5 November 2024 is Coming — Ready?

Voter Registration

Are you registered? Does your state engage in voter roll shenanigans? Check via CanIVote, which has links to each of the several states’ voter registration sites and voter information, including whether and what kinds of IDs are required. NB: Texas (as far as I can discover) still has no provision for online registration and you have to use their PDF form or their online form (both which you still have to print and snail-mail). New Hampshire also does not have online registration (but they do have same-day). On the plus side, almost all states allow 17-year-olds (and some, 16yos) to register early but everybody has to wait to actually vote until they’re 18.

Ballotpedia and VoteDotOrg have state-by-state info on registration deadlines, the earliest of which is South Carolina’s, on 4 October. Twenty-two states plus DC — California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — have some form of same-day registration; NB that in North Carolina, same-day registration is only available during early voting. Alaska and Rhode Island allow same-day registration, but only to vote for president and vice president; in RI, you have to go to the office of the Board of Canvassers; you cannot do same-day registration at your polling place.

Under the heading of voter registration shenanigans: Elon Musk’s America PAC is reportedly running adverts in swing states that take you to a specialized website that harvests the data you would have entered on your state’s voter registration page. This data gathering is in service of, among other things, planning for door-to-door canvassing and other targeted GOTV activities (in support of a specific candidate, which is now allowed despite PAC non-coordination rules). ETA, 5 Aug: Several state AGs are investigating the legality of this operation.

Under the heading of voter roll shenanigans: some folks in Georgia and other states really want to get the “wrong” folks off the rolls, to the point of filing mass registration challenges — and Georgia in particular is letting them. They’using a variety of tools, including questionably-lawful door-to-door canvassing, to identify voters for removal, often based on unreliable data. If your state is one indulging in “cleaning up the rolls,” check your registration early and often — and re-register if they make it necessary. In addition, some states have sharply curtailed voter outreach and assistance activities.

More voter roll shenanigans: As of 5 Aug, the Dallas Morning News reports that Texas has placed 2M+ voters on its suspension list. Texans, please check your registration. If you show as suspended, you have until 7 Oct to update your info. Per the article, you’ll need your current driver’s license or ID, your SSN, and your VUID (Voter Unique Identifier Number) from your registration card (or your local registrar). The DMN also have an in-depth article covering Texas’s registration … idiosyncrasies.

Voter IDs

ID Requirements by State:

No ID is required in California, DC, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Vermont
Some form of ID is required in the remaining states; Ballotpedia has a detailed, state-by-state list of what IDs are accepted.
If your state requires ID and you’re having trouble getting one, VoteRiders may be able to help.
NB: the Florida DMV decided in February — all on its own, no enabling legislation — to mess with trans folks’ gender markers on their licenses. As of mid-August, the Texas DPS has done the same — and is keeping a list of those who make requests.

Voting in Person

Do you know where your polling place is? CanIVote has a lookup, as does VoteDotOrg, and then there’s the sweary one.

Ballotpedia has you covered for opening & closing times. NB: Early voting times and locations will probably differ.
If for whatever reason, you’re not in the book, politely request a provisional ballot — and follow through with what’s required to make it count.
If you make a mistake on your ballot, ask for a new one.
By the same token, if there is anything written on your ballot (outside the sections you mark) when you get it, ask for a new one. ETA, 20 Aug: Per the AP, there are sometimes good reasons poll workers may have written something, e.g., your precinct, on your ballot. If you are concerned, ask them.
If the machines are down at your polling place, ask for a paper ballot.
Does your state require your employer to give you time off to vote? This Ballotpedia chart is from 2020; it’s the best info I have right now.
NB: If you’re in line at nominal poll closing time, they have to let you vote.

If you encounter voter intimidation or harassment:

Definitions of intimidation and harassment vary from state to state. Georgetown Law’s ICAP has complied a nationwide and state-by-state fact sheets outlining what’s permitted (and not).
National non-partisan line: 1-866-687-8683 (1-866-OUR-VOTE)
DoJ Voting Section: 1-202-307-2767 or 1-800-253-3931
All state hotlines: text image
Know your rights: info from the ACLU

Early Voting

As of July 2024, 47 of the several states plus DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, offer some form of early in-person voting to all voters, including states with all-mail elections. Three states — Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire — do not. This table, compiled by the NCSL, provides state-by-state details.

Voting Absentee/By Mail

Here is a table sorted by state with each state’s rules for voting by mail/absentee. Note that being out of state on Election Day is a valid excuse in every state that requires an excuse.

Vote by mail; registered voters automatically receive a mail ballot: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Vermont (general only).
No excuse is required; voters must request a ballot: Alaska, Arizona, DC, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Excuse is required; voters must request a ballot: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. This page from the NCSL summarizes the various states’ acceptable reasons for not voting in person.
This table summarizes how the several states verify absentee ballot applications.
This table summarizes the several states’s laws about who can return whose ballot (as some states have defined anyone but the voter returning their ballot as “harvesting” and taken actions like eliminating drop boxes).
Civilians who will be out of the US on 5 Nov should start here; armed forces members, spouses, dependents, here.
Students who will be away at school on 5 Nov might want to consider voting absentee in their home states, especially if said schools are in states that don’t accept their student IDs.
The NCSL’s report, “Voting Outside the Polling Place: Absentee, All-Mail and Other Voting at Home Options,” provides extensive information.

Getting your absentee/mail vote (not) counted: there are many things you can do to disqualify your ballot.

First among these is timing; in many states, your ballot has to be in their hands by the time the polls close on Election Day; in a few others, it may be counted if it’s postmarked in time. NB: Officials in some states are filing suit to to prohibit counting of ballots that arrive after the polls close.
Read the instructions. Read them again. On scantron-style forms, for example, fill out the ovals completely and with black or blue ink.
Sign your envelope(s) in all the places where it says to, and sign carefully; signature matching is one of the security measures most states have in place. While some states have a process to allow you to come in and demonstrate that it’s you, some will just toss your ballot.
Thirteen states require all or some voters to submit a copy of their photo ID with their absentee ballots.
Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin require all voters to include one witness signature on their ballot envelopes.
The US Vote Foundation has a table sorted by state that lists the various witness and/or notarization requirements.
Pennsylvania in particular: be careful with your envelopes. The ballot goes into the secrecy envelope and that bundle goes into the outer “declaration” envelope. Do not make any marks on the secrecy envelope. Reportedly, election officials will disqualify ballots without the secrecy envelope.
Wisconsin in particular: a kind person posted a photo detailing how and where one and one’s witness must sign one’s mail ballot and envelope. (Yr editor would like to repeat that signature issues are the top reason for mail ballot rejections.)

WatchingWorking the Polls

If you have the time, inclination, and patience, please consider working the polls. Pick your state from the drop-down on this page or enter your zip code on this page for sign-up info. The Election Assistance Commission has great general info.

Voting Informedly

Do you know enough about the candidates and questions you’ll be voting on? Ballotpedia has lots of information for ballot questions and races at many levels and will even generate you a sample ballot, which makes a good starting point for research. Likewise recommended are the LWV’s Vote411, VoteDotOrg, Rock the Vote, and the ACLU’s Know Your Voting Rights page.

Sources include Ballotpedia, NASS, NCSL, the EAC, and the ACLU.
Last updated 26 Oct 2024.