Voter registration on day of election sought in N.J.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Rutgers Student Assembly have filed suit seeking to allow voters to register on the day of an election in New Jersey.

Current law requires new voters to register in their county 21 days in advance of an election to be eligible to go to the polls. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Rutgers Student Assembly want to change that.

Frank Askin, director of the Constitutional Litigation Clinic at Rutgers Law School, said the lawsuit is an effort to effect the change through the judicial system, rather than pursuing the idea through legislation.

“Political parties don’t like wild cards on election day. They’d like to have a known constituency,” said Askin. “So neither party is really too anxious, I think, for Election Day registration.”

Askin said nine other states already allow voters to register on Election Day.