Brennan Center for Justice

Election Day Correction is a key component of Voter Registration Modernization. Election Day Correction mechanisms permit eligible citizens to correct errors on the voter rolls before and on Election Day or provide a different failsafe that enables voters to cast a ballot that counts on Election Day.

• For eligible but previously unregistered voters, 11 states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — and the District of Columbia have, or will soon offer Election Day registration, allowing eligible citizens to register or update their records on Election Day. 

• Three states — Maryland, North Carolina,* and Ohio — as well as DC, have or will soon offer Same Day Registration.

• Two additional states have other failsafe mechanisms in place: North Dakota has no registration requirement, and Vermont offers an affidavit option for voters who swear that they registered in that precinct and are wrongly omitted from the list.

* Given a recent new law in North Carolina, Same Day Registration will no longer be available effective January 2014.