How to Vote Online
Go to your state’s Secretary of State’s website., Find the elections section., Check eligibility requirements., Check election dates and registration deadlines., Return your voter registration form.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Go to your state’s Secretary of State’s website.
The Secretary of State’s office in all fifty states oversees voter registration and elections.
If you want to register to vote online, going to the Secretary of State’s website is the most direct way to do so.] You can find a portal that links to all fifty of the various Secretary of State websites at http://www.canivote.org/.
The portal is maintained by the National Association of Secretaries of State. -
Step 2: Find the elections section.
Once you are on your Secretary of State's website, find the section where you can register to vote, or print off a voter registration form.
It might be under a section entitled "elections," "voting," or "registering to vote."
Most Americans age 18 and older are eligible to vote, regardless of race or gender.
However, voting and elections are regulated at the state level.
That means that states can enact their own specific rules regarding who can register and who can vote.
Some states bar felons and people in prison from voting, and some states bar people with certain mental conditions from voting.
You can read up on the requirements specific to your state on your Secretary of State’s website.
The ACLU also maintains a map at www.aclu.org/map/state-criminal-re-enfranchisement-laws-map. , Again, each state will have different rules about how far in advance a person must register in order to be eligible to vote in a particular election.
In most states, a registrant must register two weeks to a month prior to the election.However, thirteen states allow for same-day voter registration, also known as election day registration (EDR).
The National Conference of State Legislators maintains a list at http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/same-day-registration.aspx. , If you live in a state where the entirety of the registration process can’t be completed online, you’ll need to print the form out and send it in to your local county registrar of voters.
Typically, the address of the registrar will be on the form itself.Follow up with your county registrar.
Most of the time the registrar will send each voter a voter registration card.
But the card doesn’t make you a registrant—it just provides you and the election supervisor with easy to access information about your identity and your polling place.
So if you don’t receive a card in a timely manner, it doesn’t mean you aren’t registered, but you should follow up with the registrar to make sure. -
Step 3: Check eligibility requirements.
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Step 4: Check election dates and registration deadlines.
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Step 5: Return your voter registration form.
Detailed Guide
The Secretary of State’s office in all fifty states oversees voter registration and elections.
If you want to register to vote online, going to the Secretary of State’s website is the most direct way to do so.] You can find a portal that links to all fifty of the various Secretary of State websites at http://www.canivote.org/.
The portal is maintained by the National Association of Secretaries of State.
Once you are on your Secretary of State's website, find the section where you can register to vote, or print off a voter registration form.
It might be under a section entitled "elections," "voting," or "registering to vote."
Most Americans age 18 and older are eligible to vote, regardless of race or gender.
However, voting and elections are regulated at the state level.
That means that states can enact their own specific rules regarding who can register and who can vote.
Some states bar felons and people in prison from voting, and some states bar people with certain mental conditions from voting.
You can read up on the requirements specific to your state on your Secretary of State’s website.
The ACLU also maintains a map at www.aclu.org/map/state-criminal-re-enfranchisement-laws-map. , Again, each state will have different rules about how far in advance a person must register in order to be eligible to vote in a particular election.
In most states, a registrant must register two weeks to a month prior to the election.However, thirteen states allow for same-day voter registration, also known as election day registration (EDR).
The National Conference of State Legislators maintains a list at http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/same-day-registration.aspx. , If you live in a state where the entirety of the registration process can’t be completed online, you’ll need to print the form out and send it in to your local county registrar of voters.
Typically, the address of the registrar will be on the form itself.Follow up with your county registrar.
Most of the time the registrar will send each voter a voter registration card.
But the card doesn’t make you a registrant—it just provides you and the election supervisor with easy to access information about your identity and your polling place.
So if you don’t receive a card in a timely manner, it doesn’t mean you aren’t registered, but you should follow up with the registrar to make sure.
About the Author
Brenda Gonzales
Brings years of experience writing about DIY projects and related subjects.
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