Vermont’s Same-Day Registration Bill is a Key Step to Fixing Our Electoral System

Demos Vice President of Policy & Outreach Lenore Palladino issued the following statement on Vermont’s passage of Same-Day Registration:

"Demos applauds Vermont’s passage of Same-Day Registration (SDR), which will allow residents to register to vote and then cast a regular ballot in a one-stop process at every polling location. Every eligible American should have an equal opportunity to vote, and it should be free, fair and easily accessible. SDR is an important step to ensure this happens.

If every state passed reforms like SDR to eliminate archaic, racially-discriminatory barriers to register and vote, we would have a much stronger democracy. SDR particularly facilitates higher turnout among marginalized communities historically underrepresented in our democracy, including (but not limited to) citizens who are low-income, young people, and people of color.

In a climate where our economic and political systems are driven by the preferences of the wealthy, passing measures like SDR enables the people who are too often left out of the decision-making process to have a voice in the policies that impact their lives. SDR has been a proven driver of turnout, as evidenced in the success of states that have enacted similar legislation. We hope other states are inspired to do the same."