Confused On How To Vote In Your State?
To keep up with the exact voting laws in each state of the United States, (and this is just for the presidential election) it takes unfortunately a rather savvy individual with enough free time to research how to navigate these difficult waters. It is extremely easy to get confused on how to vote depending on where you reside in the U.S. The U.S. Vote Foundation is a great organization that can help people get registered and be informed about each state’s voting policies so that people can partake in the current political process. The need for sites like this is just another indication that voters need to be able to vote online using a secure platform like Follow My Vote’s. For your information, here is a handy chart for voting laws by state from the U.S. Vote Foundation.
Voting Laws & Requirements
Voting Methods and Options
| State | Early In-Person Voting | No Excuse Absentee Voting | Absentee Voting with Excuse | Same Day Voter Registration | All-Mail Voting | Voter ID on Election Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Early In-Person Voting | No Excuse Absentee Voting | Absentee Voting with Excuse | Same Day Voter Registration | All-Mail Voting | Voter ID on Election Day |
| Alabama | ✓ | Non-Strict Photo ID | ||||
| Alaska | ✓ | ✓ | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | |||
| American Samoa | ✓ | |||||
| Arizona | ✓ | ✓ | In AZ certain Elections may be held by mail | Strict Non-Photo ID | ||
| Arkansas | ✓ | ✓ | Strict Photo ID | |||
| California | ✓ | ✓ | In CA certain Elections may be held by mail | First-time voters who registered by mail without proof of identity must show ID at polls | ||
| Colorado | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | In CO all elections are held by mail | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | |
| Connecticut | ✓ | ✓ | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | |||
| Delaware | ✓ | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | ||||
| District of Columbia | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Florida | ✓ | ✓ | In FL certain Elections may be held by mail | Non-Strict Photo ID | ||
| Georgia | ✓ | ✓ | Strict Photo ID | |||
| Guam | ✓ | |||||
| Hawaii | ✓ | ✓ | In HI certain Elections may be held by mail | Non-Strict Photo ID | ||
| Idaho | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-Strict Photo ID | ||
| Illinois | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Indiana | ✓ | ✓ | Strict Photo ID | |||
| Iowa | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Kansas | ✓ | ✓ | In KS certain Elections may be held by mail | Strict Photo ID | ||
| Kentucky | ✓ | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | ||||
| Louisiana | ✓ | ✓ | Non-Strict Photo ID | |||
| Maine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Maryland | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Massachusetts | ✓ | |||||
| Michigan | ✓ | Non-Strict Photo ID | ||||
| Minnesota | ✓ | ✓ | In MN certain Elections may be held by mail | |||
| Mississippi | ✓ | Strict Photo ID | ||||
| Missouri | ✓ | In MO certain Elections may be held by mail | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | |||
| Montana | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | In MT certain Elections may be held by mail | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | |
| Nebraska | ✓ | ✓ | In NE certain Elections may be held by mail | |||
| Nevada | ✓ | ✓ | In NV certain Elections may be held by mail | |||
| New Hampshire | ✓ | ✓ | Non-Strict Photo ID | |||
| New Jersey | ✓ | In NJ certain Elections may be held by mail | ||||
| New Mexico | ✓ | ✓ | In NM certain Elections may be held by mail | |||
| New York | ✓ | |||||
| North Carolina | ✓ | ✓ | New strict photo ID law goes into effect 2016 | |||
| North Dakota | ✓ | ✓ | In ND certain Elections may be held by mail | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | ||
| Ohio | ✓ | ✓ | Strict Non-Photo ID | |||
| Oklahoma | ✓ | ✓ | Strict Photo ID | |||
| Oregon | ✓ | In OR all elections are held by mail | ||||
| Pennsylvania | ✓ | PA strict photo ID law not yet in effect due to court action | ||||
| Puerto Rico | ✓ | |||||
| Rhode Island | ✓ | Non-Strict Photo ID | ||||
| South Carolina | ✓ | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | ||||
| South Dakota | ✓ | ✓ | Non-Strict Photo ID | |||
| Tennessee | ✓ | ✓ | Strict Photo ID Federal of Tennessee issued photo ID is required to vote unless exception applies. |
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| Texas | ✓ | ✓ | Strict Photo ID | |||
| Utah | ✓ | ✓ | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | |||
| Vermont | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Virginia | ✓ | Strict Photo ID Strict voter ID applies on Eelction Day and Absentee in Person Voting. See notes concerning same day voter registration for absent military and overseas voters. |
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| Virgin Islands | ✓ | |||||
| Washington | ✓ | In WA all elections are held by mail | Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID | |||
| West Virginia | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Wisconsin | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Current strict photo ID injunction | ||
| Wyoming | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Term Definitions
| Early In-Person Voting: | allows voters to visit an election official’s office or other satellite voting location an cast a vote in person if the voter is unable to vote on Election Day |
| No Excuse Absentee Voting: | allows any registered voter to reques an absentee ballot with requiring that that voter state a reason for voting absentee |
| Mail Voting: | when an election is conducted by mail, a ballot is automatically mailed in advance of Election Day; only 2 sates have all elections by mail |
| Strict Photo ID: | A voter cannot cast a valid ballot without first presenting a photo ID (9 states) |
| Non-Strict Photo ID: | A voter must first present a photo ID, but if the voter does not have one, they can vote a provisional ballot but must later present ID (8 states) |
| Strict Non-Photo ID: | A voter must first present some form of ID (it must not have a photo) or vote a provisional ballot that will only be counted if the voter presents ID later |
| Non-Strict, Non-Photo ID: | A voter must present some form of ID (it must not have a photo) |
| Same Day Voter Registration: | A qualified resident of the state can go to the polls on Election Day and register and vote at the same time (8 states) |
Source: The U.S. Vote Foundation
