Wisconsin bill would auto-register eligible citizens to vote at DMV

The bill, which has little chance of passage this year, may preview future strategy from Democrats should they take full control of state government.

By Gus Pirlot, THE BADGER PROJECT

A proposal from Wisconsin Democrats in the state legislature would automatically register eligible residents to vote when they interact with the Department of Transportation’s agencies, like renewing a driver’s license or vehicle registration.

Authored by Senator Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) and Representative Clinton M. Anderson (D-Beloit), Senate Bill 925/Assembly Bill 920 would create an automatic voter registration system in Wisconsin. Eligible citizens who do things like apply for or renew a driver’s license or state ID would have their information electronically transferred to election officials to create or update a voter registration record, unless they opt out. The bill directs the Wisconsin Elections Commission to use available data to register eligible voters and maintain accurate rolls.

The bill has little chance of passage in the Republican-controlled state Legislature, especially since the Assembly has adjourned, but may be a preview of what Democrats plan to do if they take full control of state government in 2027.

Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan, which are or have recently been fully controlled by Democrats, have adopted automatic voter registration in recent years.

In a contrast of strategy, Congressional Republicans in Washington, D.C. are pushing to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to bring proof of citizenship to register to vote, and would make voter ID rules a federal law. Supporters of the bill say this is to combat non-citizen voting, which is a crime and rarely happens, experts say.

Voter fraud is very rare in the U.S., extensive research shows, and offenders are often caught and charged criminally, as many checks exist to deter and catch it. Yet voter ID laws are popular with the public, polls show. Still, Democrats fight hard to oppose them, accusing Republicans of pushing the restrictions to reduce voting from left-leaning voters who don’t have government-issued IDs. But research has not found that voter ID laws help or hurt either party much, if at all, and they may not affect voter turnout in a significant way. Research has also suggested that high voter turnout may not benefit Democrats in any significant way, challenging long-held beliefs about its influence on elections. Whereas Republicans used to win more often in low turnout elections, that has flipped and now Democrats are the ones usually winning in this context, research suggests.

Wisconsin has some of the strictest voting laws in the country, according to an analysis from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Cost of Voting Index.

To be eligible to vote in Wisconsin, citizens must first submit a registration form online, by mail or in person. Then they must show a government-issued ID to get a ballot.

More than 20 states and Washington, D.C. have adopted automatic voter registration systems, which register citizens when they do other business with the DMV, and sometimes at select other agencies, depending on the state. Pro-democracy advocacy groups such as the Brennan Center for Justice and the Institute for Responsive Government praise automatic voter registration as providing easier access to voters. Analysis from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab found that while there are doubts surrounding automatic voter registration’s effect on actual voter turnout, it does remove barriers to voter registration.

The Badger Project is an independent, reader-supported news org in Wisconsin.