US voter registration reform

•EDR and top-down registries have very different effects on voters.•Voters not voting due to registration problems declined from 2000–2008.•Voters in EDR states are much less likely to not vote because of a registry problem.•Top-down registries minimally effect not voting because of a registry problem.•EDR state voters are registered at higher rates compared to those in top-down states.

Voter registration in the United States changed after the 2000 election with a requirement that states adopt statewide voter registries. However, these registries vary in design in practice, with some states having state managed “top–down” registries and other states having more decentralized “bottom–up” registries. I compare the effect of moving to a top–down registry with the adoption of Election Day registration – where voters can register to vote the day of the election – on voters saying that they are not registered because of election management problems or not voting because of a voter registration issue. EDR had a pronounced effect on reducing voter registration problems but the adoption of new voter registries had minimal effect on the same problems.