We know Trump drives turnout. Here's how states can get even more people to vote.
Political engagement in America is surging. More than 118 million people participated in the November elections, marking the first time more than 100 million Americans voted in any midterm. Raw numbers can be misleading in an increasing population, but even the rate of turnout was historic, with more than half of eligible voters participating. The last time a midterm turnout rate was over 50 percent was more than a century ago, in 1914.
This is a dramatic change from just four years ago, when the 2014 midterms had the lowest turnout rate since 1942.
What explains the amazing, tremendous return to Americans being great Americans again? The obvious answer is President Donald Trump. Whether you love him or you hate him, he inflames passions. And when people want to express themselves, they will. The 2020 presidential election promises to be another 100-year storm of voters.
Yet these pats on the back are because only half of eligible citizens voted in the last midterm elections, and maybe two-thirds will vote in the upcoming presidential election. Our new America Goes to the Polls 2018 report shows how we can do better.
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Our state-by-state analysis of turnout found that in six states, 2018 turnout rates topped 60 percent, far above the national 50 percent average and even further above the turnout stragglers at the other end.
What made the difference? State policy choices that have made it easier and more convenient to vote.
House Democrats recently passed a set of sweeping election reforms as part of H.R.1, with the stated intent to expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, but the package is unlikely to advance in the Republican-run Senate. The impending congressional gridlock belies broad bipartisan agreement on election reform at the state level. As federal inaction drags on, states have acted, and we can learn much from them about what does and does not work to increase voter participation and improve the conduct of elections.
Make it easy and convenient to vote
We know that voter registration deadlines far in advance of an election are a significant voting barrier. Seven of the 10 highest turnout rate states address this challenge with same-day registration, which allows voters to register and cast their ballots at polling locations. These include red and blue states alike. Indeed, North Dakota doesn’t even have voter registration — all eligible citizens need to do is show their ID when they vote. By comparison, eight of the bottom 10 states in turnout required voters to register four weeks before the election.
Another promising reform sweeping the nation is automatic voter registration. This reform registers eligible citizens automatically when they get their driver’s license or other government ID. Oregon was the first state to implement automatic voter registration, and it is credited with producing tens of thousands of new voters in 2016.
Seventeen states and Washington, D.C., have followed Oregon, both red and blue. Not only does this reform increase turnout, it also helps reduce typos that lead to undelivered mail that runs up election costs. Automatic voter registration is a positive reform, but it should be accompanied by same-day registration; not everyone gets or updates a driver's license before an election.
People are more likely to vote when voting is more convenient. This is best exemplified by the three states that send every registered voter a ballot through the mail — Colorado, Oregon and Washington. All three are among the top seven states in voter turnout. Mail balloting is on the rise: Just recently, a bipartisan Virginia law enacted no-excuse absentee voting starting in 2020; 67 percent of Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment to enable no-excuse absentee voting, along with a slew of other reforms that include automatic voter registration; and New York is moving forward with similar reforms.
Competition spurs high turnout
People vote when they think their vote will make a difference, so competition figures prominently. The big turnout turnaround from 2014 to 2018 happened in every state except Alaska and Louisiana, which saw small declines. Why these two states? Both had highly competitive elections in 2014, but they had little competition in 2018.
What can improve electoral competition? Redistricting reform prevents politicians from drawing safe districts for themselves to keep voters from holding them accountable through elections. In just the last election, voters in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri and Utah approved redistricting reform for their states that puts independent redistricting commissions in charge of drawing the lines.
With the federal government at loggerheads, it is heartening to see that voters and politicians in states across the political spectrum agree with the preamble to the U.S. Constitution that our government’s legitimacy rests in “We the people.” The American people know democracy works best when all citizens can have their voices heard by their government. States can lead the way by adopting reforms to make voting easier, and to ensure that votes are meaningful to hold elected officials accountable to the will of the people.
Michael McDonald, an associate political science professor at the University of Florida, is founder and director of the U.S. Elections Project. Brian Miller is executive director of Nonprofit VOTE. Follow them on Twitter: @ElectProject and @NpVOTE
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: We know Trump drives turnout. Here's how states can get even more people to vote.
