DES MOINES - Iowans can register to vote the same day they go to the polls Nov. 4 to elect a new president.

It's the first general election since the same-day voting option was made available in Iowa, and that could tip the scales in the favor of Democratic candidates, said Dennis Goldford, professor of politics at Drake University.

Republicans tend to register and vote at higher rates than Democrats, which means GOP candidates will have fewer unregistered voters to reach out to, Goldford said.

He said Democrats generally argue that same-day registration makes voting more accessible for all citizens, while Republicans often condemn the policy because they say it opens up the possibility of fraud.

Jenni Lee, a spokeswoman for the campaign of likely Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, said in a prepared statement that same-day registration eases the voting process.

"We support making it as easy as possible for Iowans to vote, and we are confident that Democrats will turn out in record numbers in November to support Barack Obama," Lee said.

Likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain's campaign doesn't expect same-day registration to influence the outcome of the presidential race in Iowa, said McCain spokeswoman Wendy Riemann in a statement.

Riemann said Iowa's high registration rate means unregistered voters won't be swarming polling locations on Election Day.

"As long as people follow the law, we don't expect same-day voter registration to affect the results very much, or our strategy for winning Iowa," Riemann said. "The McCain campaign welcomes the opportunity for greater participation in voting, and we will be aggressively searching for new voters to register and turn out on Election Day."

Nathan Treloar, communications director for the Republican Party of Iowa, said he doesn't think same-day registration will inspire many new voters to turn out because it still requires citizens to find the correct polling place and register before they can cast a ballot.

Contact Fred Love at (515) 243-0138 or fred.love@lee.net.