On Jan. 1, Massachusetts begins to register eligible citizens to vote when they interact with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, MassHealth and Health Connector – unless they opt out.

This article is the second in a series on Massachusetts laws that go into effect in the new year.

In Massachusetts, automatic voter registration begins Jan. 1 as directed by legislation that state lawmakers passed and Gov. Charlie Baker signed in 2018.

When the Swampscott Republican signed the election-reform bill two summers ago, Massachusetts became the 14th state, plus Washington D.C., to adopt an automatic-voter registration system.

Now, beginning immediately in the new year, the state registers eligible citizens to vote when they interact with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, MassHealth and Health Connector – unless they opt out. The system will be in place ahead of the presidential primaries in March, according to Secretary of State William F. Galvin.

As the law reads, automatic registration, in part, aims to:

Promote participation of eligible voters in electionsIncrease the completeness and accuracy of the register of votersPrevent erroneous disenfranchisement of eligible citizensProtect ineligible voters from improperly being registeredDetermine the extent to which automatic voter registration materials should be provided beyond Spanish and EnglishPrevent voter registration fraud

Galvin and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy have been advocating for even more election-reform laws — particularly allowing people to register to vote and cast votes on Election Day.

“In Massachusetts, we know that 15 percent of people who are eligible to vote can’t vote because they aren’t registered,” said Healey. “That’s over 780,000 voting-age adults in our state whose voices are not counted, are not heard on election day. The result is unmistakable: fewer people of color, lower-income residents, renters and younger people are participating in the process.”

Common Cause Massachusetts and Galvin estimate that the new automatic voter registration system could result in 700,000 eligible voters who are not currently registered to be added to voting rolls across the Bay State.

After interacting with MassHealth agencies, HealthConnector or obtain a driver’s license, those registered will be informed of the opportunity to either decline to register or declare a political party.

Anyone who does not respond to either option within three weeks’ time will be registered to vote as an independent, and those already registered will have their information checked for any changes, such as a change of address

The law also lets voters who are protected under the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to register confidentially, so that victims of domestic violence or sexual assault can vote without being located by their abusers.

Alongside robust support from both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court, the legislation was endorsed by 65 organizations including environmental, civil rights, consumer, community, labor, and good government groups, according to Common Cause Massachusetts.

The governor’s signature here arrived two years after the state enacted early voting. Since 2016, Massachusetts has offered 10 days of early voting ahead of semiannual state elections, drawing more than 1.5 million ballots over the two elections in that span.