The system, often referred to as "automatic voter registration," has been under development for more than two years. Key to its success was the full rollout of California's statewide voter database — a project that was more than a decade late when it debuted in March 2016. Historically, there were separate voter rolls in each of the state's 58 counties. Local officials collaborated across county lines, but there was no easily updatable list of all California voters.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 24, 2018 06:56 UTC