A new study from the Public Policy Institute of California estimates that, if executed successfully, the state’s new motor voter law could add more than 2 million new voters to the rolls in its first year of implementation.
The new law, slated to take effect next year, is supposed to streamline the way citizens register to vote at Department of Motor Vehicles offices. Once fully implemented, drivers applying for or renewing licenses and completing other DMV transactions will have their information electronically transmitted to the secretary of State, as long as they’ve confirmed they’re eligible to vote and don’t opt out of registering.
State officials have been saying for months that potentially millions of new voters could be registered under the new law. The PPIC report released Thursday appears to bolster that claim.
If the law is a success, the report says, California’s electorate could grow to include more Latinos, young people and those with foreign-born parents and lower education levels.
