How Can I Find Out If Im A Registered Voter

And so, nosotros're getting very, very shut to Election Day 2020 (it's on Nov. 3!), and information technology is imperative that as many people as possible fill out their ballots and vote. Our political system is ridiculously flawed in many ways, but for right now, information technology's besides the simply political system that we have. It's and so important to remain involved and do your part to create the type of country you want to live in — but it takes some preparation.

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Whether you've voted in dozens of elections or this will be your very offset one, there are a few things every voter needs to brand sure they have done earlier Nov. 3. Starting with: Making sure you're registered to vote.

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How do I know if I'm registered to vote?

Nosotros cannot stress this enough: Yous need to check your voter registration status before Election Day. Like, now. Sometimes, voter records autumn through the cracks and people don't realize that they can't legally vote until it'southward too late to exercise anything about it — maybe they've moved recently or inverse their proper name and didn't re-annals, for instance. Or perchance they were victims of illegal voter suppression. No thing who you are or who y'all want to vote for, yous should check your voter registration condition ASAP.

The Constitution mandates that the election is run past private U.S. states. That ways that you'll accept to cheque your voter status following your particular state'due south procedures. The easiest way to practice this is past going to the "Can I Vote?" website for the National Association of Secretaries of State. Whorl downward and click on "Voter Registration Status," select your country, and follow the prompts to find your status. If your information is wrong, you may demand to re-register to vote. Which brings us to:

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How can I register to vote?

As with virtually ballot details, registering (or re-registering) to vote volition vary from state to state. For the nigh up-to-date information, visit vote.gov and select your country or territory, then follow the instructions provided there. Most states support online voter registration, so yous won't fifty-fifty accept to go out your firm to ensure your vote will count in the upcoming election!

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Yous do want to make sure that you accept registered to vote prior to your state'southward registration deadline. However, if you somehow miss the deadline, that doesn't necessarily mean you tin't vote! Many states let same-day voter registration, meaning that you can register and vote on Election Day and still have your vote count.

How do I request a mail service-in ballot?

This yr's ballot is atypical for so many reasons, but a large one is the fact that we're yet dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Equally a result, many people are choosing to vote by mail rather than risk their safety (or others') by voting in person. For many, voting by post is both easy and convenient (even when there's not a pandemic to worry almost).

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Once once more, you'll want to check with your specific land's board of elections for details on requesting a mail service-in or absentee ballot. Make sure you exercise this prior to your state's deadline, too! Notation that in some states (though not all), y'all will need to embrace postage costs for your ballot, so you may want to be certain to have stamps on-hand (likewise, y'all get to back up the USPS! Yay!).

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Your mail-in election will demand to be postmarked — or dropped off at a dropbox or ballot office — by Ballot Day (Nov. three). That being said, your best bet is to postal service your ballot in as soon as possible. That fashion, y'all won't forget and won't have to worry about mail delays causing an issue.

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If you are going to vote in person, be sure to wear a mask (you lot may need to remove it to assist the polling identify workers confirm your identity), maintain at least half dozen feet of distance between your beau voters, and — delight — be patient with the people working the polls.