National Voter Registration Act
The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) established an obligation for simple voter registration.
Description
States are required to accept the National Mail Voter Registration Form (or Federal Form) as a valid registration.
Furthermore, state DMVs (or equivalent) are required to offer voter registration within driver license processes.
The law mandates that the USPS treat state election materials as though the states were nonprofits.
Aside from North Dakota, which does not require voter registration, five states are exempt because they have continuously offered same-day registration since the law took effect in 1994:
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Maine is the lone state that had same-day registration at the time and since abolished it. The state does not claim exemption status.
History
The act was signed into law by Clinton in 1993.
From 2004, Arizona held that no voter registration was valid if not accompanied by proof of citizenship, and thus rejected the Federal Form. The Supreme Court ruled against the state in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. (2013).