Voting & Democracy

Same Day Registration

About This Principle of Democracy

In every national election, several million voters are unable to vote due to a problem with their voter registration.

One group consists of voters who miss their state’s deadline to register, whether they are young voters, first-time voters, or those who have recently moved. Registration deadlines set weeks in advance of an election exclude many voters who don’t decide to vote until days before the election.

A larger group consists of already registered voters turned away due to a fixable error in their registration or having been incorrectly purged from the file.

How It Works

Same day registration, also known as Election Day registration, is a time-tested policy first implemented by Maine, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the 1970s. It allows voters with valid ID and proof of residency to register or update their registration when they vote on Election Day or during the early voting period Today there is no reason any state should let a fixable registration issue prevent citizens of voting age from voting.

Benefits

No voter is turned away by fixable voter registration issues. Voters still have a chance to register or correct a mistake in a previous registration when they vote. This is especially beneficial for first-time voters.
It Increases accuracy of registration rolls. Unlike registrations mailed in or done online, same day registrations are done in person by trained election officials.
Saves the added cost of and uncertainty of using provisional ballots now used for voters not properly on the list.
This voter friendly policy has long been cited in political science research as likely to increase voter turnout by three to seven percentage points once implemented, even after controlling for other factors.

Resources

National Conference of State Legislators: List of states with SDR and how it works.
Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project: Working Paper #5

Same Day Registration States