Election Day Registration

Same Day Voter Registration in North Carolina

admin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:39:36 -0700

We have analyzed the likely impact on voter turnout should North Carolina adopt same day registration. Under the system proposed in North Carolina, eligible voters who miss the 25 day registration deadline may take advantage of same day registration during a period that lasts 19 days to three days prior to the election. During this time, voters may go to designated locations, and with the appropriate documentation, both register and vote. Since no state uses a system exactly like the one proposed in North Carolina, we estimated the impact of adopting Election Day Registration (EDR) to simulate the impact of same day registration in North Carolina. While our results must be interpreted carefully, we believe that they represent faithful estimates of the proposed reform. Availability of same day registration procedures similar to traditional Election Day Registration procedures should give voters who have not previously registered the opportunity to vote. Since North Carolina currently has one of the most restrictive registration requirements in the nation, requiring registration 25 days prior to Election Day, we may in fact be underestimating the impact of the proposed reform.

Consistent with existing research on the impact of EDR in other circumstances, we found that SDR would likely lead to substantial increases in voter turnout. We offer the following estimates of increases in turnout for North Carolina, and for specific groups of North Carolinians under SDR:

Overall turnout could go up by 5.4 percent.
Turnout among those aged 18 to 25 could increase by 10.8 percent.
Turnout for those who have moved in the last six months could increase by 9 percent.
Turnout for African Americans could increase by 5.9 percent
Turnout among the poorest citizens could increase by 6 percent, while turnout among the wealthiest citizens would likely increase by only 3.2 percent.

Election Day Voter Registration in Iowa

admin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:26:16 -0700

We have analyzed the likely impact of adoption of election day registration (EDR) by the state of Iowa. Consistent with existing research on the impact of EDR in other circumstances, we find that EDR would likely lead to substantial increases in voter turnout. We are able to offer the following estimates of increases in turnout for Iowa, and for specific groups of Iowans under EDR:

Overall turnout could go up by 4.9 percent.
Turnout among those aged 18 to 25 could increase by 10.7 percent under EDR.
Turnout for those who have moved in the last six months could increase by 8.8 percent under EDR.
Turnout for Latinos could increase by 9.5 percent, and for African-Americans turnout could increase by 6.6 percent under EDR.
Turnout among recently naturalized citizens could increase by as much as 20.2 percent.

Making Voting Easier: Election Day Registration in New York

admin — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:31:57 -0700

As policy makers, election officials, and the public consider whether New York should change the way in which voters are allowed to register to participate in elections, and bring New York State election law into compliance with the Help America Vote Act, we provide an analysis of the potential impact of election dar registration (EDR) in New York. The current system of registration is one in which citizens must register 25 days before election day in order to be eligible to vote. Under EDR this advance registration barrier would be eliminated as citizens could register on election day.

It is important to note that our analysis of the effects of EDR on turnout is based on the experiences of other EDR states, which allow same day registration at the polling place. A legislative proposal currently under consideration in New York (A.5762) would require voters to register on election day at a location other than the polling place. Hence, the actual impact on turnout of EDR in New York is likely to be less than the estimates we report here. This is because EDR in New York would entail two steps: reistration at a local board of elections, and then casting a ballot at the appropriate local polling place. A second bill (A.5800) would rescind the current state constitution requirement that voter registration take place at least 10 days before elections.

Our findings may be broadly categorized in three ways. First, EDR should help increase voter registration and turnout in New York. In particular, our analysis finds that adjusting for the effects of age, mobility, and many other factors, New York could see its long-run turnout rate increase by as much as 8.6 percentage points in presidential elections. This means that turnout in the 2000 presidential election in New York could have been as high as 59 percent if EDR has been in place.

Second, EDR is likely to make voting easier for citizens who have the most difficulty maintaining an up-to-date voter registration record in New York. Our analysis predicts as much as:

A 12.3 percentage point increase in turnout by 18-to-25-year-olds
A 9.8 percentage point increase in turnout by those with a grade school education or less
An 11 point increase in turnout by Latinos and an 8.7 percentage point increase in turnout by African Americans
A 10.1 percentage point increase in turnout by those who have lived at their current address for less than six months
A 12.2 percentage point increase in turnout by naturalized citizens

Third, New York could mitigate or avoid the problems commonly advanced by EDR opponents: added burdens on election administration, cost, and potential voter fraud. We address these concerns below. We show that states like Minnesota and Wisconsin that currently use EDR have developed effective laws and procedures that serve to minimize or eliminate these problems. We argue that should New York move to EDR, it too could mitigate or eliminate these problems through effective laws and procedures. And there is no reason to believe that implementation, as described in A.5762, would lead to increased voter fraud.

California Votes: The Promise of Election Day Registration

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:47:20 -0700

Election day registration will produce higher voter participation in California.

States that have adopted EDR have witnessed a 3 to 6 percentage point increase in participation among the voting-age population.
Voting among young people and those who have moved in the last six months in nearly 15 percentage points higher in states with EDR.
California might experience an even larger increase in turnout--perhaps as much as 9 percentage points--because California has a younger and more mobile population

Election day registration will increase the number of people on the registration rolls in California.

In states with EDR, up to 90 percent of the electorate is registered.
Higher registration rates facilitate the distribution of voter information pamphlets and better communication about where and when to vote.

Election day registration works in the states that currently use it, and people like it.

Election day registration is one-step voting.
In states that use EDR, most voters register at the polls.
Election officials in states with EDR like the fact that they have more oversight over the registration process

Voter registration fraud can be minimized in California under election day registration.

Stricter penalties for attempted registration fraud under EDR will minimize risks.
As most voter registrations under EDR occur at the polling place and require some form of identifications, voter registration will be more secure than under the current system in California
States that currently use EDR have low rates of registration fraud because they put into place appropriate safeguards to minimize risks.

Election day voter registration should not substantially increase the cost of elections in California.

EDR will require new expenditures, but it may save money on other items, particularly pre-election staffing. Per-capita election administration costs in major cities using EDR--including Minneapolis and Milwaukee--are approximately $3.50 per voting-age person.
California counties now spend between $3 and $4 per voting-age person to run elections, though some counties spend considerably more.

The year after Minnesota adopted EDR, Minneapolis reported that half of all polling place registrations happened in the wrong polling place. Today less than 1 percent are reported to occur in the wrong location.
The problem can be overcome with appropriate voter education before election day, in the polling place, and after the election. These activities are routine in states that use EDR, and have little apparent fiscal impact.