Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored the Same Day Registration Act, legislation introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to require states to provide same day registration at polling places on the day of a Federal election, making voting easier for all Americans.
“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, and Congress should be doing everything it can to remove hurdles and make voting as accessible as possible. This bill prevents citizens from facing undue barriers at the ballot box and will help ensure our elected leaders are truly representative of the people they serve.”
In addition to Cortez Masto and Klobuchar, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus S. King (I-Maine), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Kristen E. Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) also cosponsored the legislation.
BACKGROUND:
The Same Day Registration Act amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require states to provide for same day registration. This bill would allow voters participating in same day registration to cast a valid ballot on their day of voting, and requires state compliance for the 2020 federal election. Currently, only seventeen states and the District of Columbia offer same day registration. Same day registration increases voter turnout, and states that offer it show higher turnout rates than states that do not offer it.
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