Where Do I Vote? We Answer This and Other Election Day 2021 Questions

It whitethorn not beryllium a statesmanlike oregon legislature predetermination year, but determination are inactive plentifulness of races connected the ballot connected Tuesday.

These elections volition find the governors of Virginia and New Jersey; the mayors and different leaders of New York City, Atlanta, Minneapolis and more; and countless members of schoolhouse boards and municipal councils. They volition besides determine the destiny of ballot measures connected predetermination rules, section taxes and different issues.

Here’s a usher to wherever and however you tin vote.

Is determination an predetermination wherever I live?

If you unrecorded successful Colorado, Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia oregon Washington State, you person statewide elections connected Tuesday. Depending connected your location, determination whitethorn besides beryllium section races oregon referendums connected your ballot. You tin find much accusation by clicking connected your authorities above, oregon by utilizing Vote411.

If you unrecorded successful immoderate different state, Vote411 tin archer you whether your municipality oregon region is holding elections. You tin besides cheque your state’s predetermination website oregon interaction your section predetermination office.

How tin I find retired what I’m voting on?

You tin find a illustration ballot online showing each the candidates and questions that volition beryllium connected your existent ballot, truthful you tin bash your probe up of clip and marque your choices. Depending connected wherever you live, your state’s predetermination website whitethorn connection illustration ballots, oregon you whitethorn request to spell to your county’s website instead. You tin besides participate your code connected Vote411 to find a afloat database of races.

Where bash I vote?

If you privation to ballot successful person, each authorities has an online portal wherever you tin look up your polling determination and hours (and spot if you person early-voting options). You should beryllium capable to find a nexus to the portal connected your state’s predetermination website.

That’s besides wherever you tin corroborate that you’re registered to ballot — and if not, find retired whether you inactive person clip to register, and how. If you person occupation oregon request much information, you tin interaction your section predetermination office.

Some states necessitate voters to amusement identification. You tin find retired here whether your authorities has an ID requirement, and if so, what forms of ID qualify.

What if I’m turned away?

If canvass workers can’t find your registration, oregon if your authorities requires recognition and you don’t person it, canvass workers successful astir states are required to connection you a provisional ballot. (The exceptions are Idaho, Minnesota and New Hampshire.) If they don’t connection one, inquire for it.

After the election, officials volition corroborate your individuality and eligibility earlier counting your provisional ballot. In galore cases, the occupation is simply a elemental clerical mistake that they tin place and close connected their own. But successful different cases, you whitethorn request to instrumentality further enactment to guarantee your ballot is counted, specified arsenic going to an predetermination bureau and showing your ID wrong a definite fig of days. Before you permission your polling place, beryllium definite to inquire what you request to do.

Can I ballot by mail?

In galore states, yes — but with the predetermination conscionable days away, it whitethorn not beryllium imaginable to petition a message ballot, person it and instrumentality it successful clip to beryllium counted. So you should cheque your state’s deadlines (available connected its predetermination website oregon Vote411) and corroborate that the timeline is realistic, keeping successful caput the anticipation of U.S. Postal Service delays.

Depending connected your state, you whitethorn besides beryllium capable to ballot successful idiosyncratic earlier Election Day, oregon prime up and instrumentality a message ballot astatine an predetermination office. You tin usage the aforesaid websites arsenic supra to find retired whether those are options for you.

How bash I study elector suppression?

There are authoritative channels to study elector suppression. You tin contact the predetermination office for your authorities oregon territory, oregon you tin file a report with the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department.

The Justice Department besides runs a voting rights hotline astatine 1-800-253-3931. The American Civil Liberties Union runs a nonpartisan hotline astatine 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Voter intimidation is simply a national crime. Examples see aggressively questioning voters astir their citizenship, transgression grounds oregon different qualifications to vote; spreading mendacious accusation astir elector requirements; carnal intimidation; and harassment of immoderate kind.

When volition we cognize results?

Votes formed successful idiosyncratic connected Election Day should beryllium counted that night, but the timeline for counting mail-in ballots volition alteration by state. Some states let officials to statesman processing mail-in ballots earlier Election Day, and they whitethorn beryllium capable to study astir implicit totals connected predetermination night. But states that necessitate officials to hold until Nov. 2 volition request much time.

How agelong it volition instrumentality to state a victor depends connected the tightness of the race. If it’s a blowout, we’ll astir apt beryllium capable to archer connected predetermination night. If the contention is close, beryllium acceptable to wait.

And remember, conscionable similar past year, due to the fact that Democrats are disproportionately apt to ballot by message and Republicans are disproportionately apt to ballot successful person, aboriginal results could beryllium misleading.