Not Registered Yet? DC, Maryland and Virginia All Allow Election Day Registration on Tuesday
Missing the registration deadline does not end the story in the capital region. All three jurisdictions are on the National Conference of State Legislatures' Election Day registration list - but each voter needs the right documents in hand before heading out.
For capital-region residents who never got around to registering, Tuesday is not too late - in any of the region's three jurisdictions. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia offer Election Day voter registration for general elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the list includes the District, Maryland and Virginia alike. Election day registration lets an eligible citizen who missed the ordinary deadline register and vote on the same trip.
The paperwork is the catch, and it is broadly the same everywhere: for most states, voters need a government-issued ID, proof of age and U.S. citizenship, and documents proving where they live. In the District, the Board of Elections' guidance is specific - people who are eligible but not registered can register and vote at the same time at a vote center, during early voting and on Election Day, and must bring an acceptable document showing proof of DC residence. On Tuesday the Board opens 75 vote centers citywide from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and mail ballot drop boxes stay available until 8 p.m.
The rules still vary state to state, and the American Democracy Minute's guidance to voters is the desk's as well: a local or state election office is always the best source of information, and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's state-by-state tool can point a voter to the right one. For anyone in DC, Montgomery or Prince George's Counties, Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax who intends to use same-day registration on Tuesday, the practical advice is simple - assemble the documents on Monday, not in the polling-place line.
