We’re the National Voter Registration Day team and today’s the day we and our 4000＋ Partner coalition work around the clock to get America #VoteReady for the 2022 midterms (and beyond!) Ask us anything!

How do you ensure non-partisan volunteers? I'm curious, as I think some people would volunteer just to be able to sway others who might be non-voters or on the fence.

Great work! Registration is extremely important.

All partners who sign up for National Voter Registration agree, on the sign-up form, to remain nonpartisan in their voter engagement efforts. We also offer trainings, via webinar and written material, to help understand the rules around nonpartisanship. You cannot endorse or oppose a candidate or party. When registering voters, you register them regardless of party affiliation. Additionally, the vast majority of our partners, including 501(c)3s, are legally required to remain nonpartisan. One of my favorite stories is when the College Republicans and College Democrats came together at the Univ. of Penn. to jointly host an event to register people regardless of party. Democracy is for everyone!

One of my favorite stories is when the College Republicans and College Democrats came together at the Univ. of Penn. to jointly host an event to register people regardless of party. Democracy is for everyone!

That's awesome!

I figured there would be some system in place but it's great that you take it so seriously and there is actual training involved. You still might get some bad seeds but it looks like you're doing what you can to keep them out of these events.

👍

I am 20. I don’t even know what the midterms are, let alone their importance… sorry to expose my stupidity

How do I become an educated voter? Are there any sources with simple explanations you can recommend?

That’s actually a pretty smart question! Without getting too deep into a civics lesson, midterms are big, important elections too. They determine all members of the House and a third of the Senators that work to pass major legislation. There are also many state and local races that have a big impact on your community. Visit ActiVote and you’ll go through a series of steps to get more vote-ready.

Okay I will definitely visit that site and read up! Pretty much the only election I really understand is the presidential election … unfortunately I don’t think I’m in the minority for people my age at least, we really don’t get taught ANYTHING about voting even though we take so many history and government classes!

Thank you for the response!! I’m really looking forward to educating myself and contributing a thoughtful vote :) it is so so important !!!

As someone on the team who works on this stuff as their job, but is also <26 and didn't have anyone explain this to me growing up - hearing this is so encouraging because there's always more to learn and more to be confused by. Please keep it up, we're rooting for you!

How will America every get a sweet smelling government, when every election we are told "this election is too important to vote for the flower, you have to vote for the corrupt turd that has the least shitty smell"?

We can’t make elections smell good, but we can make our efforts to register voters and make democracy work smell good… thanks this year to Tony’s Chocolonely! Chocolate smells good, right? :) See here

Why don’t people have to show ID to vote? Where I’m from there are people who vote in 2 places…it ensures that the people who keep them in their lifestyle of living off the government stay in office. It’s ridiculous.

Actually, instances of individuals voting twice (or more) are extremely rare. Any examples of “voter fraud” are so small they do not influence the outcome of any election. 

All states do require some form of identification to vote in an election, whether it be a photo ID or a non-photo ID. Further, some states do allow for an ID exception under unique circumstances. 

For more information, please read this article from the National Conference of State Legislatures on state voter ID laws

Happy 10th anniversary to Brian and the team! This work is as important as ever, and your dedication to voting rights for everyone has no limits. I just bought a house and was so excited to use that opportunity to update my voter registration! Keep up the amazing work, all! 💙🗳️❤️

My question: can you share here a list of the state voter registration deadlines, including the various US territories (& if there are different deadlines for things like voting by mail)?

Yes of course! Here is a complete list of deadlines:

https://www.vote.org/voter-registration-deadlines/

Are there any good resources to know when election day is in your city/state? I'm constantly caught off guard with special election days, primary election days etc. I would just like it to be easier to know when to go vote!

Yes! You can visit and bookmark the following websites:

www.vote.org

www.ballotpedia.org

www.ballotready.org/

Your local Elections Department website

Newsletter of organizations like the League of Women Voters!

With new voting registration laws and polling limitations being enacted the last several years --

Has there been a particular state which has turned out to be more difficult to get people to the polls as a result of these changes?

According to the 2022 Cost of Voting Index created by Scot Schraufnagel, Michael Pomante, and Quan Li - based on factors like registration access, voting convenience, ID laws, poll hours, and more - New Hampshire and Mississippi are ranked the last two. You can see the full ranking at the link! Oregon and Washington are top two.

What are the biggest challenges people face to register and how are you helping people to overcome them?

What are the biggest challenges people face to register and how are you helping people to overcome them?

There are multiple challenges, from a lack of information about how to vote & when to vote, to lack of proper identification and even the weather!

That is why we host National Voter Registration Day and work with allied organizations to distribute information on voting and help individuals register to vote!

I dont know what to do. My husband and i were texas residents but we just moved to new mexico(within the last month and dont have an address to switch our dl's yet) Which state should i try to vote in? We are full timing rvers now so we dont have plans to go back there but if i have to go back to vote, do i have to go back to my county?

Considering your situation, you do not have to go back to your former county in Texas. Instead, we recommend that you request an absentee ballot from your previous county of residence in Texas. As long as your current ID (which we assume is from Texas) matches your previous address from Texas, you should be good to go! Also, feel free to contact the Elections Department of your previous county in Texas to ensure that your absentee ballot request is accepted! Link to absentee ballot request form

Stay tuned… we’re looking into options for voting in New Mexico. It looks like New Mexico has a 28 day registration deadline, which is still about 2 weeks away. That may be enough time to get some kind of documentation or ID to register. You should easily meet any kind of residency requirement NM may have by Election Day which is almost 50 days away.

Oh wow thanks! I got a text message earlier today which promoted me into thinking about it (I guess that was the whole point of the movement lol) and i just got so confused trying to read voting stuff online. Thanks for helping :)

I will do a mail in vote for this election if i cant go in person. I was just a little worried about them getting lost in the mail but at that point thats not on me :)

Stuck on hold with NM elections office, but found another resource. As of 2020 at least, you can register to vote “immediately” upon becoming a resident. I.e., no wait period. Some kind of physical location or cross street can be used in lieu of a street address. Not sure if the rental agreement at your RV park would suffice as proof of residency, but worth an ask. This is in part the same rules that apply to other unhoused individuals - see here

How can i volunteer to get people to register to vote? In nyc.

There are many ways you can get involved! You can always join a local nonprofit that is doing voter registration in your area. Some places you can look at in the New York area are the League of Women Voters and NYC Votes

Or if you want to take the initiative and start organizing a voter registration drive in New York, there are no requirements for training or notification to local governments. Just be sure to obtain some state voter registration forms from your local elections office or print it off from the state board of elections website. Grab some friends or family and start organizing!

You can check our Voter Registration Drive Guide for more information!

[deleted]

How do you register to vote? There are no links in your text.

Thank you for flagging it! We just updated our description!

But in general, if your state offers online registration you can register on your state’s secretary of state/board of elections website. Or you can register to vote on the many voter registration portals that are offered by third parties. Our voter registration platform randomly selects between four different voter registration forms which you can find at the link now posted

Which It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia character would y’all vote for in a Senate Race? And why?

I’d want to watch a few debates before making my decision, but definitely would not vote for the McPoyles.

I'm filling out a (texan) mail-in absentee ballot for the first time this election. Do you have any advice on how to make sure the process goes smoothly? I've heard a lot about ballots getting declined for bad signatures.

The Texas Secretary of State has a useful guide here. They also tell you how to track your ballot so you know when it’s been accepted. If you run into trouble you can always reach out to the Election Protection hotline for assistance. Their number (call or text) is 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)

How do I track what elections are happening in my state?

For real. We have so many elections and they’re not well advertised for folks without cable tv.

There are some text reminder services that will let you know when primaries and elections are coming in your state like Turbovote - check your reg or register and you'll be signed up. If you have any local news outlets those are usually great places to look for coverage of candidates/issues/debates. Lastly ballotready has the list of candidates for most elections down ballot so you can at least see what they do and who is running. Ultimately, you're right and it's not a solved problem yet, but don't forget why it's important and keep trying! Things like additional languages, accessible polling locations, online registration all didn't exist at one point - but the demand for them by voters hugely contributed to this becoming something we assume and expect nowadays.

What is the sense in registering to vote when my only two choices are evil narcissistic party-line holding non-critical thinkers who are completely beholden to lobbyists and whoever writes the biggest check?

Have you checked the races on your ballot yet? After checking your registration status, visit BallotReady or Vote411 to learn more about the offices up for election and the candidates running. You might be more invested in your state and local representatives, sheriffs, judges, treasurers or other offices that are typically under the radar.

why isn’t it illegal for states like California to push people to move to red districts simply to vote blue and try to flip districts? Especially when people complain when republicans try to redistrict to protect from outside groups?

It isn’t legal for states to require people to move in order to distort districts. Every state has a process for redrawing their districts every 10 years based on census data. Who draws those lines differs by state, and you can learn more about that here

Why the hell would I even consider voting when every single candidate is only looking for an opportunity to sell out/continue to sell out to corporate interests?

Do you feel that way even about candidates on the local level? Perhaps you should consider running for office yourself. Consider getting registered because it’s a way to hold elected officials accountable.