US Voter FAQs

The team at U.S. Vote Foundation and Overseas Vote work round the clock to personally answer voter questions through our Voter Help Desk.

We invite you to visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question. Here you will find a selection of the most commonly asked questions. Have a quick look to see if your question is answered here:

 

Am I registered to vote? How do I check my voter registration status?
  • You can check your registration status on the US Vote website using our "Am I Registered?" voter registration status lookup tool.
     
  • After receiving a response, you will also be provided a link to your state's voter registration look-up service. It's always good to double-check your registration status.

Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.

How do I register to vote?

First, review your state’s voter eligibility and ID requirements. Once you have your ID information, you can register to vote.

  1. Go to Register to Vote / Absentee Ballot.
     
  2. Choose the “Type of Voting Form” which applies to you and complete the registration process by filling out the information in each step. If applicable, make sure to indicate the last address at which you were registered in the section labeled “Previous Address”.
     
  3. If your state has an online voter registration system, you will be informed during the data entry process. You can then choose to transfer to that system and submit your registration online.
     
  4. If your state does not have an online registration system, continue to the end of the US Vote data entry process. Once your form is completed you may download, print, sign, and send your form to the Election Office Address provided with your document and instructions.

Note: The form must be submitted by you. Our system does not send any documents in your name - only you can submit your own voting documents to your election office. If you need help getting an acceptable ID in your state, you can contact Vote Riders for assistance.
 

Try out the new interactive "how to vote" tool - the Voter Journey Map. Create your Voter Journey Map today!

Image
Voter Journey Map graphic with hands reaching up to How to Vote in America


Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.

Can I get the registration form in a language other than English?

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission provides a registration form, called the National Mail Voter Registration (NVRA) Form, in fifteen different languages. This form can be used to register first-time voters, or to update registration information. You can complete the form in English through a guided process on the US Vote site, or access the static form on the EAC site.

Election officials are required to process registration submitted using the NVRA form, and this is the form that the US Vote site generates. In addition, many states are legally required to provide their state-specific voter registration forms in languages other than English.

To see if your state provides an online voter registration process in multiple languages…

  1. Go to the State Voter Information page.
     
  2. Choose your state and click the “State Lookup Tools” tab.
     
  3. Click the link next to the question “Can I Register to Vote Online?”

If your state offers the voter registration form in multiple languages, there will be a language preference option on your state’s website. If you do not see an option for language preference, return to this page and follow the instructions above to fill out the NVRA form.

Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.

Did I miss the deadline?
  • In elections and voting - everything has a deadline, even if it is Election Day itself. Use the deadline as a motivator!
     
  • Every state has different deadlines to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and return an absentee ballot.
     
  • And... these deadlines often differ depending on whether the voting action is in-person, online, or by mail.
     
  • That means, that sometimes a deadline is longer just because of how you take the action.
     
  • Always check your state-specific deadlines - you may have more options than you think.

Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.

How do I get a vote-by-mail absentee ballot?

You can generate a ballot request on our website.

  • Click on Register to Vote / Absentee Ballot.
     
  • Choose the type of voting form that applies to you and complete the process by filling out the information in each step.
     
  • At the end, you must download, print, sign, and send your form to your local election office.
     
  • The address will be provided with the instructions that print with the form.

If you do not have a printer and need a paper form, you can request it to be sent to you from your local election office. You can find your local election office's contact information in US Vote's Election Official Directory.
 

Try out the new interactive "how to vote" tool - the Voter Journey Map. Create your Voter Journey Map today!

Image
Voter Journey Map graphic with hands reaching up to How to Vote in America

 

Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.

Where is my polling place? Where do I go to vote?

You can look up the location of your polling place on our website.

  1. Go to State Voter Information.
     
  2. Choose your state, choose whether you are a domestic or overseas voter, choose State Lookup Tools - Am I Registered, and click Submit.
     
  3. Here you’ll see the option “Where is my polling place?”
     
  4. Click on this and it will take you to your state’s election website where you will input your information in order to determine your polling location.

Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.

What if I go to vote at my polling place and I'm not on the registration list?

If you arrive at the polling place and believe you have registered to vote, but you are not on the registration list, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot. If you cast a provisional ballot, election officials will review it after the election and if they determine that you were an eligible registered voter according to state law, your ballot will be counted.

It is required for states to have a free notification system to allow you to find out whether your ballot was counted, and if it was not, why not. Poll workers will provide you with written information describing how to access the free notification system.

If you did not get that information, you will need to go to your state’s election website…

  1. Go to the State Voter Information section of the US Vote Foundation website
     
  2. Choose your state and whether you are a domestic or overseas voter
     
  3. In the third dropdown, choose State Lookup Tools - Am I Registered and click Submit
     
  4. When the list of tools appears, choose State Elections Website

On your state election website, look for information on tracking your provisional ballot or tracking your ballot. You may need to review the FAQs here on your state's voting website. If you have any trouble, please submit a ticket to our Help Desk.

Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.

How do I register if I am a student living on campus?

Students may consider their school as their primary residence since that is where they spend most of the year and engage in community activities. If you are a student and you consider your school as your primary residence, with no present intent to leave, you have the right to register and vote from your school's address.

As a student, you also have the choice to register to vote from your home address. You can then either vote from your home polling place or request to vote by absentee ballot. Check US Vote's Student Eligibility information in the ID section of our State Voter Information.

It is against the law to vote in more than one location.

In either case, in order to register, go to Register to Vote / Absentee Ballot. Choose the Type of Voting Form that applies to you and complete the registration process by filling out the information in each step. At the end, print and send your registration form to your local election official.

Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.

What happens if I make a mistake on my registration form?

We urge you to take care when filling out your name and identification number, however, if you do make a mistake on your form, your election official should notify you of this. Keep in mind that different states will require different things from you in order to rectify this error.

If you have any doubt that your correction was accepted or need clarification, contact your local election official and/or check your registration status online.

To contact your local election official, go to the Election Official Directory and choose your state and voting region – click on the tab labeled “Election Official Contact Details” for contact information.

To check online, go to US Vote's State Voter Information page, input your state, and click on the last tab labeled “State Lookup Tools – Am I Registered? Where’s my Ballot?” Once this tab is opened, there should be many links – click on the link labeled “Am I Registered?” This link will take you to your state’s website where you can input your information and confirm that you are registered.

Please visit our Voter Help Desk to read the full library of FAQs or submit a question.