Voter Registration Deadlines for the General Election by State; Which State Doesn't Require Registration?
State | Registration Deadline | Election Day Registration |
---|---|---|
Alabama | Registration is closed for the 14 days before an election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Alaska | Registration 30 days before the election. | In a Presidential Election year, for November General Election only, you can register to vote on Election day. |
Arizona | Registration closes 29 days prior to election day. | You must register before the deadline. |
Arkansas | Postmarked 29 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
California | Postmarked or submitted electronically no later than 15 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Colorado | Mail and online registration 8 days before the election. Deadline for registration by voter registration drive: 22 days before the election. In person registration through Election Day. | You may also register in person on Election Day. |
Connecticut | Postmarked by the 7th day before an election. | You may also register in person on Election Day, but only at designated locations. |
Delaware | Deadline to register is 24 days before the election, except for military and overseas voters. | You must register before the deadline. |
District of Columbia | Postmarked 30 days before the election. | You may also register in person on Election Day as long as you can provide proof of residency. |
Florida | Postmarked 29 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Georgia | Received 28 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Hawaii | Postmarked 30 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Idaho | Postmarked 25 days before the election. | You may also register in person on Election Day as long as you can provide proof of residency. |
Illinois | Regular registration is closed 27 days before the election. In-person registration continues through election day. | You may also register in person at designated locations on Election Day as long as you can provide proof of residency. |
Indiana | Postmarked 27 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Iowa | Deadline to pre-register is 10 days before the election. | You may also register in person on Election Day as long as you can provide proof of residency and identification. |
Kansas | Received 21 days before any election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Kentucky | Postmarked 29 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Louisiana | Postmarked (if mailed) or received (online or in person) 30 days prior to the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Maine | Received 21 days before the election. | You may also register in person on or before Election Day. |
Maryland | Registration closes 21 days before the election. If you miss the deadline, you may register to vote or change your address at an early voting center in the county where you live. You will be required to prove where you live. | You must register before the deadline. |
Massachusetts | Postmarked (if mailed) or received (online or in person) 20 days prior to any election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Michigan | Postmarked (if mailed) or received (online or in person) 30 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Minnesota | Pre-registration deadline is 21 days before the election. | You may also register in person on Election Day as long as you can provide proof of residency. |
Mississippi | Postmarked 30 days prior to the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Missouri | Postmarked by the 4th Wednesday before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Montana | Register to vote by 5 p.m. 30 days before the election. You may also register in person at the county election office on or before Election Day. | You may register in person at the county election office on Election Day. |
Nebraska | Postmarked on or before the 3rd Friday before the election. You may register in person at the County Clerk/Election Commissioner’s office prior to 6 p.m. on the second Friday before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Nevada | Postmarked (if mailed) 31 days before the election. Submitted online or in person at the office of the County Clerk/Registrar from the 5th Sunday through the 3rd Tuesday before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
New Hampshire | Deadline to register is 10 days before the election. | You may also register in person on Election Day. |
New Jersey | Received 21 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
New Mexico | Postmarked (if mailed) or received (online) 28 days before the election. Postmarked applications must be received by the Friday after registration closes. | You must register before the deadline. |
New York | Postmarked 25 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
North Carolina | Postmarked 25 days before the election. You can register in person and vote early during the "one-stop" voting period, the second Thursday to 1 PM on the last Saturday before the election. This option remains the subject of ongoing litigation in federal court and may change. | You must register before the deadline. |
North Dakota | N/A | North Dakota is the only state without voter registration. |
Ohio | Postmarked 30 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Oklahoma | Postmarked 25 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Oregon | The deadline to register is 21 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Pennsylvania | Received 30 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Rhode Island | Postmarked 30 days before the election. | You may register and vote for President/Vice-President only at your local Board of Canvassers on Election Day. |
South Carolina | Postmarked 30 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
South Dakota | Received 15 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Tennessee | Postmarked 30 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Texas | Received 30 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Utah | Postmarked 30 days before the election. Online or in-person registration up to 7 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Vermont | Received by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday preceding the date of the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Virginia | Postmarked (if mailed) or received (in person or online) 22 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Washington | Postmarked (if mailed) or submitted (online) 29 days before the election. In person 8 days before the election for new Washington state voters. | You must register before the deadline. |
West Virginia | Received 21 days before the election. | You must register before the deadline. |
Wisconsin | By mail or to a Special Registration Deputy 20 days before the election. In-person registration at municipal clerk office up until theFriday before the election at 5 PM or close of business, whichever is later. | You may also register in person on Election Day. |
Wyoming | Received 14 days before the election. | You may also register in person on Election Day. |
Top of page: The White House ("President's House") Washington, D.C. South front elevation; 1817
From the Brennan Center for Justice:
Elements of Modernized Voter Registration Are in Wide Use across the Country:
-
At least 32 states — Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois,Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina,Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont,Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia — currently or will soon have fully or substantially electronic voter registration at DMVs.
- 38 state DMVs automatically register all eligible young men for the Selective Service, as do a variety of other federal and state agencies.
- 8 states — Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, and Utah plus the District of Columbia, have systems of portable registration that allow registered voters who move to cast valid ballots even if they do not update their registrations before Election Day.
- 15 states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine,Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — plus the District of Columbia, currently offer, or have enacted laws which provide for, Same Day registration, allowing eligible citizens to register or update their records on at the polls.
More Articles
- Brennan Center: One in Three Election Officials Report Feeling Unsafe Because of Their Job
- The Impact of Trade and Tariffs on the United States Key Findings From the Tax Foundation; Steve Rattner Charts
- Updated - Voting 2018: New Election Security Funds are Breakthrough for Democracy
- 30 States Have Adopted Sentencing and Corrections Reforms: Incarceration and Crime Rates Keep Falling
- Large-scale Oil and Gas Development and Proposed Mines on Public Lands
- A Victory for Protestors at Standing Rock Reservation: Army Will Not Grant Easement for Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing
- Public Health on the Ballot: Marijuana Legalization, Minimum Wage Hikes and Gun Control Issues on the Ballot
- Pew's Analysis of Growth in Personal Income Shows Uneven US Recovery
- American Indian Girls Often Fall Through the Cracks: "It's like these kids are living in a war zone"
- Healthcare Enrollment Deadline January 31, 2016; Most Consumers Satisfied with Health Plans