The federal constitution forbids age or gender restrictions on voting rights for any citizen of at least 18 years, though some states restrict specific groups including those convicted of serious crimes. Registration is self-initiated and not compulsory. Most states require citizens to register by some deadline well in advance of an election, though a few permit same-day or Election Day registration, and one does not conduct registration at all

There are various governmental efforts to encourage registration. The federal National Voter Registration Act offers citizens opportunities to register at public service centres, like driver’s license centres.

Recent controversies have concerned the fairness and partisan effects of registration regulations. For example, states require different forms of identification. Proponents argue this controls fraud, and detractors argue it depresses turnout among poor and elderly voters who are less likely to obtain these forms. Another recent controversy stems from the requirement in some states that a voter’s name on his or her identification match, character for character, his or her name in the voter file. Partisan differences have cropped up as well; Democrats generally promote increased access to the polls (believed to favour Democratic candidates) while Republicans are generally concerned about potential for fraud (stricter standards are believed to favour Republican candidates).

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