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With less than a month left until Election Day 2024, the window of time for you to register to vote is shrinking, and in fact, deadlines have already passed in 10 states as of Oct. 7.
Voter registration policies vary greatly state to state, with some offering a variety of methods to help you get registered, and others providing just a few. Some states might also set the cutoff date for registration a few weeks prior to the general election, while others will let you sign up as late as Election Day itself. Below you can check an interactive map for details about each state’s deadline and click through to its voter registration page and read on for more details broken down by state.
In 2022, a Pew Research analysis found that, while the number had surged in recent election cycles, the number of eligible voters participating in US elections still lagged behind many other developed nations. In 2020, 62.8% of people eligible to vote took part in the US presidential election, behind the rates for national elections in places like France, Australia, India, South Korea, Mexico, Germany, Brazil and Israel. As such, registering new voters has long been a major goal of political organizers.
For more information about the election, here’s how to find out what’s on your ballot and what the candidates are saying about the child tax credit.
When is Election Day 2024?
Election Day is set to take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. General elections have been held on the first Tuesday in November since Congress made it official in 1845
You may not have to wait until Nov. 5, however, to vote. You may have the option to vote prior to Election Day if your state has early voting. The method of early voting and the window of time when you can do it vary greatly depending on where you live, so check out our breakdown of early voting information by state.
How do I register to vote locally?
Every state that requires voter registration offers the ability to register in person at an official designated location. The specific place that you need to visit in order to do this is different everywhere you go, so the best bet for getting a clear answer is calling either your state board of elections office or your local city or town government office. The site USA.gov can help direct you to the former with their state and local election offices page.
How long do I have to register to vote?
States handle voter registration typically in one of three ways: In-person at an official designated location, by mail or online. Depending on the state where you live, you might have access to all three options or two. Your state of residence will also determine your registration deadline, after which you will not be able to vote in this year’s general election.
Only one state in the US — North Dakota — doesn’t do voter registration at all, so if you’re a North Dakotan you have no deadline to worry about. Instead, you need to bring one of the valid pieces of ID to prove to officials that you are eligible to vote.
For US citizens living abroad, the deadline for registration is the same as the state where they are eligible to vote. However, embassies have encouraged these citizens to complete their Federal Post Card Application well in advance of those dates, keeping in mind that transit to the US can sometimes take several weeks.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, the registration deadline passed for all methods in Alaska and for in-person and mail registrations in Louisiana. Residents of the latter state can still register online until Oct. 16. And on Monday, Oct. 7, the deadlines for all methods passed in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi, as well as for the postmarked mail registration deadline in Montana. Montana residents can still register by mail if their application is received by Oct. 9, or in-person all the way through Election Day.
Below, check out a full breakdown of the voter registration options available in each state, as well as their deadlines this year.
Alabama: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 21.
Alaska: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Sunday, Oct. 6.
Arizona: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 7.
Arkansas: This state offers only in-person and by-mail voter registration; deadline for both is Monday, Oct. 7.
California: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 21. After this deadline, you can still register and vote provisionally as late as Election Day, but the vote won’t be counted until your registration is verified.
Colorado: In-person, mail and online voter registration available. Deadline for online and mail is Monday, Oct. 28. In-person can be done up through Election Day.
Connecticut: In-person, mail and online voter registration available. Deadline for online and mail is Friday, Oct. 18. Same-day in-person registration and voting can be done during the early voting period and on Election Day.
Delaware: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Saturday, Oct. 12.
Florida: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 7.
Georgia: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 7.
Hawaii: In-person, mail and online voter registration available. Deadline for mail is Monday, Oct. 28. Online and same-day in-person registration and voting can be done through the early voting period and on Election Day, though after Oct. 28, you may need to cast a provisional ballot.
Idaho: In-person, mail, and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Friday, Oct. 11. In-person same-day registration and voting available during early voting and Election Day.
Illinois: In-person, mail and online voter registration available. Deadline for mail is Tuesday, Oct. 8; for online, it’s Sunday, Oct. 20. In-person same-day registration and voting is available through early voting period and Election Day.
Indiana: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 7.
Iowa: In-person, mail, and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 21. In-person same-day registration and voting is also available during the early voting period and Election Day.
Kansas: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Kentucky: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 7.
Louisiana: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for in-person and mail is Sunday, Oct. 6; for online, it’s Wednesday, Oct. 16.
Maine: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for online and mail is Tuesday, Oct. 15; in-person can be done all the way through Election Day.
Maryland: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Tuesday, Oct. 15; in-person same day registration and voting can be done during early voting period and Election Day, with proof of address.
Massachusetts: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Saturday, Oct. 26.
Michigan: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for mail and online is Monday, Oct. 21; in-person available all the way through 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Minnesota: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for mail and online is Tuesday, Oct. 15; in-person same-day registration and voting is available through Election Day.
Mississippi: In-person and mail only, no online; deadline for both options is Monday, Oct. 7.
Missouri: In-person, mail, and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Montana: In-person and mail only, no online; mail must be postmarked by Sunday, Oct. 7, and received by Wednesday, Oct. 9; in-person available through early voting period and Election Day.
Nebraska: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for mail and online is Friday, Oct. 18; in-person deadline is Friday, Oct. 25.
Nevada: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for mail and in-person is Tuesday, Oct. 8; for online, it’s Thursday, Oct. 31; in-person same-day registration and voting is also available during early voting period and Election Day.
New Hampshire: In-person and mail only, no online; deadline for mail is between Wednesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 30, depending on where you live; in-person can be done all the way through Election Day, with valid photo ID.
New Jersey: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Tuesday, Oct. 15.
New Mexico: In-person, mail, and online voter registration available; deadline for mail and online is Tuesday, Oct. 8; in-person available through early voting period and Election Day.
New York: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for online and in-person is Saturday, Oct. 26; mail must be postmarked by Monday, Oct. 21, and received by Saturday, Oct. 26.
North Carolina: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; mail and online deadline is Friday, Oct. 11; mail can still be accepted if not postmarked by received by Wednesday, Oct. 16; in-person same-day registration and voting available through early voting period, ending Saturday, Nov. 2.
North Dakota: This state does not require registration, only one of the following forms of valid ID: state driver’s license; state non-driver’s license; tribal ID or tribal letter; or a long-term care certificate.
Ohio: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 7.
Oklahoma: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Friday, Oct. 11.
Oregon: In-person, mail, and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Pennsylvania: In-person, mail, and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 21.
Rhode Island: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Sunday, Oct. 6; in-person same-day registration and voting is available on Election Day, but only for year’s with a presidential election.
South Carolina: In-person, mail, and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 14. These deadlines were extended from earlier in the month due to the recent impact of Hurricane Helene.
South Dakota: In-person and mail only, no online; deadline for both options is Monday, Oct. 21, by 5 p.m.
Tennessee: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Monday, Oct. 7.
Texas: In-person and mail only, no online; deadline for both options is Monday, Oct. 7.
Utah: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for mail and online is Friday, Oct. 25; in-person same day registration and voting is available through the early voting period and on Election Day, but if this is done after Oct. 25, it must be a provisional ballot.
Vermont: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; each option available through Election Day; if your online or mail registration hasn’t been processed by then, however, you may need to complete another application at your polling place.
Virginia: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for mail and online is Tuesday, Oct. 15; in-person same-day registration and voting is available through early voting period and Election Day.
Washington: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for online and mail is Monday, Oct. 28; in-person same-day registration and voting is available through early voting period and Election Day.
Washington, DC: In-person, mail and online voter registration available. Deadline for online and mail is Tuesday, Oct. 15. Same-day in-person registration and voting can be done through the early voting period and on Election Day.
West Virginia: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for each option is Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Wisconsin: In-person, mail and online voter registration available; deadline for online and mail is Wednesday, Oct. 16; in-person same-day registration and voting is available through early voting period and Election Day.
Wyoming: In-person and mail only, no online; deadline for mail is Monday, Oct. 21; in-person same-day registration and voting is available during early voting period and Election Day.
For more on the upcoming election, find out how to easily find your registration status online.
