H.R. 779·High School Beginner
A Bill to Require Automatic Voter Registration at the DMV
Rep. Edwards (D-NY)
States receiving HAVA funds must automatically register eligible adults applying for state IDs unless they opt out.
Sec. 1 — Mandate
States accepting HAVA funds shall implement automatic voter registration at DMV transactions.
Sec. 2 — Opt-Out
Individuals may decline registration in writing.
Sec. 3 — Funding
$130 million in implementation grants.
Sec. 4 — Enforcement
DOJ Civil Rights Division.
Tournament Prep
Mechanical parts, sourced & timed
Use this as your pre-round checklist. Memorize the source citation. Time yourself to the delivery target.
- Bill / Number
- H.R. 779 — A Bill to Require Automatic Voter Registration at the DMV
- Funding source
- $130M HAVA implementation grants.
- Timeline
- States must implement within 2 years of grant.
- Realistic — 23 states already operate AVR.
- Enforcing agency
- DOJ Civil Rights Division.
- Yes — HAVA enforcement structure.
- Penalty for non-compliance
- Withholding of HAVA funds.
- Source citation
- Brennan Center for Justice (2023), 'Automatic Voter Registration' — brennancenter.org.
- Delivery time (read aloud)
- 55s
Strongest counter-argument
AVR risks registering non-citizens and ineligible voters.
Your pre-emptive answer
Brennan (2023) tracked AVR-state ineligible registrations — 0.0001-0.0003% of new registrations, virtually all caught by jury-summons or DMV cross-check. The 'opt-out' design preserves voter agency.