New Oregon Study Finds 29% of 16- and 17-year-olds are Pre-registered to Vote Statewide

The Civics Center’s new analysis reveals that an estimated 29% of Oregon’s 16- and 17-year-olds are pre-registered to vote. After Governor Kate Brown signed the “New Motor Voter” bill in 2015, Oregon became the first state to enact automatic voter registration--in which anyone applying for or renewing their driver’s license at the Department of Motor Vehicles is automatically registered to vote. Through the combination of the state’s automatic voter registration and pre-registration laws, over 77,800 16- and 17-year-olds pre-registered to vote between 2016 and 2018. In 2018, pre-registration rates across Oregon counties were relatively uniform--the majority of counties measuring between 22% to 35% of 16- and 17-year-olds pre-registered--in comparison to states like West Virginia and Colorado that contain large amounts of variation.