Voter Registration

Some states have practices that encourage voter registration, such as allowing people to register to vote on the day of the election. Other states put in place barriers, such as burdensome voter ID requirements, that make it more difficult for people to vote.

Several policies can improve voter registration procedures. Same-day voter registration allows people to register and vote at the same time on election day. Automatic voter registration through state and local agencies adds people to voter rolls unless they opt out of doing so. This is stronger than asking them to opt into registering to vote when they apply for a driver’s license, as the so-called Motor Voter Act allows. Preregistration of 16- and 17-year-olds can also increase participation.

Online voter registration gives people the opportunity to register on the internet. Election officials then review and validate registrations before adding people to the election rolls. Online registration saves money, improves security, decreases errors, and makes changing a voter’s name or address easier.

Exact match laws: Exact match voter registration laws require the voter registration to match perfectly the records from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Social Security Administration, or both. Ohio and Georgia, in particular, have vigorously enforced this requirement. If the files do not match—for example, because one uses a middle name and the other a middle initial—the voter must re-register before casting a ballot. In 2018, Georgia blocked over 51,000 voter registrations as a result of this type of law. About 80 percent of blocked registrations involved Black, Latino, or Asian American voters.

Unnecessary removal from voter registration lists: States regularly remove voters who have moved out of state or have died. However, as of 2024, 20 states have adopted more aggressive laws that remove registrations of people who have not voted in a certain number of recent elections. Between 2020 and 2022, some 19 million voters—over 8 percent of registered voters—were removed from voter registration rolls in ten states with these aggressive laws. They were disproportionately from communities of color.

Another problem is that voters can be removed from the rolls in error. For example, in Ohio, more than 40,000 voters were incorrectly placed on a list of people to be purged from the state’s voter rolls. Further, these practices are unnecessary. The nonpartisan Electronic Registration Information Center provides voter data to 29 states and the District of Columbia to improve the accuracy of their voter registration rolls without discriminatory effects. The organization provides participating states with information on who has moved or died, who has a duplicate registration, and who is potentially eligible to vote but has not yet registered.

Voter identification (ID) requirements: Federal law imposes voter ID requirements in some circumstances. First-time voters who register by mail or online must provide verifying information, such as a driver’s license number. If they do not, they must prove their identification at the polls. They can do so with an approved document indicating their name and address.

Some states impose stricter voter ID requirements. Many require voters to show a government-issued photo ID before voting. Obtaining such an ID typically requires a birth certificate, passport, or other official documentation. As of 2024, 36 states request or require some form of ID at the polls. Of these, 21 request or require a photo ID. Proponents say voter ID laws help combat fraud. However, studies show that voter impersonation fraud is extremely rare.

Opponents note that many do not have the requisite ID. Those who do not are disproportionately from communities of color. Older adults also face barriers in accessing a government-issued photo ID, including those who no longer drive and who, therefore, no longer have a license. A 2017 North Dakota voter ID law is one example. According to a federal district court, after the law was enacted, 19 percent of American Indians in the state did not have a qualifying ID. That compared with less than 12 percent of other voters who did not have one. In addition, Black Americans who grew up in the South under Jim Crow may never have been issued a birth certificate. This is one of the documents often required by voter ID laws. Courts have struck down some state restrictions because of their discriminatory effects. For example, North Carolina’s voter ID law was struck down in 2017. That voter ID law rejected the forms of identification that Black voters disproportionately used.

College students: In recent years, many states have passed laws making it harder for college students to vote in the jurisdictions where they attend school. For example, states that require utility bills or driver’s licenses to vote can disenfranchise college students.