Checking voter ID before voting
Love will find a way—even during COVID-19. If you and your love found a way down the aisle in 2020, you probably also changed your name. (About 80% of women do.) And then came the fun part: you updated your driver’s license, passport, bank accounts, credit cards, insurance, car registration, and on and on. But you may have forgotten one update that will be critical in a few short months: to update voter registration.
While ID requirements vary from state to state, most polling places will expect that your registered name matches the name on your identification.
What happens if your registration doesn’t match your ID?
In some places, you may be asked to sign an affidavit of identity before voting. In other states, you may have to cast a provisional ballot and follow up with appropriate identification later in order for that vote to be counted. None of this is difficult, but don’t you want to get in and out of the polls as quickly as possible? Updating your voter registration is one way to make sure voting is fast and easy.
How to update voter registration
For more information about how to update voter registration, visit Vote.gov. Answer a few quick questions to get routed to your state or territory’s voter registration page. If you are not yet registered to vote, you may also be able to do that online. Start at vote.gov and follow the prompts.
What ID will you need in order to vote?
Did you know that 36 states require some form of voter ID? Check out this site to find out what identification you’ll need in order to vote.
Now that your registration is updated, do you have to vote in person?
If COVID-19 makes you nervous about voting in person—or you have a health condition, work commitment, or other situation that makes it difficult to go to the polls on election day—you may want to look into absentee ballots. You can mail your ballot, or in some places drop off when completed. Many states also allow early voting; you can fill out and submit a ballot early at a local polling location. Learn more about early voting here, or check out this map and click on your state for more information about voting in your area.
Voting during a pandemic feels like enough of a challenge without unnecessary delays or extra steps. Remembering to update voter registration after a name change is one way to keep your voting experience fast, easy, and safe.
