On May 18, 1917, the Selective Service Act authorized the President to temporarily increase the U.S. military. Under the office of the Provost Marshal General, the Selective Service System was established to draft men into military service. Local boards were created for each county or similar state subdivision, and for each 30,000 people in cities and counties with a population greater than 30,000.

During World War II there were seven draft registrations:

October 16, 1940 - all men 21-31 years residing in the U.S. - whether native born, naturalized, or alien
July 1, 1941 - men who reached age 21 since the first registration
February 16, 1942 - men 20-21 and 35-44 years of age
April 27, 1942 - Men 45-64 years of age. Not liable for military service. *Only draft cards open to public
June 30, 1942 - Men 18-20 years of age
December 10-31, 1942 - Men who reached the age of 18 since the previous registration
November 16 - December 31, 1943 - American men living abroad, aged 18-44

What You Can Learn From WWII Draft Records:

In general, you'll find the registrant's full name, address (both mailing and residence), phone number, date and place of birth, age, occupation and employer, the name and address of the nearest contact or relative, the employers name and address, and the signature of the registrant. Other boxes on the draft cards asked for descriptive details such as race, height, weight, eye and hair color, complexion and other physical characteristics.
Keep in mind that WWII Draft Registration Records are not military service records - they don't document anything past the individual's arrival at training camp and contain no information about an individual's military service. It is also important to note that not all of the men who registered for the draft actually served in the military, and not all men who served in the military registered for the draft.

Where Can I Access WWII Draft Records:

The original WWII draft registration cards are organized by state and are held by the appropriate regional branch of the National Archives. A few WWII draft cards from Ohio have also been digitized by the National Archives and made available online. They are also available as part of NARA microfilm Record Group 147, "Records of the Selective Service System, 1940-." The 4th registration (Old Man's Draft), as well as digital copies of the actual cards, are being, microfilmed by the National Archives, so not all states are available yet.
Fourth registration WWII draft registration cards (for men born between 28 April 1877 and 16 February 1897) for most southern states (including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee) were destroyed in error by NARA in the 1970s and were never microfilmed. The information on these cards has been lost forever. Other registrations for these states were not destroyed, but are also not yet available to the public.
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