Research Report: As Driving Declines, So Does Democracy

Written By Laura Brill

Executive Summary

One of the most significant efforts to expand voter registration in the US has been that in most places, when you get a driver’s license, you can register to vote. The dominance of state DMVs as the location of voter registration activities leaves out non-drivers. Most state online voter registration systems require a driver’s license or state ID in order to complete a voter registration transaction. 

Millions of American teens are not driving, and the rate at which youth are licensed to drive has declined dramatically over time. Lack of awareness and implementation of alternatives has resulted in a massive disenfranchisement of American teens. 

Process, Sources, and Findings

Relying on data from the Federal Highway Administration and American Community Survey, The Civics Center has calculated the percentage of teens ages 16-18 who have driver’s licenses, as well as the numbers who are not licensed. 

With the assistance of the Democracy Works API and independent research, The Civics Center has also reviewed state laws and websites to determine which do and do not provide online voter registration and which online systems require a driver’s license or state ID. 

The number of seats each state has in the US House of Representatives may be found in this table from the US Census. 

We have also reviewed published reports, linked below, about the costs of driving and demographic variations among those who are and are not driving.

Based on the above, we have found the following:

  • Millions of American teens are not driving today. 26% of 16-year-olds, 44% of 17-year-olds, and 60% of 18-year-olds hold a license.

  • All told, more than 7.5 million youth, ages 16-18 do not have a driver’s license. Three million of them will be old enough to vote in 2026, and all of them will be old enough in 2028.

  • Seven states have no online system at all (including Texas, Montana and New Hampshire).

  • 29 other states have online systems in which the would-be voter can only complete the registration transaction if they have a driver’s license or state ID.

  • Combining states with no online registration system and those with an ID requirement, there are 36 states where voter registration is affected by low levels of youth driving. Those states send 72 senators and 331 representatives to Congress.

  • On average in midterm elections, under 30% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote. In contrast roughly 75% of Americans ages 45 and above are registered.

  • Driving is getting more expensive, and youth driving is decreasing because of a movement in states to attach additional requirements for young drivers. Today, all states have Graduated Driver Licensing laws that undoubtedly reduce teen accidents. However, 29 require professional training, which can significantly raise the cost of getting a permit - to around $462 in Ohio, for example. Unsurprisingly, researchers found this impacts low-income youth the hardest. One study showed that teens from wealthy households were 51% more likely to hold a license than their peers in lower-income homes.

The map below shows state variations in online registration systems.

Analysis and Recommendations

There are numerous policy and programmatic interventions that can make a real difference. Many states require high schools to assist with voter registration, and three states have even designated high schools as official voter registration agencies, side-by-side with DMVs. Unfortunately, such laws are often unfunded, unmonitored, and unused. Another intervention is technological, updating online voter registration systems so that users can complete a registration online without a driver’s license or state ID, just as they can in most states with a paper form. Overcoming these policy and technological barriers will take time and resources. 

The intervention that does not require new legislation and that is ready for implementation today is found in the teens themselves. It means an educational, communications, and leadership development effort to help students understand the importance of registering to vote, the power and impact of voting, and their own capacity to make a difference by registering to vote themselves and helping their peers to overcome the barriers and do the same. That is a culture shift more than a policy or technology shift. It means deciding to do what is possible now, with an understanding that policy and technological solutions will be easier to pass and implement, once there is greater awareness of the need and people and traditions in place to implement and sustain the effort.

ABOUT THE CIVICS CENTER

Founded in 2018 by Laura W. Brill, The Civics Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit working to make voter registration part of every high school in America. Since 2018, TCC has supported more than 800 voter registration drives in 38 states, trained more than 3,000 students and educators. More than half of TCC drives are in Title I schools.

Anyone who believes in the power of participation to strengthen our democracy can take concrete action to help more teens register to vote. We offer training, resources and partnerships to facilitate student-led, peer-to-peer registration drives in high schools.

For more information, please contact:
Emma Daly, [email protected], 212-380-7023

Laura Brill
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