Resources for Voters

Here are some tools and some information that you may find helpful to better prepare yourself to vote, and ensure you are making well informed decisions about who you're voting for and when.

Below are some categories that might help you figure out where you are in the process.

Preparing to Vote

Voter Guides provide information about a candidate running for office. They include information such as political party affiliation, education and work history, where they stand on certain issues/ topics and past voting history.

Here are some voter guides that you can use to learn about the candidates to decide who you want to vote for.

Guides.vote --- https://guides.vote

Vote411 --- https://www.vote411.org/ballot

Ballot Ready --- https://www.ballotready.org

BallotPedia --- https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup

ActiVote --- https://acti.vote/YoungGensVote

Never miss an election, or a deadline you need to meet. Use the tool below to find out when you should be voting and the deadlines you need to meet to register, request your ballot and to ensure your vote gets counted.

The U.S. Vote Foundation’s "Election Dates & Deadlines" tool will tell you:

Your voter registration deadline
When you need to request and return your absentee/ mail-in ballot by
When early voting is (if your state does early voting)

Election Dates & Deadlines --- https://www.usvotefoundation.org/state-election-dates-and-deadlines

In many states you need an ID with you in order to be able to vote, and some of these states make it harder then others to meet this ID requirement. Some first time voters are also required to show ID when they go to the polls.

You can get help from Vote Riders if you are having trouble getting an ID or are unsure what method(s) of identification you need to vote in your state.

Find Out What ID You Need to Vote:

VoteRiders --- www.voteriders.org/staterules/

VoteRiders

VoteRiders is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization with the mission to ensure that all citizens are able to vote. They work to inform and help people by assisting them in securing the identification required to vote.

Webiste --- www.voteriders.org

Call or Text: 866ID-2-VOTE
Chatbot: SMS or Facebook Messenger
Social Media:
- Instagram: @VoteRiders
- Facebook: VoteRiders
- Twitter: @VoteRiders
- LinkedIn: VoteRiders

The ActiVote app helps to educate voters on important issues, connect them with their elected representatives, show their officials’ voting history, tells you when to vote and who’s running for office, and so much more.

The ActiVote app is free, nonpartisan and available for download on the Google Play and the App Store.

Click here to get ActiVote --- https://acti.vote/YoungGensVote

ActiVote

Webiste --- www.activote.net

Instagram --- www.instagram.com/ActiVoteUS

Facebook --- www.facebook.com/ActiVoteUS

YouTube --- @ActiVoteUS

Twitter --- www.twitter.com/ActiVoteUS

LinkedIn --- ActiVote

Be sure to know what rights you have before you go to the polls to vote. Unfortunately there are people that will cause problems for you, make voting harder and outright refuse to let you vote. You have rights at the polls, which afford you options to ensure you are able to vote. Make sure you know what they are.

Contact the Election Protection Hotline if you encounter any problems when you go to vote.

Know Your Voting Rights

ACLU --- https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/voting-rights

Helping Voters

It's not easy to prepare for an election so you are making informed decision when you select the candidates you want to vote for. There are simple steps you can follow to help you best prepare for Election Day.

You can click here to follow our flow chart, where take you through the process step by step. We also have a Voter Checklist you can download to help you make sure you are ready to vote. Click here to download our Voter Checklist.

Sometimes there are people at polling sites that try to stop others from voting, or they make the process harder and more confusing in an effort to deter people from voting.

If anyone is giving you a hard time, harasses you at the polls, prevents you from voting or says you cannot vote, contact the Election Protection Hotline.

Election Protection Hotline

Webiste --- https://866ourvote.org/

The Election Protection Hotline is a national, non-partisan coalition to defend, protect and advance the right to vote for everyone. They have resources for everyone in the United States to use to ensure that their vote is counted.

Call or Text: 866-687-8683 (866-OUR-VOTE)
Social Media:
Hotlines:
- English: 866-687-8683 (866-OUR-VOTE)
- Spanish: 888-839-8682
- Arabic: 844-925-5287
- Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog or Vietnamese: 888-274-8683

Learn About Voting, Civics & Government

Do you have questions about voting or the process leading up to it? Don’t be embarrassed, many people do and it’s because school doesn’t properly teach us and people purposefully make the voting process confusing. In the age of misinformation, it’s not always easy to find reliable, accurate and unbiased information that is up to date with any recent changes.

If you have questions, you have a few options on who you can contact to get them answered:

1. Your state's Board/ Office of Elections or the Secretary of State's Office.

2. Your county's Board/ Office of Elections.

3. Ask the U.S. Vote Foundation

Ask Your Question(s) --- https://voterhelpdesk.usvotefoundation.org/en/support/tickets/new

Common Questions --- https://voterhelpdesk.usvotefoundation.org/en/support/solutions

The words and phrases used to describe elections, voting and politics are not always easy to understand, especially when it's not taught properly in school. Use the resources below to find out what the terms mean from trusted sources.

U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) ----www.eac.gov/sites/default/files/glossary_files/Glossary_of_Election_Terms_EAC.pdf

(Translated) U.S. Election Assistance Commission----www.eac.gov/election-officials/glossaries-election-terminology

U.S. Vote Foundation ---https://voterhelpdesk.usvotefoundation.org/en/support/solutions/folders/151000337509

Were you not taught about civics and government in school (or at least not taught it well), do you just have questions you want answered, or do you just want to learn more about how our government works?

Here are some resources you can use to learn more and get better educated on civics and government topics.

Rock the Vote's Democracy Explainers --- www.rockthevote.org/explainers/

Khan Academy's Government and Civics Courses:
- AP US Government & Politics: www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-government-and-politics
- US Government and Civics: www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics

Crash Course's lessons --- www.thecrashcourse.com/topic/usgovernment/

Annenberg Classroom --- www.annenbergclassroom.org/explore/

Contact Them

Do you have questions or want to learn more about elections happening in your county or state? Do you need help preparing for an upcoming election? Have other questions, or problems, that you need help with? Contact your county's board/ office of elections to get the information that you need.

Get answers and information by contacting your county's board/ office of elections.

Contact Your Local Board/ Office of Elections --- https://www.usvotefoundation.org/election-offices

Do you know who your elected officials are? Do you know the people that represents you in Congress or in local offices? It's easy for you to find out who those people are, represent and make decisions for you at the local, state and federal level.

Click below to find out who your elected officials are, their social media, and how you can contact them.

USA.gov--- https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Reminders

If you don't want to pre-register to vote or are unable to do so, you can sign up to get reminded to register to vote on your 18th birthday. Fill out the form below, that's curtsey of Vote.org, so you can get your reminder to register to vote.

Voting Rights

Depending on where you live, you may lose your right to vote after being found guilty of certain crimes. In some states, you can get these rights back, but there is a process to complete in order for you to do so. You may be able to vote while in prison, but this depends on the state you live in.

Learn more about restoring voting rights and voting in prison by clicking the link below.

U.S. Vote Foundation --- https://www.usvotefoundation.org/voting-rights-restoration

Resources for Voters

Preparing to Vote

Helping Voters

Call or Text: 866-687-8683 (866-OUR-VOTE)

Social Media:

Hotlines:

English: 866-687-8683 (866-OUR-VOTE)

Spanish: 888-839-8682

Arabic: 844-925-5287

Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog or Vietnamese: 888-274-8683

Learn About Voting, Civics & Government

Contact Them

Reminders

Voting Rights

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