How to Vote in the Upcoming Elections
Photo by Ricevotes
Midterm elections are happening this year in November, which means that it is time to start making your voting plan for the midterm elections and any elections before them. If you’ve never registered to vote, then let this article be your starting point! I know the process can seem a bit daunting to any first-time voter. But don’t give up! I’ve done my best to scour the internet for resources to help you go from unregistered voter to collecting your own “I Voted" sticker.
This article will primarily be addressing voters in Louisiana, but if you are from a different state, an official website from the United States can help you find all of the resources you need to register to vote.
Register to Vote
If you are a Louisiana resident, you can either register to vote online, in person, or by mail. I recommend doing this sooner rather than later because in order to participate in Louisiana elections, the online registration deadline is twenty days before election day, and the in-person registration deadline is thirty days before election day. If you register by mail, it must be postmarked thirty days before election day. You can confirm if you are registered to vote by filling out this very simple form. It only takes a couple of seconds to enter your name, zip code, and date of birth.
You’re Registered. Now What?
You need to make sure that you have everything you need to vote at the polls. To place an in-person vote, you will either need an ID card with your picture and signature or a US military ID card that has your picture and name. If you don’t have either of these, “you may obtain a free Louisiana special identification card by presenting your voter registration information card to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV), or you may vote by affidavit after correctly answering identifying information before voting.”
How Can You Vote?
In the state of Louisiana, you have the option to place an early vote, an absentee ballot, or vote normally on election day.
Early Voting
Anyone in Louisiana can vote early! You can find when you can early vote for each election day this year on this site: https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Vote/VoteEarly/Pages/default.aspx.
Vote by Mail
Unfortunately, not everyone can vote by mail in Louisiana. You must have a reason unless you are in the military or overseas. This website includes a full list of qualifiers for mail-in voting: https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Vote/VoteByMail/Pages/default.aspx.
In order to vote by mail, you first need to request an absentee ballot:
1. Go to the Louisiana Voter Portal.
2. Click “Search by Voter.”
3. Enter your information.
4. Click “Request Absentee Ballot.”
5. Enter your information and submit the form.
There is a deadline for requesting an absentee ballot! You must request by 4:30 pm “on the 4th day before election day.”
Once you have received and completed your ballot, you can return it either by mail, fax, or hand delivery.
Vote on Election Day
Make sure to bring your approved ID to your voting location. You can find your poll on this site: https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Vote/VoteOnElectionDay/Pages/default.aspx.
What Are You Voting On?
Voting is good, but informed voting is better! Most of us do not spend all of our lives fully immersed in politics, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do a bit of research on the policies up for a vote. There are a couple of sites that try to break down everything on the ballot:
1. https://www.ballotready.org/
2. https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup
I recommend using these sites as a starting point and fact-checking the information on your own. Also, if you don’t want to see a sample ballot on one of these sites, you can find the official sample ballot by going to the Louisiana Voter Portal, searching by Voter, and clicking “My Sample Ballot.”
After you’ve figured out who/what you are voting for, I recommend either printing the sample ballot or writing your selections down on a piece of paper. You can bring notes and your sample ballot inside the voting booth. But, “some polling places do restrict cell phone use, so bring paper copies instead of using your phone.”
When Are You Voting?
You can find the election dates schedule here: https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/GetElectionInformation/SearchElectionDates/Pages/default.aspx.
The calendars have every deadline that you need to be worried about, including the election dates themselves. I’m not going to lie; I’ve never actually used the calendars before. Instead, I stay on top of dates by following our Secretary of State on Instagram. The account is @louisianasos.
I love following the Secretary of State because it keeps me updated without having to go hunt for information!
TL;DR
Register to vote. Get a proper form of ID. Decide to vote early, by mail, or on election day. Figure out what you are voting on. Choose when you are voting using the schedule. And finally, vote!
