Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that there is a big election next year in November 2024 and that in between the big ones, there are lots of smaller but equally important elections. In fact, these elections are so big and important that there is an annual holiday every September to remind people to register to vote and check their voter registration status! That day is National Voter Registration Day, and it's today! National Voter Registration Day is a non-partisan civic holiday endorsed by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and the National Association of Election Officials (The Election Center).
Check Your Status
Elections are managed by the states, and that means that deadlines and requirements for voter registration are going to vary on a state-by-state basis. Google your own state's Elections Department, which will be managed by the Secretary of State. They should have some sort of voter registration status lookup tool. However, if you can't find it on your state government pages, there are also some nationwide lookup tools that have the same data. Try these sites to look up your voter registration status:
Check the Deadlines and Requirements
Since elections are managed by the states, everything from deadlines to required identification to whether or not you can register online depends on where you live. Unfortunately, that means I can't give you any direct links here, but your own Secretary of State should have an Elections Department page with all of this information. You can also go to Vote.gov and select your state. It will give you information specific to your state and links to your own state's elections website.
Register
If you're not already registered to vote, there's no time like the present to do it! And you guessed it, the best place to find the voter registration application is your own state's Elections Department website. However, just like with the voter registration status lookup tools, there are some national services that partner with states to assist with the registration process. Check these out:
Be aware that not all states allow online voter registration. If you live in a state where it's not allowed, the website should let you print out the completed form, and then you'll need to mail it in. Rock the Vote has a very handy list of links to online voter registration forms for states that do allow it.
Julia Reed is the systems librarian and focuses on technology development and maintenance. In her free time, she’s into graphic design, photography, and spending time outdoors.
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