steps to decline. AVR would also ensure voter rolls remain up-to-date by enabling voters to easily amend their registration information. To date, AVR has shown positive outcomes in states where it has been implemented. For example, Oregon's AVR law led to a notable uptick in registration rates among young people ages 18-29 in 2016.

AVR is a simple, commonsense reform to our voter registration process that could meaningfully increase participation in our elections. On behalf of Future Forum, we thank you for your leadership on this critical issue and appreciate your continued support of our mission to bridge the divide between young Americans and their government.

Sincerely,