Michigan Democrats advance bill to expand automatic voter registration

On Wednesday, Michigan Democrats passed a bill in the state House that would expand automatic voter registration. Currently, Michigan automatically registers only eligible voters who obtain or update their driver’s license or state ID, unless they opt out at the time. However, the new bill would expand automatic registration to Michigan's Medicaid agency, people who seek to reinstate their license upon release from prison, and potentially more state agencies once they put procedures in place to verify eligibility.

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Until last decade, Michigan was well below average in terms of making voting accessible, something that Republicans had maintained through gerrymandering that repeatedly let them win power despite Democrats generally winning more votes overall. However, that all started to change in 2018 when voters passed two ballot initiatives—one to expand voting rights and another that ended gerrymandering by creating an independent commission to draw the maps; voters followed that up by passing another voting-access ballot initiative in 2022.

Thanks to these ballot measures, Michigan now has pro-voting policies such as automatic registration, same-day registration, in-person early voting, and excuse-free mail voting. The fairer districts drawn after 2020 also enabled Democrats to narrowly win full control over state government last year for the first time in four decades. However, there’s still room to improve now that Democrats are in power, and the party has already enacted other legislation to improve upon these earlier voter-led reforms, such as bolstering early voting availability.

Expanding automatic registration beyond the motor vehicle department is critical for reaching certain demographic groups that are less likely to drive. Other states with DMV-based automatic registration, like Oregon, have found that many of their remaining eligible voters are covered by Medicaid. With Democrats in control of the state Senate and the governor's office, expanded automatic registration will likely soon become law.