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Same-day voter registration

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Same-day voter registration enables voters to register and vote at the same time. Same-day registration is sometimes referred to as Election Day registration.[1]

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of June 2024, 22 states and the District of Columbia had same-day registration provisions enabling voters to register and vote at the same time.[1]
  • In 12 of these states, Democrats held a trifecta, Republicans held a trifecta in six, and four states had divided government.
  • In 21 of these states and the District of Columbia, same-day voter registration is available on Election Day (and often during the early voting period as well).
  • North Carolina is the only state that offered same-day registration during the early voting period, but not on Election Day.
  • Two states, Alaska and Rhode Island, allowed same-day registration to vote for president and vice-president.


    • In states that allow same-day registration, voters must generally provide proof of residency (e.g., utility bill, pay stub) and identity (e.g., driver's license) at the time of registration.

    No state has adopted or abandoned same-day registration since 2021. Since then, two states have made changes to their laws which were blocked by state courts. Read more here.

    States with same-day registration

    As of May 2024, the following states had same-day registration provisions:

    See also

    Ballotpedia:Index of Terms


    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 NCSL, "Same-Day Voter Registration," January 31, 2023
    2. ↑ In 2021, Montana passed HB 176 , which moved the registration deadline to the day before Election Day. In 2024, the bill was declared unconstitutional, leaving the previous law allowing Election Day registration in effect.
    3. ↑ Same-day registration in North Carolina applies only to the early voting period.
    4. ↑ League of Women Voters of New Jersey, "Support Same-Day Voter Registration," accessed November 17, 2023
    5. ↑ The Heritage Foundation says its mission is "to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense." The Heritage Foundation, "About Heritage," accessed September 20, 2019
    6. ↑ The Heritage Foundation, "The Facts About H.R. 1—the For the People Act of 2019," February 1, 2019
    7. ↑ Casetext, "Mont. Democratic Party v. Jacobsen, Synopsis of the case" March 27, 2024
    8. ↑ Casetext, "Mont. Democratic Party v. Jacobsen," March 27, 2024
    9. ↑ Supreme Court of the State of Delaware, "Albence v. Higgin and Mennella," October 7, 2022
    10. ↑ Delaware General Assembly, "House Substitute 1 for House Bill 25," accessed August 1, 2022
    11. ↑ United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, "Harlan v. Scholz: Order," August 4, 2017
    12. ↑ Courthouse News Service, "Seventh Circuit Upholds Same-Day Illinois Voter Registration," August 4, 2017
    13. ↑ ACLU Illinois, "Victory For Voter Access in Illinois as Court Dismisses Election Day Registration Lawsuit," May 22, 2018
    14. ↑ CBS News, "N.C. sued soon after voter ID bill signed into law," August 13, 2013
    15. ↑ Politico, "Justice Department challenges North Carolina voter ID law," September 30, 2013
    16. ↑ Harvard Law Review, "North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP v. McCrory," April 10, 2017
    17. ↑ Ballot Access News, "U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear All Four Election Law Cases that had Been on Conference Last Week," May 15, 2017
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