Voter registration

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Voter registration is the process that allows citizens to register with election officials in order to become eligible to vote. In 49 states, voters are required to register to vote. North Dakota is the only state that does not require voters to register. Voter registration methods vary by state and can include the following: in-person registration at state government agency offices, online registration, registering by mail, and registering through voter registration drives sponsored by non-government entities. Some states allow automatic voter registration. Some states allow same-day voter registration.^[1]^[2]

Eligibility to vote in the United States[edit]

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 for federal elections up to at least 30 days before Election Day, though some states extend the deadline to register. Additional requirements and restrictions on voter registr ation (e.g., voting eligibility of people convicted of a felony) vary by state.^[2]

Voter registration statistics[edit]

2022[edit]

The map and table below detail voter registration statistics by state, current as of the 2022 election cycle.

Voter registration statistics by state, 2022
State	Total citizen population	Total registration	Registration as a percentage of citizen population
Alabama	3,716,000	2,499,000	67.3%
Alaska	516,000	373,000	72.2%
Arizona	5,093,000	3,560,000	69.9%
Arkansas	2,188,000	1,360,000	62.2%
California	25,315,000	17,032,000	67.3%
Colorado	4,384,000	3,162,000	72.1%
Connecticut	2,527,000	1,778,000	70.04%
Delaware	754,000	578,000	76.6%
District of Columbia	476,000	393,000	82.4%
Florida	15,449,000	9,770,000	63.2%
Georgia	7,601,000	5,275,000	69.4%
Hawaii	1,019,000	651,000	63.9%
Idaho	1,417,000	917,000	64.7%
Illinois	8,824,000	6,110,000	69.2%
Indiana	4,903,000	3,259,000	66.5%
Iowa	2,345,000	1,732,000	73.9%
Kansas	2,087,000	1,587,000	76.1%
Kentucky	3,233,000	2,321,000	71.8%
Louisiana	3,263,000	2,215,000	67.9%
Maine	1,131,000	856,000	75.6%
Maryland	4,364,000	3,301,000	75.6%
Massachusetts	4,892,000	3,618,000	74.0%
Michigan	7,517,000	5,797,000	77.1%
Minnesota	4,210,000	3,255,000	77.3%
Mississippi	2,166,000	1,572,000	72.6%
Missouri	4,655,000	3,532,000	75.9%
Montana	878,000	613,000	69.8%
Nebraska	1,351,000	933,000	69.1%
Nevada	2,206,000	1,436,000	65.1%
New Hampshire	1,106,000	804,000	72.6%
New Jersey	6,241,000	4,402,000	70.5%
New Mexico	1,511,000	1,026,000	67.9%
New York	13,516,000	8,897,000	65.8%
North Carolina	7,533,000	4,583,000	60.8%
North Dakota	554,000	418,000	75.6%
Ohio	8,708,000	5,890,000	67.6%
Oklahoma	2,841,000	1,936,000	68.1%
Oregon	3,122,000	2,581,000	82.7%
Pennsylvania	9,741,000	7,009,000	72.0%
Rhode Island	843,000	626,000	74.3%
South Carolina	3,868,000	2,491,000	64.4%
South Dakota	658,000	460,000	70.0%
Tennessee	5,145,000	3,467,000	67.4%
Texas	19,029,000	12,416,000	65.2%
Utah	2,278,000	1,536,000	67.4%
Vermont	521,000	393,000	75.4%
Virginia	6,043,000	4,487,000	74.3%
Washington	5,511,000	4,140,000	75.1%
West Virginia	1,400,000	877,000	62.6%
Wisconsin	4,461,000	3,225,000	72.3%
Wyoming	437,000	274,000	62.8%
U.S. total	233,546,000	161,422,000	69.1%
Source: United States Census Bureau, "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2022," accessed May 18, 2023

Online voter registration[edit]

See also: Online voter registration

As of April 2024, 42 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam allowed online voter registration.^[3] See the map below for further information.

Same-day voter registration[edit]

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]

As of November 2025:

Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia had same-day registration provisions enabling voters to register and vote at the same time.

In 12 of these states, Democrats held a trifecta, Republicans held a trifecta in six states, and four states had divided government.

In 21 of these states and the District of Columbia, same-day voter registration is available on Election Day (and often during the early voting period as well).

North Carolina is the only state that offered same-day registration during the early voting period, but not on Election Day.

Two states, Alaska and Rhode Island, allowed same-day registration to vote for president and vice-president.

In states that allow 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[edit]

See also: Automatic voter registration

Under an automatic voter registration system, eligible voters are automatically registered to vote whenever they interact with certain government agencies, such as departments of motor vehicles. Eligible voters are registered by default, although they may request not to be registered.^[4]^[5]

HIGHLIGHTS

As of November 2025, 24 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.

The most recent states to enact automatic voter registration policies were Delaware, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania in 2023.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Voter registration method[edit]

See also: Voter registration and Voter registration forms by state

The following table shows how many people registered to vote by specific methods (by mail, in-person, online, etc.) according to the Election Assistance Commission's 2024 report on U.S. election administration, which can be found here.

To see the full table, scroll to the right.

Most common voter registration methods in 2024 by state
State	Total	Mail	In person	Online	Automatic	Motor Vehicle Agencies	Public Assistance Offices	Disability Services Offices	Armed Forces recruitment offices	Other state agencies	Registration drives	Polling Places/Voting Sites	Other	Not Categorized
Alabama	1,398,811	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1,398,811
Alaska	1,023,321	43,492	5,709	74,777	767,554	90,747	4,013	53	0	38	0	36,938	N/A	0
Arizona	2,348,267	392,070	80,181	187,232	N/A	1,371,677	19,384	67	28	2,933	267,909	9,355	16,567	864
Arkansas	582,332	100,944	81,164	N/A	N/A	347,185	5,753	499	16	1,216	8,460	341	36,752	2
California	14,007,455	1,114,740	281,968	1,875,868	9,145,723	17	76,253	657	9,567	43,345	155,461	196,025	1,080,463	27,368
Colorado	3,832,931	270,637	64,193	711,329	2,202,812	0	24,511	187	5	N/A	16,112	224,672	318,473	0
Connecticut	732,283	324,610	56,270	100,450	N/A	202,620	1,161	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	51,635	N/A	-4,463
Delaware	512,441	19,257	8,419	58,518	118,781	271,411	107	0	0	3	4,690	5,159	26,096	0
D.C.	119,133	2,641	1,775	35,537	66,231	N/A	2,729	N/A	0	4,524	N/A	N/A	5,696	0
Florida	4,334,144	311,264	98,600	922,758	83,137	2,632,761	7,467	543	671	7,109	211,833	38,462	19,539	0
Georgia	3,220,893	295,040	120,113	472,770	N/A	2,217,557	19,207	1	4	N/A	N/A	N/A	96,201	0
Hawaii	218,289	20,745	N/A	64,242	N/A	93,566	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	18,946	N/A	20,790
Idaho	322,227	11,637	21,323	114,533	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1,361	169,419	3,954	0
Illinois	5,328,462	383,693	141,376	604,779	845,826	1,785,604	45,717	6,050	N/A	33,287	N/A	189,658	1,277,811	14,661
Indiana	1,707,923	25,311	15,163	268,640	N/A	897,025	14,585	609	0	129	6,219	0	397,186	83,056
Iowa	1,444,451	14,713	23,747	55,042	0	113,967	1,712	71	32	39	N/A	N/A	1,235,128	0
Kansas	919,021	86,712	66,624	258,594	N/A	410,682	8,651	82	70	1,687	10,143	N/A	75,418	358
Kentucky	2,299,601	33,088	283,242	396,623	N/A	1,338,645	239,055	1,352	1,951	N/A	5,645	N/A	N/A	0
Louisiana	770,881	103,887	117,796	351,721	N/A	166,477	19,065	2,196	2,423	7,316	N/A	N/A	N/A	0
Maine	311,687	13,500	182,616	38,045	36,870	10,668	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	17,499	N/A	12,489	0
Maryland	6,491,862	430,121	43,462	957,250	4,497,829	N/A	29,198	441	123	249,691	N/A	249,403	34,344	0
Massachusetts	3,961,950	52,170	55,269	333,331	3,114,094	275,844	17,581	491	N/A	10,568	N/A	N/A	102,602	0
Michigan	4,087,579	90,849	150,914	105,735	N/A	3,723,916	723	70	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	15,372	0
Minnesota	1,372,437	28,734	49,865	281,390	159,428	145,596	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	9,436	339,280	358,708	0
Mississippi	927,908	181,712	297,895	8,091	N/A	422,884	13,754	945	1,065	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1,562
Missouri	460,206	48,267	25,442	98,001	N/A	277,934	10,356	130	53	0	N/A	N/A	23	0
Montana	369,784	80,123	86,899	N/A	N/A	76,033	6,995	1,081	18	N/A	21,628	1,658	95,349	0
Nebraska	493,947	67,499	17,842	112,492	N/A	286,450	241	67	1	N/A	N/A	938	8,417	0
Nevada	1,510,352	310,553	63,662	232,780	836,797	0	1,080	0	0	0	35,128	30,352	N/A	0
New Hampshire	722,299	6,358	246,047	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	86,679	383,215	0
New Jersey	3,565,787	61,596	N/A	284,001	1,737,116	N/A	7,935	33,595	8,196	1,171,469	N/A	106,267	155,612	0
New Mexico	496,770	44,676	28,707	108,367	N/A	160,266	10,704	19	0	17	144,014	N/A	N/A	0
New York	2,590,306	711,503	133,738	211,758	N/A	1,185,420	9,692	4,746	N/A	129,552	36,591	165,532	N/A	1,774
North Carolina	3,772,641	631,695	577,000	414,635	1,509,247	N/A	35,012	1,237	33	3,832	378,805	N/A	221,145	0
North Dakota	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ohio	3,741,987	546,590	391,743	852,037	16,118	980,724	152,835	6,764	455	129,604	347,645	51,644	398,975	-133,147
Oklahoma	767,584	61,466	72,740	163,987	N/A	422,291	17,663	242	7,068	44	N/A	19,055	3,028	0
Oregon	1,569,926	97,107	46,968	319,483	400,245	263,497	2,778	1,013	N/A	4,895	N/A	N/A	433,940	0
Pennsylvania	4,014,449	202,695	39,820	928,617	N/A	2,090,892	43,408	344	1	0	344,313	N/A	364,359	0
Rhode Island	532,095	11,334	15,924	29,432	469,899	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	5,506	N/A	N/A	0
South Carolina	1,051,212	55,062	59,490	234,633	N/A	672,466	29,265	132	34	N/A	N/A	N/A	130	0
South Dakota	196,381	17,047	31,244	N/A	N/A	137,091	4,447	53	2	569	3,235	2,632	63	-2
Tennessee	1,262,606	151,824	101,743	399,865	N/A	587,286	10,942	360	1,885	8,701	N/A	N/A	N/A	0
Texas	5,133,464	504,722	375,519	188,117	N/A	3,598,016	65,121	528	37	36,499	N/A	42,789	322,116	0
Utah	949,986	83,413	8,345	188,573	0	702,296	0	0	1	0	10,448	25,744	411	-69,245
Vermont	87,935	1,012	9,346	19,085	N/A	48,728	273	N/A	N/A	N/A	9,491	0	N/A	0
Virginia	3,232,808	139,561	82,880	422,465	N/A	2,489,651	3,002	185	10	16,795	31,781	46,478	N/A	0
Washington	1,992,906	325,881	61,891	322,373	92,249	953,329	34,015	228	17,212	5,744	20,824	N/A	159,159	1
West Virginia	496,219	N/A	N/A	146,043	N/A	312,482	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	37,694	0
Wisconsin	705,403	49,895	151,736	356,696	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	137,180	9,896	0
Wyoming	87,915	3,496	84,106	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	313	0
Total	102,081,257	8,564,942	4,960,516	14,310,695	26,099,956	31,763,701	996,390	65,038	50,961	1,869,606	2,104,177	2,246,241	7,706,644	1,342,390

Footnotes[edit]

↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2022," accessed May 6, 2024
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Voter FAQs," accessed May 6, 2024
↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Online Voter Registration," accessed April 30, 2024
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 NCSL, "Same-Day Voter Registration," accessed November 19, 2025 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content
↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Automatic Voter Registration," accessed November 24, 2025
↑ State of Delaware, "Automatic Voter Registration at DMV," June 20, 2023
↑ Minnesota State Legislature, "House File 3," accessed June 6, 2023
↑ NBC, "Pennsylvania rolls out automatic voter registration," September 19, 2023

[census-1] U.S. Census Bureau, "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2022," accessed May 6, 2024

[eacfaq-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Voter FAQs," accessed May 6, 2024

[onlineregistration-3] National Conference of State Legislatures, "Online Voter Registration," accessed April 30, 2024

[ncsl-4] 4.0 ^4.1 NCSL, "Same-Day Voter Registration," accessed November 19, 2025 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content

[brennancenter-5] Brennan Center for Justice, "Automatic Voter Registration," accessed November 24, 2025

[deeavr-6] State of Delaware, "Automatic Voter Registration at DMV," June 20, 2023

[hf3-7] Minnesota State Legislature, "House File 3," accessed June 6, 2023

[paavr-8] NBC, "Pennsylvania rolls out automatic voter registration," September 19, 2023

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