How election day registration would modernize Massachusetts elections

This November, Massachusetts voters will have an opportunity to modernize our election law by passing Question 4. The measure would allow eligible residents to register or fix problems with their registration at their polling station on Election Day.

A large coalition of voting rights advocates supports Question 4 as a proven reform that will remove barriers to voting while maintaining the state's rigorous election security protocols. In this Q&A, we answer common questions about the measure.

State law currently requires people to register at least 10 days before an election. This is an arbitrary cutoff that prevents eligible citizens from voting if (when!) life gets busy and they miss the registration deadline.

If Question 4 passes, eligible residents would be able to register at their precinct on Election Day. They would have to bring proof of residency — like a driver's license or a utility bill — and sign an oath of eligibility.

Importantly, Question 4 would also let people fix problems with their registration right there at their polling station on Election Day.

Every year, thousands of eligible voters show up to the polls, ready to vote, only to learn there is an administrativeproblem with their registration — for instance, they've moved, or changed their name — and it’s too late for them to do anything about it. They are given a provisional ballot to fill out, and there’s no guarantee it will be counted. If Question 4 passes, they could fix those problems on Election Day and cast a ballot that they know will be counted.

Massachusetts elections are secure and efficient, and Election Day Registration maintains these high standards.

To register before Election Day, voters need to fill out a paper or online form and provide proof of residency — for instance, a driver's license, lease agreement, or bank statement. If they don't include proof of residency, they may need to show it the first time they vote.

People registering on Election Day would follow the same requirements.

In fact, people registering on Election Day have one extra requirement: Instead of just checking a box to affirm that they're a citizen, they must sign an oath of eligibility. Providing false information on that oath is a felony, subject to a punishment by up to 5 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

In short, Election Day Registration maintains the high standards that keep Massachusetts elections so secure.

Absolutely not. They can only register at the polling place linked to their address, and they must show proof of residency at that address to register.

Yes!

23 states and D.C. use Election Day Registration. This includes our neighbors in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. 

Election Day Registration is used by red and blue states, rural and urban states, big and small states. Some have had it in place for more than 50 years. It’s past time to modernize Massachusetts elections with this common-sense reform.

It shouldn’t be.

People of all parties have busy lives and miss Massachusetts' arbitrary registration deadline. And people of all parties forget to update their registration when they move or get married and change their names.

Question 4 would let people of all parties address these issues with a secure process for registering or updating their registration at their precinct polling station on Election Day.

Every eligible voter deserves the chance to cast a ballot that counts, which is why we recommend voting YES on Question 4.

Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin, who is in charge of administering elections across Massachusetts, wholeheartedly supports Question 4. In fact, he organized the signature gathering that put Election Day Registration on the ballot.

Election Day Registration would simplify one time-consuming administrative task by all but eliminating the need for provisional ballots, which are handed out on Election Day to people who are listed as inactive or encounter issues with their registration. Town clerks collect these provisional ballots when the polls close and individually review them in the days that follow. States that have implemented Election Day Registration use very few provisional ballots, so this workstream will dwindle significantly if Question 4 passes.

Election Day Registration will likely increase turnout, which could result in a modest additional cost for printing ballots. Busy precincts will also need to make sure they have a poll worker available to explain the process and verify the documents of anyone who comes in wanting to register. (Then again, they won’t need to assign a worker to handle provisional ballots.)

In the end, it’s a matter of spending time and energy ensuring that all eligible voters can cast ballots that count, instead of directing that time and energy toward provisional ballots — which don’t always count and which make voters doubt that their voice has been heard.

Federal funds are available to train poll workers on the Election Day Registration system. And if Question 4 passes, it wouldn't take effect until Jan. 1, 2028, so there would be plenty of time to do that training and handle other logistics.

It's hard to predict, but we know that thousands of eligible voters across the Commonwealth are shut out of voting each year because of the arbitrary 10-day registration cutoff.

We also know that many of the provisional ballots that voters cast when they encounter problems with their registration are never counted, typically because of administrative reasons such as a misspelled name or a clerical error. In the 2024 general election, 3,309 provisional ballots cast in Massachusetts were not counted.

Election Day Registration would restore those voters' voices and let them cast a ballot they know will be counted!

Major labor unions in Massachusetts, including the AFT, AFL-CIO, and several SEIU locals, support Election Day Registration. So do faith groups, social justice advocates, and organizations that support working families.

In fact, more than three dozen organizations have endorsed Question 4. So have many elected officials, including Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.