Make Voter Registration Automatic

Ideas for America | Series 48 #3 | Friday’s Edition

In Denmark, voting is a right, and every citizen gets it. In America, voting is a struggle, and Republicans make it harder.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 62 million eligible voters were not registered to vote. (U.S. Census Bureau) In Denmark, eligible voters are automatically registered. (Danish Government)

I examined how Denmark and the United States register voters. One nation makes it automatic; one makes it difficult.

In Denmark, children are assigned a personal identification number at birth, and when they turn 18, they are automatically registered to vote. (Danish Government; Danish Ministry of the Interior)

In America, children are assigned a Social Security number if parents request it. (Social Security Administration) When they turn 18, they have to take that number and their birth certificate to a government office and register to vote as a separate action. (Registration procedures vary by state; some permit online or mail registration) (USA.gov)

In Denmark’s March 2026 parliamentary election, voter turnout was 84 percent of ALL eligible voters. (Statistics Denmark) In the U.S., voter turnout was 65 percent, which includes the 25% of eligible voters who could not vote because they were not registered. (U.S. Census Bureau)

America already has the tools to emulate the Danish system. Most Americans get a Social Security number at birth; make that automatic. (Social Security Administration) Then make voter registration automatic at 18.

The U.S. will begin this type of system for its Selective Service, the pre-military draft registration, in December. (Selective Service System) All eligible American males will be automatically registered for the draft (the Selective Service) at 18. (U.S. Code, Title 50, Section 3802) They do not have to take their Social Security card and their birth certificate to a government office and register for the Selective Service as a separate action.

Twenty-four states and Washington, D.C., have automatic voter registration. (National Conference of State Legislatures) However, unlike Denmark, their systems generally depend on a person’s interaction with a government agency, rather than automatically registering eligible citizens when they reach voting age. (National Conference of State Legislatures) It’s not really automatic. Danish citizens are registered without submitting a separate voter-registration application. (Danish Government) It’s genuinely automatic.

Some American lawmakers are going the other way. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 11 states enacted 14 laws restricting voting just this year. (Brennan Center for Justice, October 2026)

On February 11, 2026, the House passed the SAVE America Act by a vote of 218 to 213. (Congressional Research Service) The bill requires documentary proof of citizenship just to register to vote. (Congressional Research Service) One more step that makes it harder to register and vote.

Supporters call it election integrity. (Reuters) In practice, it puts a new barrier between eligible citizens and their right to vote. (Brennan Center for Justice)

That is a threat to American democracy and to the freedom to vote.

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