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No.

Twenty-one states, including Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia offered Election Day voter registration for the Nov. 5 election.

That meant eligible voters could both register and cast a ballot on Election Day.

North Dakota has no registration but requires proof of identification to vote.

Republican Eric Hovde claimed Feb. 12 that the number of states was six. He suggested fraud caused his Nov. 5 loss to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. 

The margin was nearly 29,000 votes (49.3% to 48.5%).

Hovde didn’t reply to a call for comment. 

He might have been alluding to the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which exempted six states. Wisconsin was exempted because it had Election Day registration. 

Wisconsin requires proof of residency to register and photo identification to vote.

Its same-day registration can complicate verifying eligibility of certain voters.

Wisconsin’s spring election, featuring two candidates for Supreme Court, is April 1; the primary, featuring three candidates for state schools superintendent, is Feb. 18.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• National Conference of State Legislatures: Same-Day Voter Registration
• Center for Election Innovation and Research: Data Dive: Voter Registration Deadlines before the 2024 General Election
• North Dakota secretary of state: Voting in North Dakota
• X: Eric Hovde post
• Wisconsin Elections Commission: WEC Canvass Reporting System County by County Report 2024 General Election
• University of Wisconsin-Madison: Political science professor Barry Burden email
• Bipartisan Policy Center: Matthew Weil email
• U.S. Justice Department: National Voter Registration Act of 1993
• Wisconsin Elections Commission: Proof Of Residence For Voter Registration
• Wisconsin Watch: Wisconsin’s system to block ineligible voters lets some on felony probation slip through

Is Wisconsin one of only six states with same-day voter registration? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.