Challenges in Voter Registration

Abstract

Since the adoption of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993, states have taken significant steps to modernize the voter registration process and to minimize errors in managing voter registration lists. Reforms such as Online Voter Registration, Election Day Registration, youth pre-registration, as well as Automatic Voter Registration decrease the burden for prospective voters, but they may still create challenges for election administrators insofar as efficiently entering and managing lists of registered voters. Evidence from provisional votes cast and accepted during the 2016 presidential election in North Carolina demonstrates that voter list maintenance issues can keep eligible voters off the voter rolls and deter them from casting a regular ballot. The local variation in how provisional voters are processed and the disproportionate impact on minority voters raises concerns of equity and also has broader implications about how election reforms are administered locally and across the states. Researchers are able to uncover such patterns by analyzing election administration and turnout data reported by states and localities to federal agencies such as the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). However, limitations remain due to inconsistent data reporting, which strongly demonstrates gaps in election data transparency across the states.