In celebration of National Voter Registration Day, Zief Library Assistant Randall Seder shares the holiday’s history, current voter registration information, and legal research resources at Zief.

Promotional materials from the ACLU North Carolina Voting Information Center, 2024.

NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY:

OVERVIEW AND HISTORY

Join the University of San Francisco Zief Law Library in celebrating National Voter Registration Day on September 17th, 2024. This nonpartisan civic holiday is celebrated each September to create awareness about voter registration opportunities and celebrate democracy.

National Voter Registration Day was first introduced on September 25th, 2012, with the help of nearly two thousand civic organizations around the country including the League of Women Voters, HeadCount, The Bus Federation (currently Alliance for Youth Organizing), Rock the Vote, and Nonprofit VOTE. Since then, National Voter Registration Day has gained significant support and endorsement from U.S. government organizations, such as the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and the National Association of Election Officials (The Election Center).

The images shows people marching during the “March On For Voting Rights” demonstration in Washington, D.C., on August 28th, 2021, to heighten awareness about voter suppression in many parts of the United States. In the image, a group of people hold a banner that reads "Protect Your Power." — Thousands marched during the “March On For Voting Rights” demonstration in Washington, D.C., on August 28th, 2021, to heighten awareness about voter suppression in many parts of the United States. “Restrictive Voting Laws Have Major Implications For Presidential Election,” by Sravya Tadepalli for Prism Magazine, January 17th, 2024. Photo by John Lamparski/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

Growing public support for National Voter Registration Day has resulted in several presidential proclamations. In his 2023 National Voter Registration Day proclamation, President Biden encouraged all eligible Americans to register to vote. In his speech, President Biden stated that the purpose of the holiday is to “ensur[e] every American has an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy,” and that “Delivering a Government by and for the people begins and ends with the ballot box.” President Biden also highlighted the importance of past efforts to secure, protect, and expand the right to vote, including the African American vote campaign and the Women’s Suffrage movement.

Quoting the late American civil rights leader and politician John Lewis, President Biden said, “Democracy is not a state; it is an act, and each generation must do its part.” With Lewis’ words in mind, President Biden detailed ongoing barriers to voting, such as issues regarding accessibility, insufficient language access, state-implemented anti-voting laws, voter ID requirements, and a lack of widespread informational voting resources. Biden ended his speech by encouraging all eligible Americans to ensure their voting registration information is accurate and help their communities do the same.

With Election Day right around the corner, the Zief Law Library recognizes the importance of providing the community with current and accessible voting registration information. Below is information on registering to vote, eligibility and voting methods, local polling locations, upcoming events, and relevant titles from our library’s collection.

Voter Registration Information

Voter Registration Status: “Am I already registered to vote?”

Voter Eligibility: “Am I eligible to vote?”

Registering To Vote In California: For information on registering to vote in California, please visit the California Voter Registration page of the California Secretary of State website. On this page, you will find information about eligibility, qualifications for pre-registering to vote, paper voter registration applications, same-day voter registration information, voting abroad, registration status, voter registration statistics, U.S. voting rights, and information on contacting your local representatives. After confirming your eligibility (see above), complete your California Online Voter Registration Application. After submitting your application, you can continue to check your application status on the California Secretary of State website.

The image shows the nine final designs for San Francisco’s 2023 “I Voted!” Sticker Design Contest. Designs feature San Francisco or California landmarks and imagery, including the Golden Gate Bridge, California Poppies, parrots, buildings and architecture, and cable cars. — The nine finalists for San Francisco’s 2023 “I Voted!” Sticker Design Contest. Left to right: Original “I Voted! Sticker. The illustrator and designer **Hollis Callas** won first place (bottom left design). SF.gov website, published October 26th, 2023.

Registering To Vote In Your State: For information on registering to vote in your state, visit the official voter registration website of the United States government, vote.gov. On this website, you can select your state or territory and find frequently asked questions about registering to vote. This website includes information on voting as a college student, voting as a new U.S. citizen, voting with a disability, voting while unhoused, voting after a felony conviction, preparing to vote (age 18 and under), voting as a military service member, voting as a U.S. citizen from outside the U.S., and additional resources about United States election processes.

Voter Registration Deadlines:

This year in California, the deadline to register to vote for any election is October 21st, 2024. However, each state has individual voter registration deadlines. To find your state’s voter registration deadline, visit the vote.gov website and search for your state. You will find deadlines for online registration, registering by mail, and in-person registration. You will also be able to confirm your voter registration status.
- Online registration deadline (California): Monday, October 21, 2024.
- Register by mail deadline (California): Must be postmarked by Monday, October 21, 2024.
- In-person registration deadline (California): Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

Voting By Mail: For information on absentee voting, visit the California Secretary of State website’s “Vote By Mail” webpage.

Voting In Person: Polling Locations

Find Your Polling Place (California)
Find Your Polling Place (United States)
On-Campus Polling Location: War Memorial Gym on Main Campus, located at 2335 Golden Gate Ave in San Francisco, CA. Polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. For information about on-campus polling options, visit the Andrew Goodman Foundation website in partnership with USFVotes at bit.ly/usfvotes.

Voting Accessibility

- Voting With A Disability
  - United States Election Assistance Commission: “Resources for Voters with Disabilities.”
  - California Secretary of State website: “Voters With Disabilities.”
  - Disability Rights California: “Voting.”
  - ADA.Gov United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, “The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities.”
  - Vote.gov: “Voting With A Disability.”
- Resources For Unhoused Voters
  - Vote.gov: “Voting While Unhoused.”
  - SF.gov: “Voters Experiencing Homelessness” (San Francisco)
  - California Secretary of State website: “Voters Experiencing Homelessness Fact Sheet” (California).
  - Congress.gov: “Unhoused Voter Opportunity Through Elections Act.”
- Language and Literacy Barriers
  - United States Election Assistance Commission: “Language Access Resources.”
  - U.S. Department of Justice: “About Language Minority Voting Rights.”
  - SF.gov: “Language Access.”
  - “The Fight Against an Age-Old Effort to Block Americans From Voting” by Aliyya Swaby and Annie Waldman, 2022. ProPublica Nonprofic.

ON-CAMPUS VOTING RESOURCES

Voting registration tabling events outside Harney Science Center and Gleeson Library on the University of San Francisco main campus. Image source: USFVotes.

On-Campus Voting Registration: USFVotes will have tabling locations across campus for community members to register to vote, update registration, or request mail-in ballots in time for Election Day. For online information regarding registration, candidates, absentee ballots, polling locations, and upcoming events, visit bit.ly/usfvotes.

VOTER REGISTRATION BOOKLIST

Five titles from the Zief Law Library Voter Registration Day booklist. — Five titles from the Zief Law Library National Voter Registration Day booklist.

Visit the Zief Law Library catalog for more voting rights and election law materials.

Election Law: Cases and Materials by Daniel Hays Lowenstein, 2022.
Comparative Election Law, edited by James A Gardner, 2022.
Legislation, Statutory Interpretation, and Election Law: Examples & Explanations by Richard L. Hasen, 2020.
The Cost of Voting In The American States by Michael J. Pomante II, Scot Schraufnagel, and Quan Li, 2023.
Election Law In A Nutshell by Daniel P. Tokaji, 2017.

REFERENCES

“150 Years and Counting,” National Museum of African American History and Culture. Smithsonian.
“About Language Minority Voting Rights,” U.S. Department of Justice.
Alliance for Youth Organizing
“The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities.” ADA.Gov United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
The Andrew Goodman Foundation with USFVotes
California Secretary of State
The Election Center
HeadCount
“John Lewis: Profile of a Civil Rights Legend.” Wesley Lewis, Andrew Pauwels, Brian Underwood, and Adrianna Rodriguez. American Bar Association (ABA). January 22, 2021.
“Language Access.” SF.gov.
“Language Access Resources.”United States Election Assistance Commission.
League of Women Voters
Library of Congress
A Proclamation on National Voter Registration Day, 2023. WH.gov. September 18th, 2023.
National Archives
National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS)
National Association of State Election Directors (NASED)
National Voter Registration Day
Nonprofit VOTE
“Resources for Voters with Disabilities.” United States Election Assistance Commission.
Rock the Vote
“Unhoused Voter Opportunity Through Elections Act.” Congress.gov.
The University of San Francisco: National and State Election Day; Register To Vote; USFVotes.
Unplash.com.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
Vote.gov
“Voters Experiencing Homelessness.” SF.gov.
“Voters Experiencing Homelessness Fact Sheet.” California Secretary of State.
“Voters With Disabilities.” California Secretary of State
“Voting.” Disability Rights California.
“Voting While Unhoused.” Vote.gov.
“Voting With A Disability.” Vote.gov.
“Women’s Suffrage Timeline 1874-1920.” American Bar Association (ABA).

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The Blog of the Dorraine Zief Law Library at the University of San Francisco

National Voter Registration Day: September 17th, 2024