Celebrating the NVRA: 20 Years of Increasing Access to the Vote

EDITORIAL NOTE: This blog post was originally posted on the Huffington Post.

Monday, May 20, marks the 20th anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the monumental legislation that protects and enhances the ability of Americans to register to vote. The milestone comes as the League of Women Voters and fellow voting rights advocates await a Supreme Court decision on the pivotal case, Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council (ITCA), which will impact the voter registration process for millions of Americans.

Commonly known as "Motor Voter," the NVRA streamlined the confusing array of state laws that hindered the voter registration process. The law made it easier for Americans to register to vote by requiring states to provide voter registration opportunities when citizens obtain a driver's license or seek services at other government agencies, as well as through mail-in registration. The NVRA also plays a crucial role in preventing states from passing restrictive laws that could prevent eligible citizens from registering to vote. What's more, the national mail-in registration form is integral to the many citizen-led voter registration drives that register millions of eligible Americans each year, many of which are conducted by the nearly 800 state and local Leagues across the country.

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