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]
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]
See also[edit]
- 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[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 4.2 NCSL, "Same-Day Voter Registration," January 31, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Automatic Voter Registration," October 26, 2023
- ↑ 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
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