chevron-down Created with Sketch Beta.
    October 13, 2024 ABA Task Force for American Democracy

    Increasing Voter Participation in America

    Danielle Root, Liz Kennedy, Center for American Progress, July 11, 2018
    Download Full Article

    Summary

    This report explores the problem of low voter participation in the United States, looking at everything from structural barriers to voting as well as disillusionment with the political process. The report issues six recommendations to increase voter participation, primarily by making voting more convenient. The recommendations include specific policies such as same-day voter registration as well as broader reforms like voting-rights restoration for the formerly incarcerated. The report also discusses the projected success of its recommended policies based on existing research and data.

    Key Findings/Message

    The report highlights that millions of eligible Americans have not voted in recent elections—for example, 92 million in 2016—although a vast majority of Americans rank election participation as an essential determinant of good citizenship. The authors suggest low voter turnout might stem from policies that make voting more difficult. Accordingly, the report highlights a number of policies that have been used to grow turnout and, if adopted at scale, can drive voter participation by all eligible voters. 

    Key Recommendations

    The report issues six overarching recommendations for increasing voter participation:

    1. Streamline voter registration with automatic voter registration, same-day registration (SDR), preregistration of 16- and 17-year-olds, and online voter registration.
    2. Make voting more convenient with in-person early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, and vote-at-home (or vote-by-mail) with vote centers where people can still cast their ballots in person.
    3. Provide sufficient resources in elections and ensure voting is accessible.
    4. Restore rights for formerly incarcerated people.
    5. Strengthen civics education in schools.
    6. Invest in integrated voter engagement (IVE) and outreach. IVE combines issue advocacy and organizing with voter mobilization. IVE groups incentivize people to vote by connecting voting with issues that impact peoples’ lives.