Do states permit same-day voter registration without ID and which ones?
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Executive summary
About half of U.S. states and Washington, D.C., allow voters to register and vote on the same day (same-day or Election Day/conditional voter registration), but all states that permit it require some form of proof of residency at the time of registration and many require photo ID or will ask for ID when the voter checks in [1] [2]. State practices vary: some accept utility bills or non‑photo documents for residency, others require or later request government photo ID; individual state pages (e.g., California, New Mexico, North Carolina) spell out differing ID lists and procedures [3] [4] [5].
1. What “same-day registration” means in practice
Same-day registration (also called Election Day registration or conditional voter registration) lets an eligible person complete or update a voter registration and cast a ballot the same day—either on Election Day or during early voting—so long as the county or state has the procedure in law [3] [4]. Election‑lab research and state guides emphasize that voters using same‑day registration must provide proof of residency at the time of registration; whether a photo ID is required at that moment depends on the state [2] [1].
2. Nationwide scope and a simple fact
Major trackers and summaries report that roughly 25 states plus D.C. permit same‑day registration; Ballotpedia and Wikipedia note the count and list states with SDR policies, while the MIT Election Lab explains common documentation practices [1] [6] [2]. These resources also show state-by-state variation in what documents satisfy the residency or identity requirement [1] [2].
3. Where ID is explicitly required, and where it isn’t
Available reporting shows two consistent rules: first, all states with SDR require proof of residency at the time of registration (driver’s license, state ID, utility bill, etc.); second, some states require a government photo ID at check‑in or shortly after, while others accept non‑photo documents to prove address and then verify identity later [2] [5]. For example, North Carolina will ask SDR users to show an approved photo ID when they check in if the registration document was not a photo ID [5]. New Mexico’s official guidance lists physical identification issued by federal, state, tribal, or educational institutions as the items a registrant should bring [4] [7].
4. Examples showing the variation
California calls same‑day registration “Conditional Voter Registration,” lets people register up to 14 days before an election or in person during early voting and on Election Day, and processes ballots once county verification is complete; it allows people without a DMV ID to use the online form but directs late registrants to in‑person SDR processes [3] [8]. New Mexico explicitly allows SDR at county clerks’ offices and polling places and specifies acceptable physical IDs from government or educational institutions [4] [7]. North Carolina’s voter information clarifies that if the registration document isn’t an approved photo ID, the voter will be required to show an approved photo ID at check‑in [5].
5. What this means for the “without ID” question
No single source in the provided set says all SDR states wholly waive ID. MIT Election Lab and other trackers state that proof of residency is required in all SDR states and that some states require photo ID while others permit alternative documents such as utility bills to satisfy residency [2] [1]. Thus, asking “which states permit same‑day registration without ID” cannot be answered as a simple yes/no list from the available sources: rather, states differ in whether they accept non‑photo residency documents immediately or require photo ID at check‑in or shortly afterward [2] [5].
6. Practical takeaway for voters
Voters planning to use SDR should check their specific state or county guidance before going to the polls: state secretary of state or county election pages list exact acceptable documents and locations (examples: California SOS, New Mexico SOS, North Carolina board of elections) [3] [4] [5]. National aggregators (NCSL, Ballotpedia, MIT Election Lab) maintain state tables that show whether EDR/SDR exists and the general documentation rules; those are the right starting points for a state‑by‑state legal checklist [9] [6] [2].
Limitations: this summary uses the provided sources only and does not list a state-by-state exhaustive table here; for specific state rules and the current accepted ID documents, consult the cited state pages and national trackers [3] [4] [5] [9].