Election Day Registration (EDR), sometimes called “same day registration” (SDR), allows eligible voters to register and cast a ballot on Election Day. Nine states currently have EDR or SDR laws. Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin adopted EDR in the 1970s. Idaho, New Hampshire and Wyoming enacted Election Day Registration two decades later. Montana implemented EDR in 2006.
Demos president Miles Rapoport testifies before the U.S. House Administration Sub-Committee on Elections regarding Election Day Registration and provisional voting.
We have analyzed the likely impact on voter turnout should California adopt Election Day Registration (EDR). The availability of EDR procedures should give voters who have not previously registered or need to update their information the opportunity to vote. Consistent with existing research on the impact of Election Day Registration in the other states that use this process, we find that EDR would likely lead to substantial increases in voter turnout. We offer the following voter turnout estimates for California under EDR:
R. Michael Alvarez of the California Institute of Technology and Jonathan Nagler of NYU analyze the likely impact of Election Day Registration on voter turnout in Iowa.
U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties notified of suppressive tactics implicit in state noncompliance with NVRA Section 7.
Senior Policy Analyst Scott Novakowski testifies before the U.S. Election Assistance Commission regarding the public assistance requirements of the National Voter Registration Act.
Democracy Program Senior Policy Analyst Scott Novakowski delivers testimony before the Election Assistance Commission on its role in NVRA implementation, September 6, 2007.
Although photo ID and proof of citizenship proposals are offered as necessary to prevent fraud in elections, we know that the facts do not warrant these extreme measures.
Miles Rapoport testifies on March 23, 2007, at the United States House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services' hearing on "The Role of Public Investment in Promoting Economic Growth".
Demos Vice President of Policy and Programs Tamara Draut testifies before the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension regarding higher education costs and student debt.
Demos Vice President of Policy and Programs Tamara Draut testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs regarding the growth of credit card debt and credit industry practices.
In response to ever-increasing financial pressures, families have come to depend on high-cost credit as a way to bridge the gap between stagnant or decreasing incomes and rising costs. How are families coping with their new burden? To hang on to the American Dream, to be part of the ownership society, homeowners are depleting their home equity to pay off a growing mountain of unsecured debt—a financial strategy fraught with serious consequences.
In the final days of the 2006 campaign, as in any election year, citizen interest is peaking as election news--and debates on the issues--becomes more pervasive in the media. Unfortunately for America's voters, in all but eight states (one of which does not require voter registration) , if you are not already registered to vote in this week's election, it is too late. There are seven states, however, where eligible voters are not hampered by arbitrary deadlines, no matter when they become engaged by an election, and can register to vote on Election Day itself.