Question 4 could allow Mass. voters to register on Election Day. Here’s what to know.

Current Massachusetts law requires residents to register to vote 10 days before an election in order to cast a ballot. If adopted, Question 4 on the Nov. 5 general election ballot would change that. 

Under Question 4, eligible voters would be allowed to register and cast a vote on Election Day, with their registration remaining active for upcoming elections. The measure would take effect on Jan. 1, 2028, making same-day registration available for the next presidential election.

“The health of democracy is on many people’s minds because of all the different attacks that we’ve been seeing from the federal government,” Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Mass, told Boston.com. “Question 4 is a great way for Massachusetts to assert our support for protecting and expanding the right to vote.” 

If approved, Massachusetts would join 23 states and Washington, D.C. in offering same-day voter registration on Election Day. 

Secretary of State William F. Galvin, along with nine other officials, filed the initiative petition at the beginning of the year.

There is no official committee opposing Question 4, while three organizations are listed as its supporters, per the state Office of Campaign & Political Finance. 

The state Republican Party has expressed opposition to the measure, with Chairwoman Amy Carnevale writing Question 4’s “Against” section in the state’s voter guide. 

“Question 4 is an unnecessary law,” Mike Walsh, a Republican running for attorney general, told Boston.com. “It is a solution in search of a problem.” 

The argument for same-day voter registration in Massachusetts

Proponents say the current 10-day cutoff can prevent eligible voters, particularly people who have recently moved or move frequently, from participating. 

“It’s kind of damning that it has taken Massachusetts this long because it really is a policy that the Legislature should have passed,” Cohn said, noting that Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the only New England states that have not implemented same-day voter registration. 

Cohn pointed to a 2016 Government Accountability Office report showing a 5 percent increase in turnout when same-day registration is implemented. 

The state’s Democratic Party is also backing the initiative, alongside multiple voting rights groups.

MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan described Question 4 as a “common-sense solution” that could increase participation among first-time and younger voters. 

He said Sept. 1 is a popular move-in date for newcomers, including college students and renters, while Massachusetts holds its primaries in early September. As a result, people who are in the process of moving, Kerrigan said, “have no voice in what goes on in the community.” 

This year’s primary was on Sept. 1.

Cohn also noted that people moving between Massachusetts cities may have to travel back to their former polling location if they do not vote by mail.

“We, as a society, should be removing roadblocks for any voters — but particularly our young folks and first-time voters — to get involved in the political process because they are picking the leaders for our future,” Kerrigan said. 

The argument against same-day voter registration

Opponents of same-day voter registration argue that it could create additional administrative challenges for election workers and raise concerns about election integrity. 

“Why, on this long, stressful day, that we spend months preparing on, would we want to add more stress and more administrative difficulty when all you have to do is be smart enough to walk in on the day before?” Walsh said. 

He also noted that residents can register and vote on the same day through early voting or mail-in voting, as long as they do so before Election Day. Walsh pointed to data from the Election Assistance Commission showing Massachusetts has several more voting-access options than other states. 

“Between same-day registration, in-person voting, automatic voter registration, and mail-in voting, we bend over backwards to make it easy,” Walsh added. 

Chester Tam, a Republican candidate running for the 9th Bristol District seat in the state House of Representatives, has encouraged voters to reject Question 4.

Tam said the existing 10-day window provides election workers enough time to review registrations, highlighting concerns regarding the administrative, financial, technological, and staffing demands of implementing same-day registration. 

He also noted that residents have numerous avenues to register ahead of Election Day, such as online registration, early voting, and automatic registration through specified state agencies.

“I’m voting ‘no’ because I believe we need to put the accuracy and integrity of our elections first,” Tam told Boston.com. “My concern is that [Question 4] puts another responsibility on election workers during what is already their busiest and most demanding day.”