To be eligible to register to vote, the individual must meet three basic requirements: (1) be at least 18 years of age at the time of the next election, (2) being a U.S. citizen and (3) be a resident of the jurisdiction where the individual is registering. Under federal law, every state must allow residents to register to vote at least 30 days before Election Day. However, some states go beyond the federal mandate and allow potential voters to register one or two weeks prior to the election and some states allow same-day voter registration. There is a growing same-day voter registration movement that permits eligible citizens to both register and vote on Election Day.
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (“the Motor Voter Act”) offers individuals the opportunity to register to vote when they apply for or renew a driver’s license, and requires states to offer voter registration at all offices that provide public assistance and state-funded programs to persons with disabilities.
Despite attempts to improve access to voter registration, such as same-day registration and “the Motor Voter Law,” many issues impact voter registration. These include inadequate resources, clerical errors and failures to timely notify registrants of problems with their registration forms. In recent elections, jurisdictions have not scheduled sufficient staff to work on the days prior to registration deadline when demand for services is heightened. Additionally, elections office employees often make errors while inputting registration data into the jurisdiction’s database. These errors create problems for voters on Election Day, especially with respect to voter identification. Furthermore, elections employees frequently fail to timely notify registrants of errors or omissions in their applications. This means the individual does not have an opportunity to correct his/her registration and is subsequently ineligible to vote.
These voter registration problems, along with other issues, are widespread and affect millions of voters. A recent study showed that nearly 3 million U.S. citizens wanted to vote but were denied that fundamental right because of voter registration issues.1
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1DEMOS – Election Day Registration Helps America Vote – Winter 2004
