Memoranda by Graham Allen MP (VOT 39)
People should be allowed to register to vote
up to and including Election Day.
In Nottingham the last day to have an application
in to be listed on the register for a 5 May election would be
11 March. This is nearly two months before the election. It must
be noted that in a highly mobile society such as the UK, people
moving around most likely will not have voting on their mind as
the first issue to take care of when they move. Since people get
more interested in elections as they approach, it meets the needs
of voters to allow registration very close to the day of the day
of the election, and ideally the day of the election.
One should not think that allowing people to
register the day of the election will cause chaos due massive
numbers of registrations and lack of adequate staff, one must
bear in mind that it isn't actually an attractive option for a
voter to do (as a result of the time it takes to register on an
election day when one is already taking time out of their day
to go and vote) and is usually only done in rare circumstances.
I remember meeting a returning officer on Presidential Election
Day where people registered at the Town Hall on the day with suitable
l/d, then voted at one ballot box in another part of the Town
Hall, no problem!
This is a vital step for democracy, namely because
turnout has fallen in all Western democracies where voting isn't
compulsory, and the UK is no exception. With turnout falling,
voting should be as easily accomplished and allowed as is logically
possible. Allowing people to register up until the day of the
election is a service to voters who clearly are showing an interest
in democracy and should not be turned away based on a technicality.
If one looks at the example of the US, one sees
that the 25 states that cut-off voter registration for the US
General Election the earliest still allow registration on or up
to 2 or 4 October, only four weeks before the election. This is
clearly more flexible than the two months in our case. Most other
states in the US permit registration until two weeks before the
election, the most common deadline being 18 October. Six states,
(Idaho, Maine, Wisconsin, Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Minnesota)
allow voters to register on the day of the election. As a whole,
these states are known to be the most progressive electorally
and amidst such close Presidential elections in 2000 and 2004
more state legislatures appear to be pushing for longer registration
periods.
Appendix One
VOTER REGISTRATION: DEADLINE FOR REGISTERING
TO VOTE IN THE 2004 GENERAL ELECTION OF 2 NOVEMBER 2004. (BY STATE
ALPHABETICALLY)
Alabama General Election 22 October 2004
Alaska General Election 3 October 2004
Arizona General Election 4 October 2004
Arkansas General Election 3 October 2004
California General Election 18 October 2004
Colorado General Election 4 October 2004
Connecticut General Election 19 October 2004
Delaware General Election N/A
District of Columbia General Election 4 October
2004
Florida General Election 4 October 2004
Georgia General Election 4 October 2004
Hawaii General Election 4 October 2004
Idaho General Election 9 October 2004; Election
Day Registration available.
Illinois General Election 5 October 2004* legislation
pending to allow registration longer
Indiana General Election 4 October 2004
Iowa General Election 23 October 2004
Kansas General Election 18 October 2004
Kentucky General Election 4 October 2004
Louisiana General Election 4 October 2004
Maine General Election 23 October 2004 (by mail);
Election Day registration available.
Maryland General Election 12 October 2004
Massachusetts General Election 13 October 2004
Michigan General Election 4 October 2004
Minnesota General Election 2 November 2004;
Election Day registration available
Mississippi General Election 3 October 2004
Missouri General Election 6 October 2004
Montana General Election 4 October 2004
Nebraska General Election 15 October 2004 (by
mail); 22 October 2004 (in person)
Nevada General Election 12 October 2004
New Hampshire General Election 23 October 2004;
Election Day registration available
New Jersey General Election 4 October 2004
New Mexico General Election 5 October 2004
New York General Election 8 October 2004
North Carolina General Election 8 October 2004
North Dakota General Election No Voter Registration
Ohio General Election 4 October 2004
Oklahoma General Election 8 October 2004
Oregon General Election 12 October 2004
Pennsylvania General Election 4 October 2004
Rhode Island General Election 2 October 2004
South Carolina General Election 2 October 2004
South Dakota General Election 18 October 2004
Tennessee General Election 3 October 2004
Texas General Election 4 October 2004
Utah General Election 13 October 2004 (by mail)
Vermont General Election 25 October 2004
Virginia General Election 4 October 2004
Washington General Election 2 October 2004 (by
mail); 18 October 2004 (in person)
West Virginia General Election 13 October 2004
Wisconsin General Election 23 October 2004 (by
mail); 2 November 2004 (in person); Election Day registration
available
Wyoming—General Election 23 October 2004
(by mail); 2 November 2004 (in person); Election Day registration
available.
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