What is same-day registration?
Same-day registration (SDR) was a popular and effective tool in the 2016 presidential election in North Carolina, and its continued success in encouraging political participation in this state should be celebrated.
First used in North Carolina in 2007, same-day registration (SDR) during early voting was implemented as part of a larger effort to improve North Carolina’s dismal voter turnout and registration statistics. As of 1988, North Carolina was ranked 47th in the nation for voter turnout, with only 44.5% of eligible residents reporting to the polls. In order to encourage greater civic participation, the General Assembly in the early 2000s introduced and passed various bills intended to make it easier for eligible residents to register and vote, such as early voting, preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds, out-of-precinct voting and, most notably here, same-day registration. Thanks, in part, to these provisions, North Carolina has seen its registration numbers increase by 35%, and its turnout rates increase by 10%, since the year 2000. SDR enables North Carolina’s voting-age citizens to report to any early voting location in their county, register, and vote in one transaction. In order to register same-day, voters must not only attest to their eligibility to vote; they must also, without exception, provide proof of identity and residence by providing an acceptable document showing the voter’s current name and current address. SDR serves as a fail-safe, allowing qualified voters to remedy any issues with their voter registration and ensure they are properly registered so that they can exercise their most important fundamental right and civic duty: voting.