November’s presidential election may feel a century away, but it’s never it’s never too early to come up with a voting plan—especially in light of news like Ohio removing 155,000 inactive and out-of-date voter registrations. In other words, now is the time to check your own voter registration status. Even if you think you’re registered, check. Check early, and check often. Here’s how to do it.
Why you should check your registration information
Before you request an absentee ballot or look up the address of your polling place, your first step is to take a minute to make sure that you’re actually registered to vote. States try to keep their voter registration lists as accurate as possible. This means removing registrations of voters who are no longer residents, or marking some registrations as inactive.
You may be marked inactive if you:
Do not respond to election officials’ postcards or letters and
Have not voted in the last two federal general elections (a midterm and a presidential election)
If your registration is inactive, you may have to take extra steps before you can vote. If you do not, you may have to cast a provisional ballot.
Checking and updating (as needed) your registration ahead of time ensures:
Your name, address, and party affiliation are up-to-date.
You have time to make any necessary changes if your registration is marked inactive.
You can vote.
You know your correct polling place.
The easiest way to check if you’re registered to vote
Credit: Meredith Dietz
While there are plenty of sites that’ll offer to check if you’re registered, many of them are run by political organizations and will also snatch up your email address in the process and begin sending you those dreaded political spam emails. To skip that headache, it’s best to go to the source: either your state’s official web site, or vote.gov.
The easiest way to get to your state’s official page is to search “Am I registered to vote” on Google. Using your location data, Google will displays a direct link to your state-specific voter registration site. If you’re not in your home state, search for “Am I registered to vote in [state]” instead. Once you’re on your state’s site, type in your name, address and any other information required (you may need to have your driver’s license or ID handy) in order to double-check your registration status, party affiliations, and ballot preferences.
What happens next
If you find that you’re already on the registry and listed as an active voter, you’re all set to vote. But if you haven’t voted in four or more years, your voting status may be listed as “inactive.” If this happens, take a look at your state’s election office website to find out how to reactivate your voting status (the process differs from state-to-state).
Remember: Registration requirements and deadlines vary by state. You can find that information through the U.S. Vote Foundation or your state or territory’s election office. Check early and regularly, especially before such a major election.
