“VOTES Act” Requires Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles to Remove Option for Customers to Opt Out of Automatic Voter Registration

Opportunity to decline automatic voter registration at the RMV will no longer be available effective January 1, 2023

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is announcing that effective January 1, 2023, the RMV is no longer allowed to offer the option for customers to opt out of automatic voter registration. 

The opportunity for driver’s license and ID applicants to decline automatic voter registration is no longer possible in accordance with “The VOTES Act,” a new election reform law which was passed by the Massachusetts State Legislature on June 22, 2022.

On each business day, the RMV will be required to transmit to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, specific applicant information on all eligible transactions with the RMV meeting the select criteria of persons attesting to U.S. citizenship and providing proof of lawful presence. Information that is sent to the Secretary of the Commonwealth will include the applicant’s name, date of birth, address, attestation of citizenship, and an electronic signature.

RMV customers will be allowed to decline voter registration after receiving the acknowledgment notice from their respective municipal election officials.

The RMV has revised its driver’s license and ID applications and the “Voter Registration Receipt” to reflect the new changes referenced above. To learn more, go online to: Automatic Voter Registration.

The RMV recommends all customers needing to conduct transactions, go online to see if an online transaction is possible, or to prepare for an in-person visit if necessary:  RMV's Online Service Center.

For the latest RMV updates and information, follow the RMV on Twitter @MassRMV.

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