Texas Woman’s Viral Video Highlights Why You Need To Check This 1 Voter Registration Requirement

If you want to vote for the next U.S. president, you first need to make sure that you are registered.

In all states but North Dakota ― which does not require voter registration ― registering to vote with your local election administrator is a critical step before voting. It’s what ensures that eligible voters can request and receive a ballot.

In most states, you can simply register online to vote. But there is no standardized nationwide process for this, and the deadlines and methods for registration can vary widely from state to state. What’s more, seven states require that you do it in person or by mail ― you cannot do so online.

That makes voter registration harder, which is by design.

“We’ve moved towards making it easier to register to vote in a lot of states, because we’re allowing citizens to use the internet to do so. But not every state has done that,” said Jessica Levinson, an expert on election laws and a professor at Loyola Law School.

Why is that? “Those in favor of greater restrictions tend to say that it protects the process, that it promotes integrity, it deters fraud, and those in favor of reducing the thresholds to registering to vote and voting tend to argue that that’s hogwash and that this is really about trying to ... make it much more difficult for certain voters to vote,” Levinson explained.

The use of early polling places, voter ID requirements and vote-by-mail processes are other levers that a state “can pull to make it easier or harder to vote,” she said.

A Viral Video Highlights Why You Should Check If Your State Allows Online Voter Registration

Just because you can access a voter registration form online does not mean you can submit it online. Double-check whether you actually can register to vote online or not, depending on your state’s requirements. Texas, for example, does not permit online voter registration, except if you are also renewing your driver’s license.

A popular video from a Texas resident recently highlighted how registration instructions can be confusing.

Adrienne Quinn Martin, the chair of the Democratic Party in Hood County, explained in the video that an online registration form provided by the Texas secretary of state’s office can “trick” people. She pointed out that the online form ends with a “submit” button that may mislead voters into thinking that they can register online.

Martin told HuffPost that this “deceptive” wording has been “bugging her for years.”

“I’ll have people call me on Election Day and they’re like, ‘I’m here, I went to vote, and they said, I’m not registered.’ And then I’ll say: ‘Did you register online? Yes, OK, well, you didn’t actually register,’” she recalled, saying this happened to her own sister.

Since her video got reposted by celebrities like Questlove on social media, the application form instructions have changed.

The Texas secretary of state’s office confirmed to HuffPost that it recently adjusted the website button to now say “continue” rather than “submit,” to bring “additional clarity that you are not submitting the application online but that you have to print, sign and mail the registration.” The office did not answer a question on whether that change was because of Martin’s video.

How To Register To Vote In States Where You Cannot Do So Online

Below is the full list of states where registering to vote online is not possible, as well as what you need to do instead and by when:

Arkansas

In Arkansas, you can either register in person or by mail, and the deadlines for both are Oct. 7, 2024. The voter registration form is available in English and Spanish , and you may request that it be mailed to you through the United States Postal Service here .

For in-person registration, you will fill out a form at your county clerk’s office. Here is a list that shows where county clerks are located in Arkansas. You are not registered until your county clerk records your registration. Registering in person is what the state’s website recommends if the deadline is looming, because it is a “method of application that will ensure your eligibility.“

If you mail in your registration form, the postmark on your application is the submission date, so it must be Oct. 7, 2024, at the latest. Follow up with your local county clerk if you have not received confirmation of your mail-in application within two weeks.

As the state’s voter registration website notes , “Never assume you are registered to vote until you have received your voter registration card from the county clerk.”

Mississippi

For the upcoming presidential election, you can either register in person at your local circuit clerk’s office or by mailing your registration form to your county’s circuit clerk. The deadline for both options is Oct. 7, 2024. Here is a list of local circuit clerk locations.

You can fill out and print the mail-in voter registration form from here , or you can find one “at the Secretary of State’s Office, in public libraries, drivers license exam stations, circuit clerk’s offices, municipal clerk’s offices, [or] public schools,” according to the Mississippi secretary of state’s website .

Montana

In Montana, the deadline for voter registration is 30 days prior to an election, which is Oct. 7, 2024, in the case of the upcoming general election.

You can register in person, or by mail. Mail your completed form to your local county elections office by Oct. 7, 2024. Here is a list of county elections office locations in Montana.

If you miss that registration deadline, there is also same-day registration at polling places on Election Day. But you should expect a wait.

Missoula County’s election office states that “we expect longer than normal wait times on Election Day, so we recommend you register before Election Day if possible. Based on previous years, wait time to register to vote on Election Day could be up to two hours long.”

New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, you can register to vote in person at your town or city clerk’s office, or by mail.

You can register by mail if “you are temporarily out of town or have a disability that prevents you from applying in person,” New Hampshire’s official pocket voter guide states . To do so, you will need to request an absentee ballot from your clerk, and you can use a state Voter Information Lookup website to check if the clerk has received your request. A mailed form must be received by your local election administrator between six and 13 days before Election Day at the latest, depending on which town you live in.

But if you miss the deadline, New Hampshire also has same-day registration, so you can register to vote on Election Day ― which is Nov. 5, 2024 ― at your polling place. You will need to prove your identity, age and citizenship, as well as where you live, using identification materials listed by the state.

South Dakota

In South Dakota, you can either go in person to fill out a registration form with your county’s auditor or mail it to them. The form must be received by the auditor 15 days before any election at the latest, and in the case of the general election, that is Oct. 21, 2024.

And if you do not have access to a printer? “Our office and the county auditor’s office frequently send forms to individuals,” a South Dakota Division of Elections spokesperson told HuffPost by email. “They can also come in-person and fill out the information.”

Texas

In Texas, you must register to vote by Oct. 7, 2024, to be eligible to vote in the general election, and you can do this in person at your local voter registrar or by mail. Here is the list of local registrar locations.

If you choose the mail option, you should print, sign and mail a completed application form directly to your county election office. You can also request a postage-paid voter registration form that will be mailed to you here .

However, you can register to vote online if you qualify for an online driver’s license renewal .

Wyoming

In Wyoming, you have three options for voter registration.

The first option is filling out a Wyoming voter registration form in person at your county clerk or town clerk’s office. Here is a list of county clerk locations.

The second option is mailing a completed voter registration form directly to your local county clerk’s office, but you will need to get it notarized before an oath-taking officer. You will also need to attach paper photocopies of your identification document.

The deadline for registering in person or by mail is Oct. 21, 2024.

If you miss that date, you can go for the third option and register at the polls on Election Day. You will need to bring identification — which can include a valid driver’s license or additional identification if you don’t have one — that proves your eligibility to register.

What You Can Do To Help Others Register To Vote

Beyond registering yourself to vote, you can make sure friends and family members get the help they need, too.

“It is absolutely true that in some states, you need to just make an early plan and, depending on your situation, rely on the assistance of others,” Levinson said.

If you need assistance with registering to vote, “make a plan with a member of your community to get that help in terms of getting a printer or getting transportation,” she said.

Martin recommended accompanying a first-time voter to help them.

“The process is intimidating to first-time voters, especially young people, and then they just don’t go do it because they’re not sure what they’re supposed to do,” she said. “Take them to go get registered, tell them how to look up the candidates and what’s on the ballot.”