• How Do I Vote By Absentee Ballot?
• Where Can I Learn Who’s Running For Office, Research Issues, And Check To See My State’s Voting Laws?
• On Election Day, If I Think My Rights Have Been Violated, What Should I Do?
• Am I Required To Vote For Everything On The Ballot?
• What if I go to the polls and they tell me I am not registered to vote?
• Do I need to show identification to vote?
• Where do I vote on Election Day?
• How do I unsubscribe from emails and text messages from Rock the Vote?
• I changed my legal name. How do I change my name on my voter registration?
• Where do I vote early?
• How do I obtain an absentee ballot?
• Does a voter card serve as a form of identification for voting?
• Why should I hold onto my voter card?
• What if my info on the card is wrong?
• Do I need my voter card to vote?
• I lost my voter card. How can I get another one?
• I don’t know if I ever received a voter card (or I lost mine). What should I do?
• How long does it take to get my voter card in the mail?
• What does a voter card look like?
• What is a voter card?
• Is it too late to register to vote?
• I may already be registered but I don’t know. How do I know if I’m registered to vote?
• Can you register to vote online?
• What do I do if I completed the online voter registration form, but do not have a printer?
• When I received my completed online voter registration form from Rock the Vote, I realized a piece of my personal information
  (email, phone, address, etc.) was incorrect. What should I do?
• Can I put a P.O. Box Address or a school mailbox address as my permanent address?
• I just moved to a new state yesterday. Can I register to vote in that state right now?
• I am in the Armed Forces. How do I register to vote?
• I live abroad. How do I register to vote?
• I am a student. Can I register to vote at my school address?
• I know someone who’s mentally impaired/disabled. Can they vote?
• I am a voter with a disability. Will my polling place be accessible and what options do I have to cast a ballot?
• I was previously convicted of a felony. Can I register to vote?
• Do I need to re-register if I’ve moved?
• Where can you register to vote?
• Do I need to be a U.S. citizen to register to vote?
• Do I need to be 18 to register to vote?
• When is the last day to register to vote?

If you prefer to drop off your absentee ballot to a secure location, rather than return it by mail, select your county to explore available options.

Choose Your County

• Make Sure You’re Registered
  To vote via absentee ballot, you must first be registered to vote.
• Fill Out & Submit an Absentee Ballot Application
  To vote by absentee ballot, you must first fill out, sign, and submit an absentee ballot application. You can do this online, by mail, by fax, or in person.
  Submit your absentee ballot application by the specified deadline. Absentee ballots may be requested any time between 180 days prior to the election and the end of the business day on the Friday before Election Day. View a list of upcoming elections and registration deadlines on the Secretary of State’s election calendar.

Submit Online

• Download and fill out the absentee ballot application.
• Print and sign the application.
• Scan and email the application to your County Board of Registrar’s Office.

Submit by Mail

• Download the absentee ballot application.
• Fill out and sign the application.
• Mail the application to your County Board of Registrar’s Office.

Submit by Fax

• Download the absentee ballot application.
• Fill out and sign the application.
• Fax the application to your County Board of Registrar’s Office.

Submit in Person 

• Download the absentee ballot application.
• Fill out and sign the application.
• Present the application in person to your County Board of Registrar’s Office.

Fill Out & Submit Your Absentee Ballot
After your county election office reviews your application, you will receive your ballot at either the postal address or email address you noted on your application. The time frame for receiving your absentee ballot will depend, in part, on the type of election being held. You can read the Secretary of State’s guide to absentee voting for details.

1. Fill out your absentee ballot according to the instructions provided. You will receive all the forms and envelopes necessary for marking and return of the ballot. Failure to complete your ballot correctly could cause your ballot not to be counted.
2. Mail your completed ballot. For voters within the country, all absentee ballots must arrive at your county election office by Election Day. If you’re currently a military or overseas voter and you post your absentee ballot on Election Day, make sure it arrives within 3 days.

Related Services

Register to Vote

View a Sample Ballot

To learn more about the election process and who is running for office check out Rock the Vote’s Election Center.

Call (866) OUR-VOTE if you feel your rights have been violated. There will be lawyers on hand to answer Election Day questions and concerns about voting procedures.

No! You don’t have to answer everything. If you’re not sure what is on the ballot, here are some great resources you can use.

First, make sure you are at the right polling place. If you are at the wrong polling place they will not have your name on the list of voters. If you are at the correct location and are not on the list, you can still cast a ballot. Ask the poll worker for a provisional ballot. After the polls close on Election Day the state will check on the status of your voter registration and if there was a mistake made. The state must notify you as to whether your ballot was counted. If you have a problem voting and think your rights have been denied, call (866) OUR- VOTE. There will be lawyers there to help.

Most states require some form of identification either when you register and/or when you vote. The rules vary state by state. Check out your state rules at our Election Center.

CLICK HERE to find out where you vote on Election Day. Polling places are usually within walking distance of your home (unless you are in a very rural area). A polling place can be in a business, a person’s house, a school, or a community center, to name a few establishments.

After filling out an online voter registration form, you will receive – at most –three automated reminders to print, sign, and mail in your form. After that, if you have not signed up to receive Rock the Vote emails, you will not receive future emails from the organization. If you check the box to sign up for emails and no longer want to receive them, we can remove you from the list manually or you can click unsubscribe at the bottom of the next email we send. To unsubscribe from our text messages, text STOP to RTVOTE.

On every voter registration form, there is a place to fill in your previous registration information. You will fill out the form as if it were your first time doing so, and where it asks you to put in your old information, you would put in your previous name, (for example, your maiden name).

Check out the Rock the Vote Election Center for information on where you can vote early.

Some states allow you to do this. Please check with your local elections office to determine the rules in your state.

To vote by absentee ballot, you must submit an absentee ballot request form through your state.

Most states do not accept a voter card as a form of ID. If you are a first-time voter who mailed in your registration form, you should check out our Election Center to find out what identification you will need at the polls.

A voter card lets you verify that your voter registration information is correct, such as your name, address, and birthdate. It also has the address for your polling place, which is where you will vote on Election Day.

The card should have information on how to change any incorrect information (such as the wrong apartment number or that your name is misspelled). If for some reason there are no instructions, get the information to call your state or local election administrator.

No. Voter cards let you know that you have successfully registered to vote. They contain information for where you will vote on Election Day and a phone number for your state if you have any questions. Voter Cards are NOT required to vote. Check out our Election Center for additional information about what you must bring with you to the polls on Election Day.

You should be able to call your state and request a new voter card. Not all states send out voter cards.

Call your state to make sure you completed your voter registration form correctly and that they have you listed as a registered voter. If you’re registering right before the voter registration deadline, chances are you won’t receive the card in time for the election. You do not need this card to vote but you do need to know if you’re registered and where your voting location is. Get the information to call your state election authority with any questions.

It usually takes 6-8 weeks for the state to send out your voter card. If 8 weeks have passed and you haven’t received your card, you probably are not registered and should call your state to make sure your registration went through properly. If you register to vote with fewer than 8 weeks to the election, you may not receive your card in time. Call your state to confirm your registration.

Voter cards vary from state to state but generally, they’re small cards that look like a postcard.

After you register to vote, most states send out a “voter card” to let you know your registration has gone through. The voter card helps you to confirm you’re registered to vote and that your information is correct. Most also contain information about where you will go to vote on Election Day.

Voter registration deadlines vary by state. Check out our Election Center for information for the voter registration deadlines in your state.

You can check your voter registration status directly with your state or by using our voter registration lookup tool.

Some states do offer online voter registration. Check with your local voter registration and/or your state election offices.

If you do not have access to a printer you should complete a paper voter registration form at your local board of elections, the DMV, post office, or public library.

Not to worry. Your form is not processed until you’ve printed, signed and mailed it in. You will need to complete the form again online–make sure you review all the information before you submit so that you don’t have to correct anything again.

No. Your form will not be processed if you put a P.O. Box as your permanent address. For districting purposes, you must put a physical address. There is a section of the form to put your mailing address, in addition to your physical address.

Residency rules vary by state. In some states, you may be eligible to register to vote in your new state immediately upon moving. In others, you may need to wait a certain number of days or be living in the state for a certain amount of days before you register to vote in the next election. A state cannot require you to live there for more than 30 days to register to vote. Check out our Election Center for information on your state.

You can register to vote and request a ballot through Rock the Vote’s partnership with the Overseas Vote Foundation.

You should contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program. The website is http://www.fvap.gov. They specialize in getting people in the armed forces and people living abroad registered to vote. The rules for people in the armed forces or abroad are different than for people living in the United States. The FVAP can also be reached by phone at (800) 438-VOTE.

YES! You have the right to register to vote at your school address – this includes a dorm room. Any student living in a dorm is entitled to the same rights as any other student. To imply otherwise is illegal. If you receive mail in a Post Office box you can sign an affidavit (or, in some cases, get a letter from your college’s Residential Life office) asserting that you live at your dorm address. For more info, check out our Election Center.

In most states, if a person has been declared “non-compos mentis,” or “mentally incompetent” by a court of law, that person is ineligible to vote. For more information on how your state defines this, get the information to contact your state.

Every voter has the right to cast a private and independent ballot, including voters with disabilities. If you want to learn more about what your voting rights are or were denied the right to vote because of your disability, you can find your state’s National Disability Rights Network member agency here. Additional resources for voters with disabilities can be found through the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Nonprofit VOTE.

If you were convicted of a felony, your voting rights may vary from state to state. Learn more here.

Yes, if you have changed your address, changed your name, or need to change your political party, you must re-register. Check out our Election Center for information for the requirements in your state.

You may be able to register to vote at public facilities like the DMV, your local election office or in some states, online. Before heading out, check with your state voter registration and/or your state election offices or register to vote here with Rock the Vote.

Yes. You must be a naturally born or fully naturalized U.S. citizen to register to vote.

The voter registration age requirement varies by state, but most states allow individuals who will be 18 by the next election to register to vote. Some states do have a minimum age requirement to register to vote (for example you may have to be 17 ½ years of age). Check out our Election Center for the voter registration eligibility requirements in your state.

Voter Registration postmark deadlines vary from 30 days out to just a couple of days before the elections. Check out our Election Center for information for the voter registration deadlines in your state.