A. Preregistration for Young Voters

A. Preregistration for Young Voters Preregistration is an election procedure that allows individuals younger than 18 years of age to register to vote, so they are eligible to cast a ballot when they reach 18, the voting age in all states.

Existing State Laws for Preregistration:

Alaska - within 90 days preceding 18th birthday California - 17 year-olds may preregister Colorado - 16 and 17-year-olds may preregister District of Columbia - 16 and 17-year-olds may preregister Delaware - 16 and 17-year-olds may preregister Florida - 16 and 17-year-olds may preregister Georgia - 17.5 year olds may preregister Hawaii - 16 year-olds may preregister, and 17 year-olds may register but not vote Iowa - 17.5 years Kansas - Registrants must state that they will be 18 by the next general election Louisiana - 16 year-olds may preregister Maine - 17 year-olds may preregister Maryland - 16 year-olds may preregister Minnesota - any person who will be an eligible voter at the time of the next election may register Missouri - 17.5 year olds may preregister Nebraska - 17 year-olds may preregister Nevada - any person who will be an eligible voter at the time of the next election may register Oregon - 17-year-olds may register but they are not allowed to vote in any election until turning 18 Rhode Island - 17-year-olds may register but not vote; 16 year-olds may preregister Texas - Registration is open to those who are 17 years and 10 months old West Virginia - 17 year-olds may preregister Wyoming - any person who will be 18 on the date of the general election

B. Online Voter Registration Instead of filling out a paper application, the voter fills out a form via an Internet site, and that paperless form is submitted electronically to election officials. Existing States with Online Voting Registration:

Arizona Minnesota California Missouri Colorado Nebraska District of Colombia Nevada Florida New Mexico Georgia New York Hawaii Oklahoma Illinois Oregon Indiana South Carolina Kansas Utah Louisiana Virginia Maryland Washington Massachusetts West Virginia

1 C. Automatic Voter Registration Oregon is the only state to enact automatic voter registration. Under the legislation, every adult citizen in Oregon who has interacted with the Department of Motor Vehicles since 2013 but hasn't registered to vote will receive a ballot in the mail at least 20 days before the next statewide election.

D. Early Voting Early voting allows voters to visit an election official’s office or, in some states, other satellite voting locations, and cast a vote in person without offering an excuse for why the voter is unable to vote on election day

Existing States that Allow Early Voting:

Alaska Montana Arizona Nebraska Arkansas Nevada California New Jersey D.C. New Mexico Florida North Carolina Georgia North Dakota Hawaii Ohio Idaho Oklahoma Illinois South Dakota Indiana Tennessee Iowa Texas Kansas Utah Louisiana Vermont Maine West Virginia Maryland Wisconsin Minnesota Wyoming

E. Mail Voting A ballot is automatically mailed to every registered voter in advance of Election Day, and traditional in- person voting precincts are not available.

States with Mail Voting:

Colorado Oregon Washingotn

D. Absentee Ballots All states will mail an absentee ballot to certain voters who request one. The voter may return the ballot by mail or in person. In 20 states, an excuse is required, while 27 states and the District of Columbia permit any qualified voter to vote absentee without offering an excuse. Some states offer a permanent absentee ballot list: once a voter asks to be added to the list, s/he will automatically receive an absentee ballot for all future elections.

1. No Excuse Absentee Voting No excuse absentee voting allows any registered voter to request an absentee without requiring that the voter state a reason for his/her desire to vote absentee.

2 States that Allow No Excuse Absentee Voting:

Alaska Montana Arizona Nebraska California Nevada District of Colombia New Jersey Florida New Mexico Georgia North Carolina Hawaii North Dakota Idaho Ohio Illinois Oklahoma Iowa South Dakota Kansas Utah Maine Vermont Maryland Wisconsin Minnesota Wyoming

2. Permanent Absentee Voting List Once a voter opts in, s/he will receive an absentee ballot automatically for all future elections.

States with Permanent Absentee Status:

Arizona California District of Colombia Hawaii Montana New Jersey Utah

3 Barriers to Voting in Michigan

No preregistration for young voters No online registration Voters must register at least 30 days prior to election Voting address must match driver’s license First time voters who register by mail must still vote in person No early voting Absentee ballots require an excuse. Acceptable excuses are:  You are 60 years old or older  You are unable to vote without assistance at the polls  You are expecting to be out of town on election day  You are in jail awaiting arraignment or trial  You are unable to attend polls due to religious reasons  You are appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of residence Absentee request must be received by 2pm on Saturday prior to election and returned by 8pm day of election Barriers for students:  Id requirements are state specific  Lack of transportation to voting centers  Misinformation about registering with a college address  Poll workers unfamiliar with student issues

4 http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-early-voting.aspx http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-early-voting.aspx http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/17/oregon-is-first-state-to-adopt-automatic-voter-registration/ http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/preregistration-for-young-voters.aspx http://thedemocracycommitment.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/MI.pdf http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(irmck0boix2iirvycucrxcen))/mileg.aspx?page=Daily http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000286