Executive Summary

As public concern grows over deepening economic and political inequality, there’s good news to report in five states: 1 million additional members of the 99 percent have filled out voter registration forms at public assistance agencies since 2007.

This milestone reflects Demos’ work helping five states — Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois — to fully implement the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), specifically the often-neglected public agency registration requirements, otherwise known as “Section 7”. It is proof that when laws to protect peoples’ democratic rights are put into practice, they can have a major impact on bringing more voices into the political process. If more states follow suit, millions of additional lower-income Americans will have the opportunity to participate in our democracy in coming years.