California is home to 4.7 million unregistered but eligible voters. This group is disproportionately made up of Asian American, Black, and Latinx citizens*, resulting in a partial electorate that skews older and whiter than the state’s population as a whole. Secure Automatic Voter Registration (SAVR) will increase the state’s voter registration, creating a California electorate that reflects our state’s diverse population and providing a path to a true, inclusive democracy for all.

California’s Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) system needs an upgrade. We know that our current voter registration system is not serving the needs of our communities—it is confusing, stressful, and can lead to mistakes that can have serious consequences for people who are not eligible to vote:

• Non-citizen Californians who interact with the DMV to work, earn a living, pay taxes, and support their families are not currently protected from potentially devastating immigration consequences of registering to vote by mistake;

• Formerly incarcerated citizens who often decline registration because they are unsure if they are eligible.

Upgrading California’s voter registration system to SAVR will streamline the process for all eligible voters and protects non-citizens by automatically verifying an individual’s eligibility to vote based on the documents provided to the DMV. SAVR increases the accuracy of voter files and also improves other processes, such as name changes, because information would be streamlined across government agencies.  

Voting should not be a privilege only available to people with the time, knowledge, and resources to navigate complicated and confusing procedures. SAVR protects the integrity of our election system and eliminates barriers so every eligible Californian can fully participate in a genuine democracy.

Join AAPI FORCE and Californians across our state to make sure that working class communities of color have a voice in our government. We know that our democracy is only as strong as our electorate. Our electorate will only be at its strongest when every eligible Californian is registered to vote.

Will you commit to empowering millions of Californians to become active voters by signing our pledge today?

*The Census does not collect sufficient data regarding voter registration rates of Pacific Islanders and Indigenous Americans, which is another barrier to full civic participation.