Sponsors (7)
The bill makes it substantially easier for teens to pre-register and become automatically registered at 18—likely boosting youth civic participation—while imposing administrative and implementation costs and risks of uneven or politicized rollout across states.
16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register and will be automatically registered to vote in federal elections once they turn 18, reducing barriers to voting for new voters.
Students and under‑18 youth gain funded opportunities and school civic curriculum changes that increase civic education and engagement before they reach voting age.
States and election administrators get more predictable registration timing and broader access to pre-registration, which can help boost youth turnout and simplify election planning.
State election offices and taxpayers will face administrative costs to revise systems and processes and to verify/activate pre-registrations, increasing state workload and public expenses.
Variation across states in eligibility ages and program implementation risks unequal access for younger teens, uneven program quality, and potential politicization of civic curriculum.
Schools and local education agencies may need to redirect staff time and resources to implement curriculum changes and reporting requirements, straining local budgets and personnel.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires each State to allow residents to apply to pre-register to vote for Federal office as soon as they turn 16, and to convert those pre-registrations into active registrations once the person reaches voting age. Creates a two-year federal grant program run by the Election Assistance Commission to help States increase under‑18 civic and election participation, including promoting pre-registration and updating secondary-school curricula. The voter pre-registration requirement takes effect 90 days after the law is enacted and the grant program is funded with a $25 million authorization.
Introduced November 4, 2025 by Donald Sternoff Beyer · Last progress November 4, 2025