S. 2820 — Same Day Registration Act

This section requires each state to permit any eligible individual (i.e., otherwise qualified to vote in a federal election) to register to vote or update voter registration information—and then cast a vote—on the day of a federal election or any early voting day, using a form that complies with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993's mail registration form requirements (52 U.S.C. 20508(b)) (i.e., minimal identifying information, eligibility attestation under penalty of perjury, no notarization, and voter privacy statements). States without any voter registration requirement for federal elections are exempt, and states must ensure such forms are available at polling places. The requirement applies beginning with the November 2026 federal general election, with phased implementation: (1) for the 2026 general election and subsequent elections before the 2028 general election, a state complies if it offers same-day registration at not fewer than one location per 15,000 registered voters in each jurisdiction, reasonably located to equitably serve voters; and (2) for the 2028 general election and subsequent elections before the 2030 general election, a state complies under the same one-per-15,000 threshold if it certifies to the Election Assistance Commission by November 7, 2028, that full compliance is impracticable. This section makes conforming amendments to the Help America Vote Act of 2002's enforcement provision (52 U.S.C. 21111) and table of contents, including redesignating sections 304–306 as 305–307. (As background, Title III of the Help America Vote Act sets uniform polling place standards and accessibility requirements for federal elections.)