Would Automatic Voter Registration Increase Turnout?

Go to renew your driver's license in Oregon, and you will now be signed up to vote automatically.

It's the first state in the country with that sort of law, which is designed to make voting easier, and stands in contrast to the trend seen in the past several years in more conservative states.

"It's really interesting — when we've seen restrictions emerging in Republican-leaning states," said Michael McDonald, a University of Florida associate who tracks turnout as head of the U.S. Elections Project. "In Democratic-controlled states, we're seeing laws...