Wellstone Action!

posted by Elana Wolowitz

MAY 20, 2008

Sometimes it's challenging doing national political work from Minnesota, which is (don't bother to pull out your maps) way, way outside the beltway.

However, one of the things I love most about Minnesota is the fact that we have same-day voter registration, the direct consequence of which is that we consistently lead the nation in voter turnout. It's good for an entire community when we remove barriers to exercising the right to vote, but it is an especially crucial tool for historically underrepresented communities like young people, low-income citizens, and very transient families. Same-day registration expands the electorate and empowers voters that are traditionally disenfranchised.

We kinda like having this distinction, but in truth, we aren't the only ones who allow voters to register at the polls. Currently, 9 states have some form of same-day registration; North Carolina recently enacted a law that allows voters to register and vote in-person at early voting sites (but not on Election Day).

The good folks at Demos, a national election policy center that has conducted nationwide research examining the impact of same day registration and voting laws, worked with North Carolina officials to inform the passage of the law in 2007.

The North Carolina statewide primary on May 6 was the first real test of the same-day registration (SDR) law, and Demos has released data compiled from the North Carolina Board of Elections on how successful the program has been.

An amazing 22,293 new North Carolina voters took advantage of the same-day voter registration and cast ballots at early voting sites, 19-3 days prior to the election. You can read all about the election and Demos' analysis of the primary results here.

I talked with Steven Carbo, Senior Program Director for the Democracy Program at Demos. He told me that according to their research and analysis, North Carolina's SDR law is projected to increase voter turnout in a general election by 5.4%. However, that number could be significantly higher for populations with historically low voter turnout.

In addition to helping implement same-day registration, Demos has also worked in North Carolina (and several other states) to make sure that state officials comply with the National Voter Registration Act, a huge federal law that (among a lot of other provisions) requires states to offer voter registration at public assistance agencies. Through this program, Steven says that over 42,000 low-income North Carolinians have been registered to vote since February 2007.

Wellstone Action has been tracking the progress of the North Carolina same-day voter registration law, and the impact of nonpartisan voter engagement campaigns working to increase voter turnout. We've done significant training with candidates, campaigns, college campuses, and nonprofit organizations in the state, and their organizing efforts have really made North Carolina an ascending progressive power. Between the on-the-ground organizing efforts in communities and the ability to register and vote same-day, watch North Carolina in November as a place where traditionally underrepresented communities will be making their voice heard and voting in higher numbers than ever before.