[EL] Why "motor voter" performance varies so much across states

[Doug Hess]

I'm wondering if anybody has thoughts on why some states consistently have
a much lower output--even controlling for population--from DMV voter
registration programs than other states? Even accounting for the recent
surge in "automatic" voter registration (AVR) policies--or looking at the
data prior to such policies--the differences in state performance are
rather stunning.

For instance, I divided the number of voter registration applications from
DMVs by the number of drivers in each state. Although the ratio has been
rising for most states over time, the differences between states are
enormous. E.g., the ratio in IN and KY is consistently double that in MO
and MS. Likewise, of all voter reg applications received in an election
cycle, the percentage that are from DMVs varies markedly by state. Finally,
the percentage of respondents stating they registered at a DMV in the
Current Population Survey has also been rising over time, but some states
consistently have a percentage that is four or five times higher than other
states.

No doubt some of this is due to compliance problems, the ease of
registration via other means, and how frequently people move or must renew
a license (and under-explored topic related to AVR). Some of this is also
likely due to reporting problems; although those problems would have to be
very consistent to produce the trends I'm looking at (from 2008 to 2020).

Still, I'm left wondering if there are other reasons why some states would
not only have a lower ratio than others but consistently have a lower
ratio.  Do any recent visitors to your local DMV have thoughts on this? I'd
appreciate any ideas.

-Doug Hess, Ph.D.
http://www.douglasrhess.com  @douglasrhess
https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasrhess/
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