MassVOTE Talk

What is Election Day Registration?

Election Day Registration, also known as “same-day voter registration,” permits eligible citizens to register and vote on Election Day. Eligible citizens who are not found on the voting lists are asked to show a valid ID to a poll worker, who checks their ID, consults the registration list, and, if they are not registered, registers them on the spot.

Who has Election Day Registration?

Seven states. Six states—Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Wyoming—offered Election Day Registration in the 2004 presidential election. Montana implemented Election Day Registration in 2006.

How much does Election Day Registration boost participation?

These states boasted, on average, voter turnout 12 percentage points higher than in non-Election Day Registration states. Several published studies have predicted gains in turnout between 3% and 15% in turnout. The people most likely to be affected are middle- and low-income voters and recent movers.

What is the cost of Election Day Registration?

The cost of Election Day Registration is minimal – about $250 per precinct, less than $1 million for the entire state, and less than $150,000 for the city of Boston. Federal money available under the Help America vote act could pay for a substantial portion (perhaps all) of the cost.

Can Massachusetts pass Election Day Registration?

Yes. There is broad support in Massachusetts for Election Day Registration. Several state senators and representatives, including Senator Ed Augustus, co-chair of Election Laws, have signaled that they will again push for Election Day Registration in 2007. During the campaign, Deval Patrick voiced his support for Election Day Registration. In the past, Secretary of State William Galvin has voiced reservations about Election Day Registration, but in the summer of 2006, he changed his position and announced his support for statewide implementation of Election Day Registration. MassVOTE, Common Cause, and the League of Women Voters and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition also support Election Day Registration.

Are there any studies that back up claims of increased turnout with Election Day Registration?

Yes. Here are a small sampling:

1. Stephen Knack of the University of Maryland wrote: “Controlling for other factors, new Election Day Registration programs are associated with a turnout increase of about 6 percentage points in the midterm elections (1990-1994), and 3 percentage points in the presidential elections (1992-1996).” American Politics Research, Vol. 29, No. 1, 65-78, 2001.
2. Knack and a colleague, James White, wrote: “the adoption of Election Day Registration is found to be associated with large and significant improvements in the turnout rates of young persons relative to older persons, and of recent movers relative to nonmovers.” Political Behavior Volume 22, Number 1 / March, 2000.
3. Craig Leonard Brians & Bernard Grofman wrote: “The elimination of closing dates, through Election Day Registration, is predicted to produce about a 7-percentage-point turnout boost in the average state. Those having a high school education and middle incomes are expected to see the largest turnout gains, with the less educated and poorer citizens doing almost as well.” Social Science Quarterly, Volume 82 Page 170 - March 2001
4. Even as far back as 1987, Peverill Squire, Raymond E. Wolfinger, and David P. Glass identified the problem that renters and movers face, and considered Election Day Registration as a solution. They wrote: “We examine the characteristics of a largely ignored low-turnout group–people who have recently moved. We find that neither demographic nor attitudinal attributes explain their lower turnout. Instead, the requirement that citizens must register anew after each change in residence constitutes the key stumbling block in the trip to the polls. Since nearly one-third of the nation moves every two years, moving has a large impact on national turnout rates.” American Political Science Review, Vol. 81, No. 1 (Mar., 1987), pp. 45-66.

I threw together the text above from The Century Foundation, Demos, Wikipedia, and GoogleScholar.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 1st, 2006 at 11:26 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

What is Election Day Registration?

Election Day Registration, also known as “same-day voter registration,” permits eligible citizens to register and vote on Election Day. Eligible citizens who are not found on the voting lists are asked to show a valid ID to a poll worker, who checks their ID, consults the registration list, and, if they are not registered, registers them on the spot.

Who has Election Day Registration?

Seven states. Six states—Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Wyoming—offered Election Day Registration in the 2004 presidential election. Montana implemented Election Day Registration in 2006.

How much does Election Day Registration boost participation?

These states boasted, on average, voter turnout 12 percentage points higher than in non-Election Day Registration states. Several published studies have predicted gains in turnout between 3% and 15% in turnout. The people most likely to be affected are middle- and low-income voters and recent movers.

What is the cost of Election Day Registration?

The cost of Election Day Registration is minimal – about $250 per precinct, less than $1 million for the entire state, and less than $150,000 for the city of Boston. Federal money available under the Help America vote act could pay for a substantial portion (perhaps all) of the cost.

Can Massachusetts pass Election Day Registration?

Yes. There is broad support in Massachusetts for Election Day Registration. Several state senators and representatives, including Senator Ed Augustus, co-chair of Election Laws, have signaled that they will again push for Election Day Registration in 2007. During the campaign, Deval Patrick voiced his support for Election Day Registration. In the past, Secretary of State William Galvin has voiced reservations about Election Day Registration, but in the summer of 2006, he changed his position and announced his support for statewide implementation of Election Day Registration. MassVOTE, Common Cause, and the League of Women Voters and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition also support Election Day Registration.

Are there any studies that back up claims of increased turnout with Election Day Registration?

Yes. Here are a small sampling:

1. Stephen Knack of the University of Maryland wrote: “Controlling for other factors, new Election Day Registration programs are associated with a turnout increase of about 6 percentage points in the midterm elections (1990-1994), and 3 percentage points in the presidential elections (1992-1996).” American Politics Research, Vol. 29, No. 1, 65-78, 2001.
2. Knack and a colleague, James White, wrote: “the adoption of Election Day Registration is found to be associated with large and significant improvements in the turnout rates of young persons relative to older persons, and of recent movers relative to nonmovers.” Political Behavior Volume 22, Number 1 / March, 2000.
3. Craig Leonard Brians & Bernard Grofman wrote: “The elimination of closing dates, through Election Day Registration, is predicted to produce about a 7-percentage-point turnout boost in the average state. Those having a high school education and middle incomes are expected to see the largest turnout gains, with the less educated and poorer citizens doing almost as well.” Social Science Quarterly, Volume 82 Page 170 - March 2001
4. Even as far back as 1987, Peverill Squire, Raymond E. Wolfinger, and David P. Glass identified the problem that renters and movers face, and considered Election Day Registration as a solution. They wrote: “We examine the characteristics of a largely ignored low-turnout group–people who have recently moved. We find that neither demographic nor attitudinal attributes explain their lower turnout. Instead, the requirement that citizens must register anew after each change in residence constitutes the key stumbling block in the trip to the polls. Since nearly one-third of the nation moves every two years, moving has a large impact on national turnout rates.” American Political Science Review, Vol. 81, No. 1 (Mar., 1987), pp. 45-66.

I threw together the text above from The Century Foundation, Demos, Wikipedia, and GoogleScholar.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 1st, 2006 at 11:26 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.