Exclusive: Over half a million voters registered in a single day last week

At least 550,000 voters registered or updated their registration last week, according to final tallies the nonpartisan nonprofit National Voter Registration Day shared exclusively with Democracy Docket Tuesday.

The Sept. 15 registration drive was National Voter Registration Day’s second-most-successful midterm effort since the group began its annual nationwide registration drive in 2012 to encourage turnout, according to organizers. 

The announcement comes as President Donald Trump attempts to restrict voter registration initiatives across the country in the lead-up to midterm elections.

Though presidential elections are typically the most popular time to register to vote, National Voter Registration Day campaign director Chyann Sapp told Democracy Docket voters understand politics’ pressing influence.

“They are seeing policy at a local level in everyday lives,” Sapp said. “They are seeing policy show up at the gas station. They’re seeing it show up on their grocery bill. They’re seeing it show up in the quality of food. They’re seeing it show up, so they are asking themselves questions. They are challenging their elected officials.”

National Voter Registration Day worked with community partners to host over 3,500 events, amplified by celebrities such as Sabrina Carpenter and Kerry Washington, and sports teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bears.

“You can’t get in the game if you aren’t on the roster,” the National Basketball Association wrote in an Instagram post.

Voter registration efforts face mounting pressure from state and federal Republican officials. 

In June, the FBI raided the offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a Democratic-aligned group that helps register voters, based on unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud.

The failed SAVE America Act, meanwhile, proposed exacting ID requirements that would have hampered, or completely eliminated, registration drives. 

At the state level, many legislatures have advanced versions of the SAVE America Act that require voters to provide citizenship verification, such as U.S. passports, to register.

“Although the Save Act didn’t pass at the federal level, we still have to prepare for some of the challenges that a few of these states are still enforcing, and just make sure that our voters are still educated and local partners have that information,” Sapp said.

Local partners are the cornerstone of National Voter Registration Day, according to Sapp.

“A lot of nonprofits have been faced with legal challenges as well as funding challenges this year,” Sapp said. “They still knew the importance of showing up in their communities as the trusted voices and bringing these resources. So it’s just wonderful to see that they have doubled down on it, they have stayed committed.”

Since 2012, National Voter Registration Day has helped 7 million U.S. citizens register to vote or update their registrations.

“The momentum is definitely clear, and that uptick still remains strong,” Sapp said.

Third-party voter registration drives have existed since the 1800s and remain a pillar of U.S. democracy. Nonprofits often partner with community leaders, colleges and unions to make registering to vote more accessible.

In most states, citizens still have time to register before the election, though some cut off as early as Oct. 4, 30 days before Election Day.

“This is just the beginning of the momentum and the election cycle,” Sapp said. “So next up, everyone should be getting vote-ready, educated and then making a plan to not only get out to the polls for yourself, but for your community and friends as well.”

Jacob Knutson contributed to reporting.