Voter Registration

Before an eligible individual can vote in a US federal, state, or local election, they must register with the relevant authorities, usually at the county or municipal level. Voter registration is used to compile lists of eligible voters and is a prerequisite to voting in forty-nine of the fifty states. North Dakota is the only state that does not require it, allowing residents to simply present valid identification at polling stations instead.

Throughout the 2010s, state legislatures considered and passed laws to make registration either easier or harder, depending on the majority party in power, and both main political parties as well as many activist groups increased registration drives. However, in 2021 the number of laws restricting the right to...