In New York, voters must register 25 days before the election. This voter registration rule is an archaic barrier to participation in the electoral process. It disenfranchises new voters because just as public attention and interest peaks in an election, the deadline has already passed. It also affects youth voters disproportionately because young people move more frequently, for school and employment, making it more difficult for them to stay registered.

I am only 22, but I have already been registered to vote in New Mexico, Connecticut and New York. Each time I have faced a different set of complex rules. I have had to hunt down voter registration forms, and call the Board of Elections upon finding out that my registration was mishandled. Still, when I voted on Tuesday, I saw that I was mistakenly listed as a female. Were I not committed to participating in our democracy, it’s easy to see why I might not bother.

To make it easier for young people to vote, states across the country must allow voter registration on Election Day. Eight states have already done so, permitting new voters to register at the polls before casting their ballots. This simple step has increased voter turnout dramatically. In the 6 states that offered Election Day voter registration (EDR) in the 2004 election, youth voter turnout was 58.9% as compared to 40.9% nationwide. I saw the direct impact of this while running get out the vote efforts for NYPIRG (the New York Public Interest Research Group) at Brooklyn College on Feb. 5^th. During the day, we registered 92 students to vote. The majority of them wanted to vote in the presidential primary, but did not know that they had to register before Jan. 11^th to do so.

Critics of Election Day voter registration argue that it is undesirable because it adds to administrative complexity and costs, and increases the potential for error and fraud. However, a survey of local elections officers conducted by Demos found that most administrators in EDR states reported minimal cost increases and little or no added confusion. In addition, all but one respondent expressed confidence that the fraud-prevention measures built into EDR were adequate to protect the integrity of elections. Many respondents argued that EDR actually decreased the likelihood of fraud, because processing forms was easier after Election Day than in the hectic pre-Election Day period.

Making voter registration easy, accessible and available on Election Day is common sense for a government founded on civic participation. Given the insignificant drawbacks of EDR, there is little excuse for not offering the service. Allowing Election Day voter registration would not only benefit young people, it would benefit everyone. Making it easier to vote will encourage more people to let their voice be heard on the issues, and ensure that the electorate better represents the views of our state and our nation.