Today is National Voter Registration Day, six weeks before the general election. Here’s how to register to vote or to make sure you’re registered to vote as voter registration deadlines approach in early October.
Thirty-nine states and D.C. allow residents to register to vote online. The federal government has a helpful website to find out if you live in one of those states and to learn how to register to vote online.
Related: California will be the first state to train poll workers on transgender voters
Are you already registered to vote? You might want to check and make sure, even if you voted in past elections. States regularly remove names from their voter lists because they believe they moved, died, or became ineligible to vote, and mistakes are often made, especially in states that undergo more aggressive voter purges.
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Check out this website and follow the instructions to be sure that you’re registered to vote under your current name and address. States are prohibited from removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of an election, so if you’re registered now then you’ll be fine for the general election in November.
Today is also a good day to make a plan to vote. Are you going to vote early to beat the lines or on election day? Are you voting by mail or in-person?
Check out official voting rules in your state to see what they allow when it comes to mail-in or early voting.
Then think about these questions, courtesy of the National Council of Jewish Women:
What time will you be voting?
Where are you voting?
Do you have a mail-in ballot or are you going to the polls?
How are you getting there?
Do you need a ride?
Who else can you bring with you?
Do you need to take off work or secure childcare?
Do you have all the necessary ID to vote in your state?
If you are sure that you’re registered under your current name and address and you have a plan to vote, help the people in your life register and make plans. Remind people you know to register to vote today, share information about voting in your area, and ask your friends and loved ones if they need a ride.
The first state registration deadlines are coming soon, which is why it’s essential for people to make sure they’re registered to vote now.
