For decades, federal law required men to register with the Selective Service when they turn 18 and to keep their registrations current through the age of 25. Enforceable law helped encourage registration; so did the agency’s efforts to make registration materials available in post offices, schools, and other public places.

In 2009, however, the Selective Service System has taken a more pro-active role in registration and has deployed a range of technological resources that make registration easier and more efficient. Automatic registration programs and data-sharing arrangements with other government agencies— including state departments of motor vehicles, Education, and the Department of Labor’s Job Corps Program— significantly help the Selective Service to register members of the target population and to keep registrations current.

 2009. This paper is covered by the Creative Commons “Attribution-No Derivs-NonCommercial” license (see http://creativecommons.org). It may be reproduced in its entirety as long as the Brennan Center for Justice is credited, a link to the Center’s web page is provided, and no change is imposed. The paper may not be reproduced in part or altered in form, or if a fee is charged, without the Center’s permission. Please let the Brennan Center for Justice know if you reprint.

The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns the draft. The draft is seen in the Constitution at Article 1, Section 8, Clause 12.

Resources on military conscription and "Selective Service" in the USA
from the National Resistance Committee

Because of the pressures and incremental gains of on-going C-R operations and the problems the military has in enlisting personnel during good economic times (translated: low unemployment), there has been some talk of a draft re-instatement. There is no serious talk of reinstating the draft.  The SSS budget is approximately the same as it was in 1980 when Jimmy Carter resumed draft registration (25 million) so in real dollars adjusted for inflation, it is less. Hardly an indication of getting ready to reinstate the draft. If this were to be a universal draft for universal service, there might be some national benefit in that. This statement is opinion-  and debatable. However, if draftees would be targeted primarily toward military service (a certainty), we would be ready to provide whatever assistance we could in helping our youth apply for conscientious objector (CO) status. - Submitted by JMCNRICK- Sep 4, 2011

Exploring the Role of Socioeconomic Status in U.S. Military Recruitment of Hispanic Students

The end of the U.S. military draft in 1973 re-established the all-volunteer Armed Forces. Some have argued that this change caused a shift in the racial/ethnic and economic composition of the USAF. Much of this work has focused on the motivation of an all-volunteer force and whether military service is viewed more as a job or one’s patriotic duty (Moskos 1977). Scholars have paid little attention to the methods by which the military targets and recruits potential enlistees. The conventional wisdom is that the military has created a “poverty draft” (Mariscal 2007) by targeting low-income African-Americans and Latinos/as. While a great deal of anecdotal evidence exists documenting this phenomena, little empirical analysis has been undertaken to address the reality of the “poverty draft.” We attempt to identify military recruitment strategies in the Rio Grande Valley in Deep South Texas by questioning current high school juniors and seniors regarding their experiences with military recruiters. We intend to assess whether military recruiters are more active in recruiting students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. - Submitted by Seth Kershner