Pennsylvania debuts automatic voter registration,
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Residents who are eligible to vote and who obtain or renew a driver’s license or identification card at Pennsylvania’s Department of Motor Vehicles now will be guided through the voter registration process by default. If they don’t want to be added to the voter rolls, they have to actively opt out.
The change fulfills a campaign promise for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), whose state is likely to be crucial to the 2024 presidential race. He promoted the new system Tuesday as a “common sense” step to make elections more secure and less costly for taxpayers.
“Look, this is common sense. You already provide proof of identity, residency, age and citizenship at the DMV — all the information you need to register to vote,” Shapiro said in a video posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Democratic incumbent Barack Obama won Pennsylvania in the presidential election in 2012, while Republican Donald Trump picked up the state in 2016. Joe Biden flipped Pennsylvania back to blue in 2020. In each case, the candidate who won Pennsylvania also won the election.