Everything You Need to Know (But Are Afraid to Ask) About Voting Tomorrow
Tomorrow marks the culmination of a grueling and historic presidential election that has seen triumphant landmarks and shameful allegations. While at times it’s been inspiring, it’s also been scary and completely exhausting. It’s hard to remember sometimes that this isn’t just a show — it’s a real-life event with real-life consequences. And tomorrow, you get to have a say in it.
It’s perhaps more important than ever to make sure people are informed and prepared to cast their votes. So, to hopefully help sort out what can seem like an intimidatingly involved process, here are some answers to your last-minute election questions — no shame, no judgement.
1. What to bring to the polling station. You’ve likely already provided most of the required info when you registered to vote. But whether or not you need to actually bring that ID with you to your voting station, and what kinds of ID are accepted, varies from state to state, so it’s best to double check before heading to your polling station. A simple tool you can use is Rock the Vote’s list of states, so check yours out to make sure you’re all set. If you’d rather cut to the chase or you need help acquiring proper ID, call 1-844-338-8743 to speak with someone who can help. (Photo via Alex Wong/Getty)
2. How to find your polling station. Finding your polling station is easier than ever. If you visit Google.com, you’ll see an election-themed Google doodle, as well as a button in the bottom right corner. Clicking on either — or by typing a variation of “Where to vote” in either English or Spanish in the search bar — will bring up a section to put in your address, which will then show you your polling place, a map and the hours of operation. It will also show you who’s on your ballot. So. Simple. Thank you, Google. (Image via Google)
3. So what is on my ballot? A lot of people don’t know what the heck is on that ballot or even that there’s more to it besides the two big names, in this case Clinton and Trump, until it’s time to cast your vote. Some states will provide registered voters an early sample ballot to help prep you for what you’re going to see, but because not every state does it, and because everyone in the whole country is on Facebook (right?), the best way to get familiar with your ballot is with Facebook’s new election prep tools. Use it to see the presidential and local candidates, their positions on issues, their own Facebook and website updates, who has endorsed them and more. You can make your picks and even email yourself a reference guide for voting day. Pretty cool. (Image via Facebook)
4. I’m not sure if I registered to vote. How can check? Can I Vote? is a quick and easy nonpartisan site that aggregates all state election info into one place. Simply choose your state from the drop-down menu, then follow the easy instructions to find out if you’re registered. Remember: You can’t vote if you’re not registered. (Photo via Omar Havana/Getty)
5. How do I register last-minute? Only 13 states let you register and vote up until and on election day. These are: Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Outside of these states, your registration deadline has come and gone, and sadly you won’t be able to vote in this election. BUT, now is the perfect time to get registered for the next election, to take one more last-minute stress off your plate. Some states offer online registration, but some still need to be mailed in or done in person. Vote.gov is clean and simple and is your BFF for getting yourself registered. (Photo via John Moore/Getty)
There are provisions in place to make sure everyone is able to vote without issue, but if you experience or witness any problems at the polls, you’re encouraged to call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Happy voting!
Are you all set to vote? Let us know over @BritandCo.
(Featured photo via Mario Tama/Getty)
