Oregon just passed a first-of-its-kind voter registration bill that will initially add 300,000 to the state's roll by replacing the DMV's paper-based system with a new process that automatically enrolls voters electronically.
The bill won final passage in the Oregon Senate on Thursday with a 17-13 vote, and now heads to Gov. Kate Brown for her expected signature.
It's referred to as the "New Motor Voter Bill," and it's goal is to remove barriers to voting, particularly for younger and poorer residents who tend to move around more, according to Oregon Live.
Once it becomes law, driver's license data from 2013 onward will be used to automatically register residents who aren't already signed up to vote. Those residents will then be sent a postcard from election officials notifying them that they've been registered to vote, and would provide a chance to opt out.
Newly registered voters will be able to register with one of the state's political parties, and if they don't take action, they will be automatically registered as a non-affiliated voter.
Oregon has about 2.2 million registered voters, with another 800,000 residents eligible, according to the DMV's communication director, Tony Green, reported The Washington Post. Initially, the law will retroactively register an estimated 300,000 residents, and over time, the state expects to "capture all of the eligible voters," Green said.
Since the state already holds elections by mail, Oregon has among the highest voter turnouts in the country, and the new law sets the state apart even more.
"If you go into the DMV and provide proof of age, residency and citizenship, you don't have to fill out additional information in order to register to vote," Green told the Post. "It fundamentally flips the default from an opt-in system to an opt-out system."
During the two-hour debate on Thursday, Republicans raised concerns about ID theft and privacy issues, with Sen. Alan Olsen, R-Canby., asking, "How would you like your 18-year-old daughter's information running around the world?" according to Oregon Live.
Democrats pointed out that the bill includes several privacy guards, like a provision that prevents the transfer of data from people who have protected status for their DMV data.
Republicans also expressed concerns that the law could give Democrats even more of an advantage in elections, because young, minority and low-income citizens who traditionally support their candidates are also less likely to register.
Green said, however, that "there will be more voters affiliated with no party than voters affiliated with any of the major parties."
