US military draft registration rules are changing in December and these states will be affected

Six US states will now be required to automatically register eligible men for the Selective Service as of December, with failure to register potentially carrying felony consequences.

From December 19, all eligible American men aged 18 to 26 will be signed up by default into the military draft register, marking the first time such a measure has been implemented since February 1973, during the Vietnam War.

The majority of US states and territories already have automatic registration procedures in place, with 46 doing so according to the Selective Service System’s 2024 annual report.

However, states without existing default registration procedures will now be brought under the new nationwide system.

These include Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wyoming, Maryland, and Nebraska, where mandatory registration will now apply to green-card holders, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented men.

As per the SSS, men must register 'within 30 days of (their) 18th birthday', and further explain that it is a felony to not do so.

Changes have been made to the policy. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

It’s also a violation of the Military Selective Service Act, which could lead to imprisonment of up to five years, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who sponsored the automatic selective service language, told CNN: "Making registration automatic, not only saves taxpayer dollars by eliminating the need to advertise but finally ensures that young men are not unknowingly penalized."

And the plans to do so were outlined in the annual defense policy bill that was signed into law late last year.

Up until Decemeber, the process varies by location.

The process currently differs by state. (Herika Martinez / AFP) (Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

In states such as Arizona and Delaware, as well as Washington. DC, eligible men are registered with Selective Service when applying for a driving licence or other state-issued ID. New York takes a different approach, giving eligible applicants the option to sign up for the draft register as part of their driving licence application.

What would happen if the US reinstated the draft?

Should the US ever reinstate military conscription, eligible men would not automatically be sent into service.

Instead, Congress, along with the President's administration, would first need to authorise a draft, before a nationwide lottery determined the order in which registered men would be called up.

Those selected would then undergo medical and mental assessments, with some potentially qualifying for exemptions or deferments before being formally inducted into the Armed Forces.

Women are not eligible for the draft, though they can still enlist in the regular US armed forces to serve on the frontlines.