Roughly 3 percent of Iowans who voted in the 2008 general election took advantage of a new law allowing Election Day registration, AP’s Mike Glover reports.

And, according to Iowa Secretary of State Mike Mauro, there were few problems associated with the new way of registering.

“Overall, the process went very smoothly and (Election Day registration) was handled efficiently and expeditiously,” said Mauro. “Training of county auditors and precinct election officials was a crucial factor in making this process work.”

In 2007, Iowa became the eighth state to allow voters to register at the polls. The law took effect in January 2008, and last November was the first general election when it was in force.

Same-day voter registration laws have been criticized for making elections more vulnerable to fraud, but supporters have argued that the benefit of increased political participation outweighs the potential risk of a few more fraudulent votes.