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Voter registration is the process whereby citizens register with election officials in order to become eligible to vote. Forty-nine states require voters to register (only North Dakota does not require voters to register). Voter registration methods vary by state and can include the following: registering in person at state government agency offices, online, by mail, and through voter registration drives sponsored by non-government entities.[1]

Eligibility to vote in the United States

An individual must be at least 18 years of age, a United States citizen, and a resident of the jurisdiction in which he or she is registering in order to be eligible to vote in that jurisdiction.[2]

Under federal law, every state must allow residents to register to vote at least 30 days before Election Day, though some states extend the deadline to register. Additional requirements and restrictions on voter registration (e.g., voting eligibility of felons) vary by state.

Voter registration statistics

2018

The map and table below detail voter registration statistics by state, current as of the 2018 election cycle.

Voter registration statistics by state, 2018
State Total citizen population Total registration Registration as a percentage of citizen population
Alabama 3,609,000 2,490,000 69.0%
Alaska 497,000 337,000 67.7%
Arizona 4,757,000 3,262,000 68.6%
Arkansas 2,158,000 1,262,000 58.5%
California 25,525,000 15,690,000 61.5%
Colorado 4,029,000 2,645,000 65.6%
Connecticut 2,539,000 1,726,000 68.0%
Delaware 713,000 472,000 66.3%
District of Columbia 512,000 397,000 77.6%
Florida 15,047,000 9,435,000 62.7%
Georgia 7,311,000 4,840,000 66.2%
Hawaii 971,000 523,000 53.9%
Idaho 1,226,000 743,000 60.6%
Illinois 8,947,000 6,068,000 67.8%
Indiana 4,792,000 3,131,000 65.3%
Iowa 2,239,000 1,658,000 74.0%
Kansas 2,026,000 1,449,000 71.5%
Kentucky 3,249,000 2,389,000 73.5%
Louisiana 3,326,000 2,263,000 68.0%
Maine 1,056,000 828,000 78.4%
Maryland 4,281,000 3,095,000 72.3%
Massachusetts 4,919,000 3,345,000 68.0%
Michigan 7,430,000 5,453,000 73.4%
Minnesota 4,006,000 3,000,000 74.9%
Mississippi 2,178,000 1,599,000 73.4%
Missouri 4,564,000 3,299,000 72.3%
Montana 812,000 579,000 71.3%
Nebraska 1,332,000 883,000 66.3%
Nevada 2,067,000 1,277,000 61.8%
New Hampshire 1,025,000 726,000 70.8%
New Jersey 6,267,000 4,297,000 68.6%
New Mexico 1,485,000 916,000 61.7%
New York 13,684,000 8,553,000 62.5%
North Carolina 7,444,000 5,160,000 69.3%
North Dakota 541,000 397,000 73.4%
Ohio 8,640,000 6,062,000 70.2%
Oklahoma 2,732,000 1,777,000 65.1%
Oregon 3,138,000 2,274,000 72.5%
Pennsylvania 9,475,000 6,469,000 68.3%
Rhode Island 782,000 532,000 68.0%
South Carolina 3,769,000 2,430,000 64.5%
South Dakota 637,000 429,000 67.3%
Tennessee 5,016,000 3,183,000 63.5%
Texas 18,374,000 11,634,000 63.3%
Utah 2,109,000 1,443,000 68.4%
Vermont 497,000 343,000 69.0%
Virginia 5,773,000 4,159,000 72.0%
Washington 5,228,000 3,852,000 73.7%
West Virginia 1,384,000 892,000 64.5%
Wisconsin 4,296,000 3,129,000 72.8%
Wyoming 422,000 268,000 63.5%
U.S. total 228,832,000 153,066,000 66.9%
Source: United States Census Bureau, "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2018," accessed October 2020

Online voter registration

See also: Online voter registration

As of September 14, 2020, 40 states (and Washington, D.C.) had implemented online voter registration. Another state, Oklahoma, had passed legislation or enacted regulations authorizing online voter registration.[3] See the map below for further information.

Same-day voter registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Same-day voter registration enables voters to register and vote at the same time. Same-day registration is sometimes referred to as Election Day registration.[4]

HIGHLIGHTS

  • As of April 21, 2021, 20 states and the District of Columbia had enacted same-day registration provisions enabling voters to register and vote at the same time.

  • In those states that permit same-day registration, voters must generally provide proof of residency (e.g., utility bill, pay stub) and identity (e.g., driver's license) at the time of registration.

    • Automatic voter registration

    See also: Automatic voter registration

    Under an automatic voter registration system, eligible voters are automatically registered to vote whenever they interact with government agencies (e.g., departments of motor vehicles). Eligible voters are registered by default, although they may request not to be registered.[5] [6]

    HIGHLIGHTS

  • As of December 23, 2020, 20 states and the District of Columbia had enacted automatic voter registration policies.

  • In 2015, California and Oregon became the first states to enact automatic voter registration policies.

  • In 2016, Alaska became the first state to enact an automatic voter registration policy via ballot measure.

    • See also

    • Online voter registration
    • Same-day voter registration
    • Automatic voter registration
    • National Voter Registration Act
    • Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002
    • Election Assistance Commission

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Registration," September 27, 2016
    2. ↑ 866ourvote.org, "Voter Registration," accessed March 20, 2014
    3. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Online Voter Registration," accessed July 31, 2018
    4. ↑ Pew Center on the States, "Inaccurate, Costly, and Inefficient: Evidence That America's Voter Registration System Needs an Upgrade," February 2012
    5. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Automatic Voter Registration," August 31, 2017
    6. ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Automatic Voter Registration," February 10, 2018

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