California already has a new statewide automated voter registration system through the DMV that was voted into law last year, was put into effect on January 1, and will be fully implemented by July 2017. When people apply to obtain or renew a drivers licenses or state identification cards they are asked to affirm their eligibility to vote, and are automatically registered unless they decide to opt out. Their information is submitted electronically to the secretary of state’s office, where citizenship will be verified and names will be added to the voter rolls.
The reason for the additional measure to help encourage the youth vote is that this age demographic is significantly less likely to have drivers licenses than older voters, and therefore fewer will be included in the automated registration via the DMV. Though in many areas getting a license on your 16th birthday is a rite of passage, it others it isn't. At my college (Stanford) we're not allowed to have cars on campus for our first year, and the costs of parking permits discourage many upperclassman. I know that several other universities, both public and private, also prohibit first years from having cars on campus, and so those who didn't get their licenses in high school have less of an incentive to obtain one when they start college. Many of my friends who are from major urban cities never got their licenses because they simply weren't necessary. This proposed automatic registration wouldn't be applicable at Stanford since it's a private university, and at the moment the plan is only to provide it at public colleges and universities in California, but we would welcome it if it was available.