Voter Registration

SEPARATE REGISTRATION AND VOTING

In the United States, at the age of 18 every American male is automatically sent a letter telling them that they could potentially be called for the draft. In contrast, not a single American is automatically registered to vote.

On top of this, voting registration deadlines are notoriously confusing. General election voter registration deadlines range by state from 31 days before an election to in-person on the day of the election.

To complicate matters, states have different laws for different types of registration. For instance, in Maryland you must register to vote in person, online or by mail 21 days before the election. However, if you are voting during early voting, you can register in person between 13 to 5 days before the election. Some states do not even allow voter registration online.

Taking primary voter registration and voter affiliation requirements into account, this process becomes even more difficult when Americans want to participate in the elections leading up to the general election.

These complicated and varying laws by state mean that extensive research is needed to know when and how you can register to vote in each state. This can be extremely difficult for populations who have little or no access to the internet or time to know who to ask.

Ultimately, this convoluted registration system is decreasing turnout in many areas in the United States. We know this because same-day voter registration has a history of increasing voter turnout and therefore voter participation in our democracy.

A report by Nonprofit Vote looked at voter turnout by state in 2016 and highlighted the states with same day registration. They found a high correlation between voter turnout and states with same-day registration in 2016.

Source:NonProfitVote

Nonprofit Vote has tracked this difference between states that have same-day voter registration and those that do not since 1996: States that have same-day registration have consistently shown higher turnout.

When You Can Register to Vote

Days Until Election Day When/How you can vote by State 31 Alaska – By mail (if 30 days before an election is on a Sunday) Nevada – By mail 30 Alaska – In person, online, by mail (if 30 days before an election is not a Sunday) Arkansas – In person, by mail (if 30 days before an election is not a Sunday) District of Columbia – by mail, online Georgia – Online Louisiana – In person, online, by mail (if 30 days before an election is not a Sunday) Michigan – By mail Mississippi – In person, by mail Montana – By mail if 30 days before an election is not a Sunday) Ohio – In person, by mail Pennsylvania – In person, by mail, online Rhode Island – In person, by mail South Carolina – In person, by mail, online Tennessee – In person, by mail Texas – In person, by mail Utah – By mail 29 Arizona – In person, online, by mail Arkansas – by mail (if 30 days before an election is a Sunday) Florida – In person, by mail Georgia – In person Hawaii – In person, by mail, online Indiana – In person, by mail, online Kentucky – In person, by mail Louisiana – By mail (if 30 days before an election is a Sunday) Montana – By mail if 30 days before an election is a Sunday) Washington – By mail, online 28 Georgia – By mail Illinois – By mail, online Missouri – In person, by mail, online New Mexico – In person, by mail, online 27 N/A 26 N/A 25 Idaho – by mail New York – In person, by mail, online North Carolina – In person, by mail Oklahoma – In person, by mail 24 Delaware – In person, by mail, online 23 22 Virginia – In person, by mail, online 21 Kansas – In person, by mail, online Maine – by mail Maryland – In person, by mail, online Michigan – In person Minnesota – By mail, online Nevada – In person, online New Jersey – In person, by mail Oregon – In person, by mail, online West Virginia – In person, by mail, online 20 Massachusetts – In person, by mail, online Wisconsin – By mail 19 N/A 18 Nebraska – By mail, online 17 N/A 16 N/A 15 Alabama – In person, by mail, online California – In person, by mail, online Iowa – By mail South Dakota – In person, by mail 14 Wyoming – By mail 13 Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) 12 Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) 11 Iowa (not primary or general election) – In person Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) Nebraska – In person 10 Delaware (for special elections) – in person, by mail, online Iowa – In person, online Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) New Hampshire – By mail 9 Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) 8 Colorado – By mail, online Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) Washington – In person 7 Connecticut – In person, by mail, online Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) Utah – In person, online 6 Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) Vermont – In person, by mail, online 5 Maryland – In person (but only during early voting) 4 N/A 3 N/A 2 N/A 1 N/A Election Day Colorado – In person District of Columbia – In person (only if you have proof of residency) Idaho – In person Illinois – In person Maine – In person Minnesota – In person Montana – In person New Hampshire – In person Wisconsin – In person Wyoming – In person

Source: Vote.org

Note: This data is accurate on the date of publication but may change due to legislation. In addition, this table does not include important data on mailing votes (e.g. whether the voter registration by mail must be received by or postmarked on the “by mail” date. We strongly suggest you look at your state’s website for more information on where, how, and what you will need to register to vote.