Brennan Center for Justice

Portable Registration is a key component of Voter Registration Modernization. Once an eligible citizen is on a state’s voter rolls, she remains registered and her records move with her so long as she continues to reside in that state. States can achieve portable registration through automatic address updates that capture voters who have moved, and through Election Day procedures that enable voters who have moved within the state to cast a ballot that counts.  Many states have adopted these procedures with great success.

Changes of Address Possible on Election Day

• 8 states — Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, and Utah — plus the District of Columbia have systems of portable registration that allow registered voters who move to cast valid ballots even if they did not update their registrations before Election Day. 

• 11 states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — plus the District of Columbia have passed laws permitting Election Day Registration, which allows voters to update their registration at the polls.

• Another 3 states — Maryland, North Carolina, and Ohio — have passed laws permitted Same Day Registration, which allows voters to update their registration at the polls.