YOUR VOTE:
Get registered and ready to vote
Step One: Register to Vote
Ready to make your voice heard this election season? First, you’ve got to register to vote.
Before you vote, you have to register. Click here to take the first step. It only takes a few minutes!
Think you’re already registered? Have you moved recently? Click here to double check your voter registration status and make any necessary changes.
Step Two: Get Ready to Vote
Now that you’re registered, it’s time to get vote ready! Visit our Voter Resource Hub to find your polling place, check your ID requirements, see what’s on your ballot and more.
Yes. Every state has different deadlines and your state may have multiple deadlines for things like voter registration, early voting, and more. Visit the Voter Resources Hub to learn about the specific deadlines in your state.
Whether you’re voting in person, voting early, or looking for your ballot drop-off location, get started here.
Voting by mail is a convenient and accessible way to cast your vote from your home. To vote by mail, follow these simple steps:
- First, make sure you’re registered to vote. You can register or check your voter registration status.
- Once you register, you can request your mail-in or absentee ballot for your state by filling out an application form. Every state has its own rules around absentee voting. Check out our Voter Resources Hub to find your Secretary of State’s website and get started.
- Once your application is approved, you will receive your ballot in the mail. You can take your time to research candidates and issues on the ballot before casting your vote. Once your ballot is complete, you must return it before your state’s deadline. Be sure to carefully read and follow all of the instructions on your ballot to ensure your vote is counted.
For more information, check out our full guide on How To Vote By Mail
Although voting early isn’t allowed in every state, most states have a process in place that allows registered voters to cast their ballots early at specific locations. To learn about early voting in your state, visit the Voter Resources Hub.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Register to vote at your current address before the deadline in your state. This address determines what local candidates and ballot measures will be on your ballot. It also determines where your early voting location will be.
- See when early voting starts in your state and what the rules are. Find your early voting polling place and check its hours of operation. Your Election Day polling location could differ from your early vote polling place, and the hours may vary as well.
- Check the ID requirements for your state and bring those documents with you on the day you vote. Find out more or receive voter ID help through Vote Riders.
- Review your sample ballot so you know what you’ll be voting on when you arrive at the polling place.
It depends on your state. Find out more or receive voter ID help through Vote Riders.
Step Three: Know Your Voting Rights
Your voice and your vote have power. Get the facts about your voting rights, help us fight voter suppression, and ensure your voice is heard in each and every election.
- If you’re in line when polls are supposed to close, stay in line – you have the right to vote.
- If you make a mistake on your ballot, ask for a new one.
- If the machines are down at your polling place, ask for a paper ballot.
- If your citizenship, criminal record, or other qualifications are questioned, immediately call the Election Protection Hotline where trained volunteers are available to help.
- If you run into any problems or have questions before or on Election Day, call the Election Protection Hotline:
English: 866-OUR-VOTE / 866-687-8683
Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA / 888-839-8682
Arabic: 844-YALLA-US / 844-925-5287
For Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, or Vietnamese: 888-API-VOTE/ 888-274-8683
Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to speak with a trained Election Protection volunteer.
Long lines, hours of waiting, broken voting machines, limiting polling locations, and other barriers to voting are all forms of voter suppression and they disproportionately impact young people and communities of color. Voter suppression is not partisan, and intentional or unintentional, it is a sign of democracy that is neither free nor just.
Our partners at Campaign Legal Center set up a free tool, Restore Your Vote, so you can check to see if you’re eligible to vote right now. If you run into trouble using this tool or have a question about your convictions, you can also call 1-888-306-8683 (toll-free) or email [email protected].
YOUR VOICE:
Get involved with When We All Vote
Sign up to volunteer with us! Learn more about ways to get involved here.
Sign up for volunteer opportunities or find a nearby event here.
Yes! A great way to get involved before you are eligible to vote is by joining our My School Votes program and starting a club at your school! Learn more here.
Click here to take action. When we organize, mobilize, show up, and vote, we can make real change in our country and demand a better future for all.
YOUR POWER:
How your vote impacts your community
Each state has an agency that manages elections. Responsibilities of the state-level office often include training local elections officials, maintaining a voter registration database, and offering guidance on the testing of voting machines. Each state also has a head elections official. In 24 states, the chief elections official is an elected Secretary of State. However, in some states, the chief elections official is appointed by the governor or elected by the state legislature. Learn more https://ballotpedia.org/Who_runs_elections_in_the_United_States%3F_(2020)
96 percent of our nation’s elected offices are at the local level – the mayor, town or city council members, county commissioner, school board, and many other positions. The number and titles of elected local officials vary from place to place. Many local elected officials make important decisions on education, jobs/economy, public safety, your roads, bridges, housing, taxes and more that impact our communities.
The elected positions found in all 50 states are governor, attorney general, superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. They make critical decisions that impact our families, friends, and neighborhoods. Other positions, however, vary from state to state. 48 states have treasurers; 47 states have secretaries of state (who determine election laws); 45 states have lieutenant governors.
Although the federal voting age is 18, a third of the states allow those who are 17 but will be 18 by the general election to vote in primaries. Find out more here: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/primaries-voting-age.aspx. Find out which states permit 16- and 17-year-olds to register to vote here: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/preregistration-for-young-voters.aspx
Yes, but rules vary by state. Find voter registration deadlines for your state here.
U.S. citizens can receive an absentee ballot by email, fax, or internet download, depending on the state they are eligible to vote in. Click here for absentee voting information for U.S. citizens abroad.
Throughout the U.S., ballots are available in many languages for voters with limited English proficiency. Link: https://share.america.gov/u-s-states-and-localities-offer-ballots-in-many-languages/
You should update your voter registration immediately after you move. Every state has a different deadline for voter registration, but in most places, it’s somewhere between 15 to 30 days before an election. Link: https://www.mymove.com/moving/guides/change-voter-registration/
If your name has changed, you need to update your voter registration. Learn how to change your voter registration here.
Go to our Take Action page to learn how to register voters in your community.
States have varied requirements on who is eligible to request a list of voters, what information the list contains, what information is kept confidential, and how the information contained in voter lists may be used. The availability of voter lists for campaign purposes is longstanding; candidates benefit from knowing who their party’s voters are. However, not every record is publicly available. Link: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/access-to-and-use-of-voter-registration-lists.aspx
Yes.
English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE / 1-866-687-8683
Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA / 1-888-839-8682
Arabic: 1-844-YALLA-US / 1-844-925-5287
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
As a voter you have rights and it’s important that you know them. We want you to be informed and empowered when we enter the voting booth. Follow these steps to help make the voting experience easier.
- Verify your voter registration. Make sure you are ready to vote. If you are not registered, some states allow same day registration. Check Now.
- Know what’s on the ballot. There’s a lot to vote for in every election besides some of the obvious categories: mayors, district representatives, school district proposals, maybe even a change in state or local law. Check local election websites for information on your region.Find what’s on your ballot.
- Research your candidates. Get to know the stance each candidate takes on the issues that matter to you. You’ll likely get many mailers explaining their positions, and most candidates have their positions on their campaign websites.
- Find your polling place and hours. Your polling place is dependent on your address. Look up your polling place or contact:
English: 866-OUR-VOTE / 866-687-8683
Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA / 888-839-8682
Arabic: 844-YALLA-US / 844-925-5287 - Prepare to stand in line and be outside. If you need to, bring water, snacks, an extra layer of clothing and other things to keep yourself comfortable.
- Know your rights as a voter. That way, nobody can prevent you from doing something that you know is legal, such as bringing a sample ballot or taking your children to the polls with you.
