10 Things You Need to Know Before Voting in the Midterm Election

| 1.  This is a pivotal election. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, 35 U.S. Senate seats, 36 governorships, about 80 percent of state legislative posts, and scores of mayors and judgeships are on the ballot this fall.

2.  You must be a citizen to vote. American citizens — whether born here or naturalized — who will be at least 18 years old on Election Day are eligible to vote. 

3.  You must be registered in all but one state — North Dakota — in order to vote. Not sure if you are registered? You can check your status through your state board of elections or at vote.org. You can register in person at your local elections office, and online voter registration is available in 37 states and the District of Columbia. In some states you also can sign up at the department of motor vehicles or at armed services recruitment centers. You can find links to state voter registration websites at usa.gov.

4.  There are several ways to cast your ballot:

• In person. You can go to your polling place on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, or take advantage of early voting in 37 states and the District of Columbia as much as 45 days before the election. Most election boards will notify you by mail of your polling place and voting times for both early voting and voting on Election Day, or you can find that information on their websites.  
• Via an absentee ballot: Every state will mail you an absentee ballot upon request. The applications are often available online. Some states require you to provide a reason you can’t vote in person in order to qualify for an absentee ballot, while others offer a “no excuse” absentee ballot. Eligible excuses include having a disability or being out of town on Election Day.
• By mail: Oregon, Washington and Colorado have all-mail elections. Ballots are mailed to all registered voters, who can return them by mail or in person at a voting center. In 2016, California passed the Voter’s Choice Act, allowing its counties to conduct all-mail elections. This year, five California counties have chosen to move to this system.

5.   You may need an ID to vote. In 34 states, voters must show some form of identification at the polls, such as a driver’s license or passport. Some states accept non-photo IDs, like a bank statement or utility bill. In 16 states, a voter’s identity is verified by, for example, asking the voter to sign a card and then checking the signature with the voter registration application.

Most states have a procedure for people without acceptable identification to vote. Some ask them to sign an affidavit affirming their identity. Others let a voter cast a provisional ballot, but the voter then must bring an acceptable ID to the elections office within a specified period of time to have the vote counted.