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Election Day Registration (EDR), also known as "Same Day Registration," permits eligible citizens to register and vote on Election Day. Currently, eight states have EDR. A ninth, North Carolina, allows for Same Day Registration at early voting sites. EDR states typically boast voter turnout rates that are generally 10-12 percent higher than states without EDR, and report few problems with fraud, costs or administrative complexity. EDR significantly increases the opportunity to cast a vote and participate in American democracy.
EDR states consistently boast higher turnout than non-EDR states.
- EDR states have consistently boasted higher voter turnout than non-EDR states for over 25 years.
- In the 2004 presidential race, EDR states had an average turnout 12% higher than that of non-EDR states
Voter registration deadlines close before the media and the public fully focus on elections.
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"The final weeks before an election - when the pressure is high, the campaign is in full swing, and the newspaper endorsements are flowing - often motivate new or undecided voters to cast their ballot if they have the opportunity to register at the polls."
- Gwendolyn Moore, fmr. State Senator, (now-U.S. Congresswoman, (D-WI)) |
- In 2000, the percentage of people giving "quite a lot" of thought to the election rose dramatically from 59% in September to 75% in the first week of November, according to an election poll in that year.
- Over 40% of election news stories were aired in the final week of the 2006 campaign.
- An unregistered voter moved to action during this final week would have been ineligible to cast a countable ballot in 42 states.
EDR allows eligible voters who may have been mistakenly purged from the voting rolls to cast a meaningful ballot.
- By the 2002 Help America Vote Act, states must provide any voter whose name does not appear on the voter rolls with provisional ballots, which will only count if election officials establish an individual's voting eligibility.
- Yet more than one in three of the almost 2 million provisional ballots cast in 2004 were ultimately discounted.
- Consequently, much like patients sent home with a placebo, many provisional voters mistakenly believe that they were given a genuine opportunity to vote.
EDR assists young voters.
- Young Americans move frequently - for school or for jobs, for example - which makes it harder for them to register to vote.
- EDR could counter the reduced registration rates that their mobility causes by allowing them to register at the last moment and vote.
- In fact, EDR could increase youth turnout in presidential elections by as much as 14%.
EDR enfranchises geographically mobile and lower-income citizens.
- Over one of the 40 million Americans who moved between 2004 and 2005 had incomes of less than $25,000.
- Many of these individuals miss the registration deadline in their new election districts, and thus cannot vote.
- EDR would allow these people to re-register on Election Day and cast a ballot.
EDR counteracts arbitrary voter registration deadlines.
- 27 states cut off voter registration 25 or more days before the election.
- The experience of EDR states shows that these deadlines have little effect on a state's ability to run smooth elections.
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"The fact that in Nevada people must register to vote at least 30 days before an election serves as a stumbling block for increasing participation."
- U.S. Rep. and former Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller (R-NV), supporting state EDR bill |
EDR is cost-effective and easier for elections officials to administer than provisional ballots.
- An authoritative study indicates that elections are no more expensive to administer in EDR states than elsewhere.
- Non-EDR states must cope with the large number of provisional ballots they distribute - combing voter registration records to check if a provisional voter had actually registered, then determining whether the voter's ballot should count, then making sure the ballot is counted.
- According to Wisconsin's elections director, his state's ability to avoid the extra time and effort that provisional balloting demands "alone makes EDR worthwhile."
EDR does not result in individual voter fraud.
- Election officials in EDR states are as vigilant as election officials elsewhere about safeguarding against fraud.
- In fact, a bipartisan team of consultants to the Election Assistance Commission reported widespread agreement that very little evidence existed of voter impersonation at the polls.
Momentum around EDR continues to grow. Twenty-one states were considering EDR proposals as the 2006 legislative sessions ended. Campaigns are underway in many states in 2007, including Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont. Interest is developing in Congress as well. States can reduce unnecessary barriers to participation and empower their residents in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election by adopting Election Day Registration.
Publications
How Same Day Registration Became Law in North Carolina
May 1, 2008
Election Day Voter Registration in Nebraska
April 4, 2008
Election Day Voter Registration in Massachusetts
March 20, 2008
Stuart Comstock-Gay's EDR Testimony Before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
February 28, 2008
Anatomy of a Successful Campaign for Election Day Registration in Iowa
December 6, 2007
Voters Win with Election Day Registration
Election Day Registration Was Successful in Several States During the 2006 Mid-term Elections
November 19, 2007
Election Day Registration
A Study of Voter Fraud Allegations and Findings on Voter Roll Security
November 18, 2007
Miles Rapoport's Testimony on Election Day Voter Registration 11/9/07
November 9, 2007
Election Day Voter Registration in Iowa
November 6, 2007
R. Michael Alvarez & Jonathan Nagler
Same Day Voter Registration in North Carolina
November 6, 2007
Status of State EDR Legislation
August 16, 2007
Connecticut State Joint Committee on Government Administration and Elections
Testimony of Maine Representative, Anne Haskell in support of EDR.
April 16, 2007
EDR Nevada Testimony
Testimony by Miles Rapoport in support of Election Day Registration.
April 10, 2007
Iowa Newspapers Editorialize in favor of EDR
March 31, 2007
EDR Oregon Testimony
Testimony of Miles Rapoport in support of Election Day Registration.
March 21, 2007
Des Moines Register Editorial on EDR
Let Iowans Vote on Election Day, Convenience Outweighs Unlikely Fraud.
March 2, 2007
Election Day Registration is a Reform That Works
February 15, 2007
Tools for Democracy: Election Day Registration
In the 2000 and 2004 elections, EDR states had significantly higher voter participation rates than the national average.
September 1, 2006
A four-page toolkit of facts, analysis and persuasive reasons that all states should adopt Election Day Registration.
Full EDR Testimony in Vermont by Demos' Ludovic Blain
May 19, 2005
EDR and the 2004 Election
January 10, 2005
EDR: Making Voting Easier
Election Day Registration in New York
April 20, 2004
EDR Toolkit Insert: Educating the Public
March 1, 2003
A guide to educating voters about Election Day Registration.
EDR Toolkit Insert: Elections Personnel
March 1, 2003
A guide to proper staffing and training of elections personnel in Election Day Registration states.
EDR Toolkit Insert: Making EDR Work
March 1, 2003
A guide to the specifics of implementing Election Day Registration systems.
Expanding the Vote
The Practice and Promise of Election Day Registration
January 1, 2002
Election Day Registration could bring millions of new voters to the polls and help reverse the long-term decline of voting in the United States.
Expandiendo el Voto
Registro para el Día de Elección En California
January 1, 2002
Spanish translation of "California Votes," an analysis of how implementing Election Day Registraion would affect California.
California Votes
The Promise of Election Day Registration
January 1, 2002
A comprehensive report about the benefits EDR would bring to California voters.
Conference Report: Eliminating Barriers to Voting: Election Day Registration
November 30, 2001
A full report on the conference co-sponsored by Demos and the Brennan Center for Justice.
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