Students in North Carolina Take Advantage Of Voter Preregistration Law

As reported by a new analysis released today by The Civics Center, as of August 2019, an estimated 39% of 16- and 17-year-olds in the state were pre-registered to vote.  North Carolina’s pre-registration rate exceeded the rates of many other states with similar laws.

“Young people in North Carolina and throughout the country are searching for positive ways to convey their priorities to federal, state, and local leaders,” said The Civics Center’s Director Laura W. Brill, a practicing attorney and former law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "Schools, students, and communities working collaboratively can use state pre-registration laws, to dramatically increase youth civic engagement," Brill said. 

North Carolina’s pre-registration law originally took effect in January 2010.  In 2013, the State enacted legislation to repeal the law and to create other obstacles to voting, including imposing strict ID requirements.  Preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds was reinstated in 2016, after a federal appeals court ruled that the state law violated the federal Voting Rights Act.  

The Civics Center’s analysis shows that over half of North Carolina’s counties have a pre-registration rate that exceeds 35%. Union County leads with a pre-registration rate of 60.74%. Pamlico County, by contrast, has the lowest rate of pre-registration at 2.71%. Hoke County falls second to last with a pre-registration rate of 13.82%. 

For more information, please see our press release.