Voter Registration Improvements
National Voter Registration Application Form
Register to vote in your state (except for North Dakota that has no voter registration and Wyoming that does not permit by mail registration) by using the postcard form and guide available from the following website:
eac.gov/sites/default/files/eac_assets/1/6/Federal_Voter_Registration_ENG.pdf
The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) was passed by Congress in 1993. It required most states to provide citizens with an opportunity to register to vote when applying for or renewing a driver’s license at a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or other designated state agencies. Oregon was the first state to implement DMV automatic voter registration. When a resident of the state applies for a driver license, instruction permit or state identification card with the DMV the individual if eligible is automatically registered as a voter unless the individual chooses not to consent. The application form clearly states it is a felony to register if someone is not eligible to vote. Many state DMV systems are linked to the state voter registration database. This allows the DMV system to not only collect information on eligible voters but to electronically transfer information to the voter registration database. This process results in an increase in the percentage of registered eligible voters and should be implemented by all states.
Region | AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI | ID |
Effective | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2018 | 2016 | |||||||
Region | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO |
Effective | 2018 | 2022 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||
Region | MT | NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA |
Effective | 2020 | 2018 | 2020 | 2023 | 2016 | ||||||||
Region | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WY | |
Effective | 2018 | 2017 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 |
Election Day/Same Day Registration
Current technology enables election day/same day voter registration. There is no justification to delay an eligible voter from exercising the constitutional right to vote.
Region | AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI | ID |
Effective | * | * | * | * | * | * | |||||||
Region | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO |
Effective | * | * | * | * | * | * | |||||||
Region | MT | NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA |
Effective | * | * | * | ||||||||||
Region | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WY | |
Effective | * | * | * | * | * |
* = Implemented
Online Voter Registration
Voter registration is accomplished by mail (except for New Hampshire and Wyoming) or in person in states that don't provide online voter registration. North Dakota does not require voter registration.
Region | AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI | ID |
Effective | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | |
Region | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO |
Effective | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||
Region | MT | NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA |
Effective | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | |||
Region | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WY | |
Effective | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * |
* = Implemented
Pre-Registration for High School Students
High schools can conduct registration classes for students who will be 18 years old by the next election. This could be accomplished as part of a civics course. populardemocracy.org provides a Registration Toolkit that facilitates conducting the program.
Updating Rolls When Moved or Deceased
The NVRA requires states to implement procedures to maintain accurate and current voter registration lists. The requirements apply to 44 states and the District of Columbia. North Dakota is exempt because it does not require voter registration. Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Wyoming are exempt because they have election-day voter registration at polling places. While the NVRA requires states to make reasonable efforts to remove persons who have died, it does not require any particular process for doing so. States can follow whatever state law process exists for doing this. Section 8 requires states to complete any program the purpose of which is to systematically remove the names of ineligible voters from the official list of eligible voters not later than 90 days prior to the date of a primary election or general election for federal office. This 90 day deadline applies to state list maintenance verification activities such as general mailings and door to door canvasses. This 90 day deadline does not, however, preclude removal of names at the request of the registrant, removal due to death of the registrant, removal due to criminal conviction or mental incapacity of the registrant as provided by state law, nor does the deadline preclude correction of a registrant’s information.
Voter Registration Impairments
Inactive Voter Removal