Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Tuesday legislation that would allow same day voter registration on election day at polling places and election centers. The legislation could potentially boost turnouts in key contests in the upcoming elections by extending the registration window. Previously the registration deadline in California was 15 days prior to an election.
This new law, SB 72, expands upon the previous conditional voter registration, which allowed new voter to cast a ballot which would be counted during the 30 day vote counting period after an election if their eligibility was confirmed. This process began in the last state election, however, one could only register at county election offices. With the new legislation, the ability to register last-minute will be expanded to anywhere ballots are cast.
With this new legislation, California joins sixteen other states and the District of Columbia to enact same day registration. Election officials noted that during the last state election, when the legislations predecessor was put in place, that 57,000 Californians used last-minute registration process. However, this number is skewed because in many counties only one location was available for the service.
In addition to SB 72, Newsom also signed a couple other election related laws on Tuesday. They include a mandate that vote-by-mail ballots are to be sent out no less than 29 days before an election, additional efforts to inform those who use absentee ballots who forgot to to send it in and approval for voters to use handheld electronic devices at polling places so they can be able to review election information if needed.
Raúl Macías, a voting right activist with the American Civil Liberties Union, said of the legislation, “By making election day registration available at every polling site in the state, SB 72 will increase voter engagement for eligible voters who are eager to cast a vote, but who were unable to register or update their registration by the deadline.” Currently numbers show that around six million Californians are currently eligible to vote, but are not registered.
