How to vote in the 2026 midterms: where to find official, accurate information

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. In the United States, each state and territory administers its own elections, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, so the rules that apply to you depend on where you live. Official state and local election offices are the authoritative source for those rules.

Start with vote.gov

Vote.gov, an official U.S. government website, walks you through registering or updating your registration, starting with your state. It also answers common questions about mail-in and absentee voting, early voting, voter identification, checking your registration status, and changing your address or party. It has guides for specific groups of voters, including new citizens, members of the military, voters living overseas, people with disabilities and people with past felony convictions, and is offered in multiple languages.

Check your state’s rules

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Register and Vote in Your State page covers every state, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories. For each one, it points you to the state election office, a directory of local election offices, instructions for registering and checking your status, and the ways you can cast a ballot. The commission notes that its summaries are drawn from state websites and advises voters to confirm details with linked state and local sources to make sure registration information and timelines are up to date.

Know your deadline

Every state sets its own voter registration deadline, and it can fall as much as a month before Election Day, according to USA.gov. North Dakota is the only state that does not require voters to register. If you are unsure whether a deadline has passed in your state, check with your state election office before assuming you cannot vote.

On Election Day

Polling hours and identification requirements are set by state law, and polling places are assigned by local election officials and can change between elections. Confirm yours with your local election office before you go. If you run into a problem at the polls, ask a poll worker first, and contact your local or state election office.

Be careful with what you read online

In the weeks before an election, false or outdated information about dates, deadlines and polling places can circulate on social media and in messaging apps. If a post tells you about a change to how, when or where to vote, verify it with your state or local election office before acting on it.

Democracy Today does not collect voter information and is not a government source. When we report on voting rules, we link to the official source so you can check it yourself.