What the new draft registration rule means for you

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A new rule will automatically register men between 18 and 25 for the Selective Service starting in December.  How will that work? The registration requirement for the Selective Service System, a database for the federal government in case of a military draft, is already law. But how it happens right now varies by state. Some make it part of registering for a driver's license or state ID; others don't. Registration rates have dropped, according to Selective Service data. The change, passed by Congress with bipartisan support last year, makes registration automatic. This doesn't mean a draft will happen. PBS News’ Tim McPhillips spoke with Katherine Kuzminski, director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, to break down what the Selective Service System is, what the change means and how military drafts work. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram

Published 2026-04-24 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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