Arguments for and against same-day voter registration

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Same-day voter registration allows individuals to register to vote at the polls on the day that they vote. Same-day registration is also sometimes called Election Day registration (when not occurring during early voting).

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.

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.

Whether same-day registration is beneficial or harmful, and whether it should be expanded or restricted, are subjects of debate.

Supporters of same-day registration argue that it increases turnout, allows for updating and correcting voter rolls, and does not threaten election security.

Opponents of same-day registration argue that it creates administrative chaos, burdens election officials, and encourages ill-informed voting.

On this page, you will find:

• Arguments at a glance: A brief summary of support and opposition arguments
• Support arguments in detail: Detailed support arguments from a variety of sources
• Opposition arguments in detail: Detailed opposition arguments from a variety of sources
• Further reading: Links to resources with more information on same-day registration

Arguments at a glance

This section includes quotations that briefly summarize the most prevalent arguments for and against same-day registration.

Arguments for and against same-day registration

Support	Opposition
"I support same-day voter registration because it will combat voter suppression and increase participation in our elections. Same-day voter registration can lead to a 5% voter turnout increase, with as much as a 10% increase among voters 24 and under. Same-day registration will increase turn out amongst young voters and diverse communities." -League of Women Voters of New Jersey (2022)	Same-day registration "make[s] it easier to commit fraud and promotes chaos at the polls...as election officials have no time to verify the accuracy of voter registration information and cannot anticipate the number of voters, ballots, and precinct workers that will be needed." -The Heritage Foundation (2019)

Support arguments in detail

Three arguments in favor of same-day registration are that it increases turnout, allows for updating and correcting voter rolls, and does not threaten election security. This section includes quotations detailing those arguments from a variety of sources.

Same-day registration increases voter turnout in certain groups

In a piece for the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, associate news editor Jared Sharpe summarized findings by UMass professor Jesse Rhodes and Demos researcher Laura Williamson showing the effect of same day registration policies on voter turnout across various groups of voters. According to its website, Demos says it is a nonprofit think tank whose stated mission is to "power the movement for a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy."

“	While existing research on the impact of Same Day Registration (SDR) has generally examined overall turnout rates, a new policy brief published by researchers from the University of Massachusetts and the think tank Demos has found that the policy may play a role in reducing barriers to voting and boosting turnout for Black and Latinx Americans. Among the 23 states and Washington, D.C., examined by UMass Amherst’s Jesse Rhodes and Demos’ Laura Williamson, those that have implemented SDR – the policy that allows voters to register and vote on the same day during early voting or on election day – often experience higher turnout among both Black voters and Latinx voters than do similarly situated states without SDR. Williamson and Rhodes found that Black voter turnout is on average 2-17 percentage points higher in states with SDR than in non-SDR states, and that Latinx voters in SDR states turned out at rates that were on average 0.1-17.5 percentage points higher than Latinx voters in similar non-SDR states they studied.	”
—Jared Sharpe, Associate News Editor, University of Massachusetts at Amherst (2021)

Same-day registration allows for updating and correcting voter rolls

In 2015, Project Vote released a fact sheet on same-day voter registration arguing that it helped remedy inaccurate voter rolls and avoided arbitrary deadlines. According to its website, Project Vote says it is a nonprofit organization focusing on "making democracy work for everyone."

“	Many previously-registered voters lose their eligibility merely because they have moved. Others are never added to the voter rolls because of bureaucratic errors. Failure to discover these problems prior to Election Day, when registration deadlines have passed, results in eligible citizens losing their vote. With Same Day Registration, these voters can simply update registration records or register anew at the polling place and vote a ballot that will be counted... Many states unnecessarily close voter registration 25 to 30 days before an election.	”
—Project Vote (2015)

Same-day registration does not threaten election security

In an opinion piece for the Brennan Center for Justice, senior fellow Walter Shapiro argued that because same-day registration laws require voters to provide identification, they stand up against arguments about election security.

According to its website, the Brennan Center is a progressive law and policy institute that describes its mission as "to reform, revitalize – and when necessary, defend – our country's systems of democracy and justice."

“	Reasonable registration deadlines can help election officials maintain accurate rolls. But they also have the effect of cutting off would-be voters who tune in too late or who move close to an election. There’s an easy solution. Sixteen states plus the District of Columbia currently allow Election Day voter registration with proper identification. ... Same-day registration...cuts through many of the arguments that conservatives have brandished throughout the voting wars. Reasonable voter ID would be required since election officials don’t have enough time to verify eligibility.	”
—Walter Shapiro, senior fellow, The Brennan Center (2018)

Opposition arguments in detail

Three arguments against same-day registration are that it creates administrative chaos, burdens election officials, and encourages ill-informed voting. This section includes quotations detailing those arguments from a variety of sources.

Same-day registration creates administrative chaos

Sandwich, Massachusetts, town clerk Taylor White wrote an opinion piece in 2017 arguing that same-day registration creates "administrative chaos."

“	What advocates for same-day registration fail to understand is that deadlines are in place for an important administrative reason. They ensure election officials can conduct fair, accurate and orderly elections. Among a variety of other technical and legal factors, a major part of this is establishing the names on the voter list that have been deemed eligible to participate in any given election. These voter lists are then used to ensure checks and balances on Election Day. Election laws provide an orderly and uniform method to determine eligibility and ensure accurate records are established and maintained. A set timeframe between the voter registration deadline and Election Day allows the “dust to settle” and a period for election officials to address any lingering questions or issues. On the contrary, allowing residents to show up at the polls on Election Day without first going through the registration processes will undoubtedly create administrative chaos.	”
—Taylor White, Sandwich, Mass. Town Clerk (2017)

Same-day registration burdens election officials

In a 2021 state legislative hearing, an election administrator from Broadwater County, Montana, named Doug Ellis testified about his experiences working on Election Day. The hearing was about House Bill 176, which proposed ending the state's same-day voter registration policies.

“	'Elections is probably by far the most trying position that I have, and a lot of it is because of same-day registration,' Ellis said. 'It’s extremely hard to put information of all of the voters into the system, get their ballots counted and keep the numbers correct while you’re still registering people to vote.'	”
—Doug Ellis, Broadwater County Election Administrator (2021)

Same-day registration encourages ill-informed voting

In a 2022 article for Nevada Policy, managing editor Kevin Deitrich suggested that encouraging ill-informed voters may be the biggest concern with same-day voter registration policies.

According to its website, Nevada Policy says it is an organization focusing on "educating voters as well as policymakers about the urgent need to protect election integrity, expand educational opportunity and more."

“	Opposition to same-day voter registration centers on different issues ... Perhaps of greater concern is that those Nevadans who haven’t made the effort to register before an election won’t be well versed on the issues on the ballot. As Matthew Gagnon, a former staffer for Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, wrote in the Bangor Daily News in 2011, same-day registration encourages ill-informed voting, and registering ahead of time shows that voters have put thought into casting ballots. 'The only people I want anywhere near a ballot box are those who have demonstrated they are actually invested enough in the process that they want to vote,' Gagnon wrote. 'That is the flaw with same-day voter registration: most of the people it serves are unengaged in the process.'	”
—Kevin Deitrich, managing editor, Nevada Policy (2022)

External links

• State-by-state same-day registration summary—From the National Conference of State Legislatures.

• Issues Related to Registering Voters and Administering Elections—Government Accountability Office report from 2016 featuring a review of 33 studies into same-day registration and voter turnout.

See also

• Same-day voter registration
• Voter registration

Footnotes

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