WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Center for Election Innovation and Research, an elections integrity organization released a new report that compares each state’s active voter registration rates. The report suggests that in most states, their list maintenance practices tend to keep pace with changes in voters’ lives, like moving. CEIR explains why this information is important as the Trump administration tries to get states to turn over their voter rolls information.
In the CEIR report, they calculated each state’s active voter registration rate at the 2024 general election divided by the state’s Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) estimate from the US Census Bureau. They said it provides an estimate of how many eligible voters have registration records with up-to-date information and serves as an approximate measure of a voter list’s accuracy and completion.
“The nationwide average was 85 percent which is higher than what we expected,” said David Becker, founder and executive director of CEIR.
According to their report, Pennsylvania is at 84 percent, New York at 88 percent and Michigan is at 95 percent.
“One of the things we can say about the states at the top they tend to be states who have adopted what we call innovative voter registration procedures that help them keep their voter lists up to date and accurate, make it easier to register to vote and make it easier for voters to interact with voter registration list when they have a life event,” said Becker. “Those are things like automatic voter registration, same day voter registration, online voter registration.”
The Trump administration has asked states to hand over election related records and information, like statewide voter registration lists. In court cases pushing back against the administration’s requests, they said these demands are unprecedented and encroach on states’ power to run elections. CEIR said their latest report shows that there is no apparent correlation between a state’s partisan leanings and its active registration rate.
“It’s not true that all of the states at the top or the bottom are either blue or red, there is a mix of those states,” said Becker. “In fact, if you look at the 14 states and DC who have an active registration rate of 90 percent or higher, Donald Trump won seven of those states in.”
Becker adds their latest report should help reassure voters that voter registration rates are defined by practices and procedures, not by politics.
“Wyoming and Arkansas are not going to turn blue if they implement innovative registration rates, just look at Utah,” said Becker. “That’s not going to happen. What it’s going to do is what the government is supposed to do and that’s serve its citizens of their state. And citizens who want to be registered should have an easy time getting registered if they’re eligible.”
