Getting Serious about Voter Registration in 2024

USA Today last year provided a step-by-step guide for registering to vote for the 2024 presidential election.

If you are not currently registered to vote, it is important to find out the registration deadline in your state and if you are eligible to vote. Deadlines to register vary from state to state, as do the dates to request an absentee ballot. To learn the various deadlines for your state, check HERE.

Those eligible to vote must be 18 years old on or before election day and meet other eligibility requirements to register in your state. Once registered, it is best to have a voting plan in place before election day to ensure your ballot counts.

If you work or attend school out of state, make sure you request an absentee ballot on time. For those who don’t want to wait until Election Day, learn the dates for early voting in your state and your early voting location.

Those who have already registered to vote can check the status of their registration before Election Day to make sure all of the information is current.

County boards of elections provide sample ballots online so you can see who is running in your local and state districts. This information can also be found on Ballotpedia.

The deadlines for primary elections also vary from state to state. You can check with your state’s Elections Board to learn the deadlines to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries. You can also learn if your state’s primaries are “open” or “closed.” An “open” primary means that you do not need to be registered with a particular party to vote in that party’s primary, while a “closed” primary is restricted to those registered with that party.

The 2024 general election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2024.

The deadline to register for the general election varies by state. You should check with your state election board for the deadline.