A new report by Nonprofit VOTE and the U.S. Elections Project shows the impact of various states’ voting policies on voter turnout.

Two policies highlighted in the report, same day voter registration and automatic voter registration, are being implemented in Michigan this year.

The report examines voter turnout for the 2018 midterm elections. Nationally, voter turnout was 50.3 percent, the highest turnout for a midterm in more than a century.

“The November midterm election shattered records for voter turnout,” Brian Miller, executive director at Nonprofit VOTE said. “But beneath the record-setting turnout is a vast gap in turnout between states that speaks volumes about the impact state policies play in voter turnout.” 

Report Highlights:

• Seven of the top 10 states with the highest voter turnout offer same day voter registration.

• States that offer same day registration had turnout rates 7 percentage points higher than states that didn’t offer it.

• Eight of the 10 states with the lowest voter turnout have a voter registration deadline four weeks before an election.

• States that started automatically registering voters reported an increase of four times more registered voters compared to states that don’t have such a policy.

In Michigan, our voter turnout was 58 percent for the midterm, earning us a spot in the top 10 states in the country with the highest voter turnout.

However, Michigan is the only state in the top 10 for voter turnout that at the time of the midterm had a four-week voter registration deadline in place and did not offer same day or automatic registration.

That will all change for future elections in Michigan since voters approved Proposal 3 in November 2018.

As a result, Michigan now allows voters to register to vote in person at any time with proof of residency and they will be automatically registered to vote when obtaining a driver’s license or a personal ID card (unless the person declines).

As CMF shared last October, CMF’s Board of Trustees voted to support the ballot proposal to expand voter access at the recommendation of CMF’s Public Policy Committee in keeping with CMF’s goals of promoting good governance and equitable civic engagement opportunities for all Michiganders. 

While Michigan residents turned out in high numbers for the 2018 midterm without these policies in place, according to the research, these new policies will likely only bolster our state’s election turnout.

According to the report, research shows that when a state adopts same day registration it will see an increase in voter turnout by three to seven points. The report says the impact of same day registration is higher among young voters ages 18-35.

Oregon, which was the first state to implement automatic voter registration in 2016, is the only state where data is currently available about its potential impact. Of the 272,000 automatically registered voters, approximately 36 percent of them voted.

This year, Michigan will implement both policies, joining 16 other states and D.C. in automatic voter registration and 17 other states and D.C. in same day voter registration.

Want more?

Read the full report.