Automatic voter registration is now on the books in yet another state, with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, R, signing a bill into law.
This is one that’s gone from nothing to a major Democratic Party priority in very little time. The first state to enact such a law was Oregon in 2015. Massachusetts is the 14th, not counting Washington, D.C. The basic idea is that voter registration switches from the traditional opt-in — putting the burden on the voter — to opt-out, meaning that voters are not forced to register but have to make an active decision to avoid doing so.