Data Dive: Voter Registration Deadlines before the 2024 General Election

Research by Jordan Phan and April Tan

Jordan Phan is a Research Intern with The Center for Election Innovation and Research.

**Update: Due to Hurricane Helene, on October 4, 2024, a court order in South Carolina extended the statewide voter registration deadline to October 14 for in-person, mail-in, and online voter registration.

Until October 6, every eligible citizen in the country can register to vote in the 2024 general election using any registration method available in their state.[1] However, voter registration deadlines vary by state. In some states, prospective voters must register at least 30 days before Election Day.[2] In others, voters are able to register to vote on Election Day before they cast a ballot. Key dates for each state are in Table 1 at the end of this Data Dive.

States offer multiple methods of voter registration to improve voter list accuracy, make voter registration more efficient, and improve access for eligible citizens. The figure below shows when advance voter registration and same-day registration are available in the states.

This Data Dive uses “advance registration” to refer to voter registration that must take place before Election Day and on a different day from casting a ballot. “Same-day registration” refers to eligible citizens registering and voting in person on the same day.

This Data Dive describes the advance voter registration deadlines for basic in-person, mail-in, and online registration, as well as the periods for same-day registration before the 2024 general election.[3] In addition to different deadlines across states, some states set different registration deadlines for different registration methods. For information on how the availability of different voter registration methods has changed over time, see CEIR’s recent report on The Expansion of Innovative Voter Registration Methods, 2000 – 2024.

The information in this Data Dive is current as of August 15, 2024. For more information on 2024 registration deadlines in a specific state, see Table 1 or visit vote.gov to find your local election official.[4]

Last Day At Least One Method of Advance Voter Registration is Available

Forty-two states have the same deadline for all advance voter registration methods available in their state.[5] Seven states and Washington, D.C., set different deadlines for different types of voter registration. In four states—Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, and Nevada—voters may still register online after other advance voter registration methods close. In Nebraska, Maine, and Washington, D.C., voters may still register in person at designated locations after other advance voter registration methods close. Finally, one state—South Carolina—accepts mail-in voter registration forms postmarked one day after other advance voter registration methods close.

Figure 2 below highlights the last day at least one method of advance voter registration is available in each state.

Same-Day Voter Registration

Same-day registration (SDR) offers eligible citizens the opportunity to register and cast a ballot on the same day during early in-person voting or on election day. In many SDR states, the availability of advance registration methods and SDR overlap so eligible citizens have multiple options to register (see Figure 1).

In nearly every state with same-day voter registration, the SDR period begins before Election Day. Minnesota, North Dakota, and Vermont have the longest same-day registration periods, beginning in late September and continuing up to and including Election Day.[6] New York has one “Golden Day” when the last day of voter registration overlaps with the first day of early voting. Every SDR state offers registration on Election Day, except for North Carolina and New York. New Hampshire offers same-day registration on Election Day only. Nine states and Washington, D.C., have an SDR period that temporarily closes for one to four days between the end of early in-person voting and Election Day.

Figure 3 shows the period for same-day voter registration during the 2024 general election in each state where it is available.

Basic In-Person Voter Registration

Every state has basic in-person voter registration at local election offices and other designated locations. As shown in Figure 4, the most common deadline among states for basic in-person voter registration is October 7.

Mail-In Voter Registration

As required by federal law, nearly all states accept mail-in voter registrations.[7] Mail-in voter registration deadlines are based on a postmark date, receipt date, or both, depending on the state. Thirty-six states set a postmark deadline by which eligible citizens must mail their voter registration form. Ten states and Washington, D.C., set a receipt deadline when voter registration forms must arrive at the election office. Two additional states have both a postmark and receipt deadline.[8] The most common postmark deadline for mail-in registration is October 7. Figure 5 visualizes these trends.

Online Voter Registration

Forty-two states and Washington, D.C., offer online voter registration (OVR). OVR offers eligible citizens the opportunity to conveniently and securely register to vote via an official voter registration website. Eligibility is verified via driver’s license, state ID, or information from another government agency. Voters should visit vote.gov to find the official registration website for their state.

As shown in Figure 6, the most common deadline for OVR across states is October 15, with nine states and Washington, D.C., requiring voters who want to register online to do so by that date.

Table 1. Voter Registration Deadlines by State and Method

For details on registering to vote in a specific state, click on the state’s name to be directed to their voter registration information website.

* In the Mail-In Registration column, states with provisions for missing or illegible postmarks are marked with an asterisk.

Additional Notes and Resources

[1] The South Carolina Election Commission indicates that some local offices may be closed on October 5 or 6. Voters should check with their local election office for dates for in-person registration. South Carolina Election Commission, “2024 Election Calendar,”accessed September 5, 2024.

[2] Thirty days before election day is the earliest deadline for voter registration allowed by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), 52 USCS § 20507.

[3] This data dive describes several different methods of voter registration.

Basic in-person voter registration: A process by which eligible citizens may register to vote by submitting a paper form in person to a local election office by some deadline before the election.

Mail-in voter registration: A process by which eligible citizens may register to vote by submitting a paper form to a local election office through the mail.

Online voter registration (OVR): A process by which eligible citizens may submit a new or updated voter registration application electronically via a state government website or app.

Same-day voter registration (SDR): A process by which eligible citizens may register to vote or update their existing registration and cast a vote on the same day, either on Election Day or during the early in-person voting period.

[4] Information on deadlines in each state was collected from state statues, election calendars, and state election websites.

[5] North Dakota does not have advance voter registration. However, eligible citizens must follow a procedure functionally equivalent to same-day registration when casting a ballot: present a valid form of identification that includes their name, current residential address, and date of birth. Voters can cast a ballot during the early in-person voting period beginning Sept. 26 until Election Day. This Data Dive therefore includes North Dakota’s early in-person voting period in discussions of states with SDR.

[6] See endnote 5 above.

[7] The NVRA requires states to accept mail-in voter registration applications for federal elections. Among the six states currently exempt from NVRA compliance, Idaho, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming offer mail-in registration. New Hampshire only offers mail-in registration to certain eligible citizens. North Dakota does not offer voter registration by mail. North Dakota does not require formal voter registration, but eligible citizens must present a valid form of identification that includes their name, current residential address, and date of birth before casting a ballot.

[8] Some states only enforce a receipt date if the postmark is missing or illegible.

[9] In Hawaii, Nevada, and Vermont, eligible citizens may register online on Election Day (Nov. 5). However, registering online on Election Day may not be recommended. For example, in Vermont, if citizens register online the day before the election or on Election Day, their application may not be processed, meaning their name may not appear on the checklist and they may be asked to fill out another application at the polls. Vermont encourages citizens to register by the Friday before the election to be sure their name appears on the checklist. Eligible citizens in Hawaii, Nevada, and Vermont who want to register and vote on Election Day can also do so using same-day registration at their polling place.

[10] In Idaho, in-person no-excuse absentee voting is required in all jurisdictions while early voting is optional at the discretion of local officials. SDR during the early in-person voting period is only available in jurisdictions that conduct early voting.

[11] In Maine, eligible citizens can register at the town office or city hall on Election Day (Nov. 5). However, voters must then go to a polling place to cast a ballot.

[12] In New Hampshire, the deadline for basic voter registration is between Oct. 22 and Oct. 26, depending on the voter’s jurisdiction. Voters should check with their local election official to confirm the voter registration deadline in their jurisdiction.

[13] In Rhode Island, local election boards cannot receive registrations on Oct. 6 but may designate a publicly accessible location to receive registrations.

[14] The South Carolina Election Commission indicates that some local offices may be closed on October 5 or 6. Voters should check with their local election office to confirm dates and hours for in-person registration. South Carolina Election Commission, “2024 Election Calendar,” accessed September 5, 2024.