New America
In Depth

Laboratories of Democracy Database

Part I. Registration and Voting Systems

Voting

Voting is the bedrock of democracy. However, because the right to vote is not defined or secured in the Constitution, states and local governments have broad leeway to implement their own rules about voter registration and time and manner of elections. Voting rules have been an area of controversy and rapid change in recent decades, with states moving both to expand voting rights and participation, such as through automatic voter registration, and others moving to restrict it further, in the name of preventing voter fraud, which is rare.

In all but one state (North Dakota), voters must register before casting a ballot. However, state laws on how and when a voter can register vary widely, and include innovations such as same-day registration, automatic registration when a citizen interacts with any government agency, and online registration.

For the process of voting itself, states have innovated by allowing early voting, vote-by-mail, and no-excuse absentee ballots.

Registration and Voting

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Registering to Vote

Online Voter Registration

Online voter registration lowers barriers to voting by making it possible to register to vote using an online form. In most states, the registration is validated electronically by comparing the information provided in the online registration form to information available in other state records.

Same-Day Voter Registration 

Same-day voter registration allows voters to register and vote on the day of the election. Some states allow Election Day registration, while others only allow same-day voter registration during an early voting period.  Currently, two states (North Carolina and Maryland) offer same day registration for a portion of the early voting period, but not on Election Day. 

Automatic Voter Registration

Automatic voter registration goes beyond the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which required states to give citizens the opportunity to register when they obtained driver's licenses or interacted with other state agencies, by placing voters on the rolls unless they actively decline to be registered. 

How and When to Vote

Early Voting

In states with early voting, voters may cast a ballot in person during a designated period prior to Election Day. Early voting is only available at designated locations and there are usually fewer polling places open during this period than there are on Election Day. 

No-Excuse Absentee Voting

In participating states, any qualified voter is permitted to vote absentee with a mail-in ballot without offering an excuse.

In Depth

Laboratories of Democracy Database

About this Project

About the Laboratories of Democracy Database

The Laboratories of Democracy database is a platform for information and ideas about state-level reform across the United States.The project was envisioned in 2016 by California Forward, a bipartisan civic-leadership organization, to highlight the energy and prospects for reform not only in their own state, the largest and in recent years the most innovative, but across the country. In February 2017, New America’s Political Reform program, at California Forward’s invitation, took up the project and expanded it. New America will continue to add and update information in order to make this the most useful and comprehensive resource on state election laws available. In addition to the data about state reforms, the Laboratories of Democracy database offers analytical resources on the effectiveness and challenges posed by various reforms.

About the Political Reform Program

Since its inception in 2014, New America’s Political Reform program has aimed to bring fresh perspectives and analysis to the cause of renewing American democracy and understanding the market for political power. While not an advocacy organization and not focused on a single solution, we aspire to support effective advocacy and reform by highlighting promising projects, identifying concerns or unintended consequences, opening up new areas of conversation, and connecting issues that are often siloed in the reform world. Our staff and fellows publish widely on politics and reform, and have issued comprehensive visions of new agendas for campaign reform, congressional capacity, participatory democracy, and the formation of transpartisan political alliances.

Authors

Mark Schmitt is director of the Political Reform program at New America.

Chayenne Polimédio was a fellow with the Political Reform program.

Elena Souris was a policy analyst with the Political Reform program.

Lee Drutman is a senior fellow in the Political Reform program.

Project Outline:

Dataset:

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