Take ten seconds now to make sure you’re registered to vote

NelsonG · October 12, 2018

Fellow citizens! An important election is approaching, and you should vote in it. But are you registered? Are you sure? Why don’t you take ten seconds now to check?

Maybe you moved recently and the notices are going to your old place. Maybe your county had a records snafu. Maybe you’re one of thousands of voters being purged from the rolls in order to tip a close race. Who knows?

It’s very simple to do this online. You don’t need any documents and you don’t need to send anything in or call anyone. The nonpartisan Vote.org will query your state’s registration database for you, or you can scroll down a bit at that page and go directly to the state site to do it yourself.

If you’re not registered, don’t worry. Many states allow you to register right up until election day, and if you haven’t registered before or it’s been a while, all you really need is to be a citizen with a valid ID. Special welcome to all new citizens!

Some states have already closed registration: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas. Some states have deadlines that have already passed for mail-in registration, in-person registration, and so on. But as of today it is still possible to register to vote in every state not listed above.

For instance here in Washington, online registration closed on October 8, but I could still register in person for the next couple weeks. In Delaware you only have until the 13th — but you can register online, by mail, or in person until then. South Carolina and Florida would normally have closed registration but have extended it because of the hurricane.

The New York Times has put together a comprehensive list of deadlines for each state, with links for each registration method. And if you’ll be gone for election day, November 6, you should be able to check your state’s site for an absentee or early voting ballot.

Every vote counts. Your candidates and issues need yours! Check if you’re registered at Vote.org or your state site, and if you’re not, there’s still time to register.