don’t miss the midterms: voting registration deadlines & requirements by state

Photo by Mirah Curzer on Unsplash

Election day for the midterms is just 18 days away so let’s get straight to the point: you are running out of time to register to vote.

If you are sick of protesting to be heard, feel disenfranchised by branches of government, want to protect women’s health, are hurt by the Kavanaugh nomination, thought the Muslim ban was preposterous, find the child separation “policy” deplorable, think prisons need reform, crave an equal party balance of power in the government, or have any opinion on politics whatsoever, then you need to vote.

Sounds easy enough. All you have to do is just pop online and register, right?

Unfortunately, no.

There are many laws in place that suppress your voting rights.

Ohio can purge your registration through the controversial “use-it-or-lose-it” law; many states require a photo ID to vote; if you were ever convicted of a felony, Iowa strips your voting rights and forces you to appeal to the Governor’s Office to have said rights “restored”; and more. Add to that voting registration methods and deadlines—which vary in every state—and you have quite a few obstacles to overcome before you can approach the polls.

That being said, I want to make things easier for you. I have compiled a list of deadlines and requirements for voting in each U.S. state. There are even instagram stories with deadlines in this post that you are free to use on your own social media. Remind your followers to register!

If you have the right vote, now is the time to exercise it.


voting deadlines & requirements by state

What you need to do to get your rear to the polls and cast that ballot


*Stand alone below dates apply to all forms of registration—online, in person, and by mail

**Midterm election day is November 6, 2018. After you ensure you are registered, check your state/county website for polling locations or to get your mail-in ballot (if available)

Click on the state below to view details

+ Alaska

  • Oct 7

  • ID requested, photo ID not required

+ Alabama

  • Oct 22

  • Photo ID requested

+ Arizona

  • Oct 9
  • ID requested, photo ID not required

+ Arkansas

  • Oct 9 by mail or in person
  • online registration not available
  • Photo ID requested

+ California

  • Oct 22
  • If you miss the deadline you can register at an election office and vote with a provisional ballot which will be counted after verification
  • no ID requested

+ Colorado

  • Oct 29 online or by mail
  • or in person by Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • ID requested, photo ID not required

+ Connecticut

  • Oct 30 online or by mail
  • or in person by Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • ID requested, photo ID not required

+ Delaware

  • Oct 13
  • ID requested, photo ID not required

+ D.C.

  • Oct 16 online or by mail
  • or in person on Election Day
  • no ID requested unless you are a first time registrar or register at the polls

+ Florida

  • Oct 9
  • photo ID requested

+ Georgia

  • Oct 9
  • photo ID requested

+ Hawaii

  • Oct 9
  • if you miss the deadline you can register at an election office and vote with a provisional ballot which will be counted after verification
  • photo ID requested

+ Idaho

  • Oct 12 online or by mail
  • or in person by Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • photo ID requested

+ Illinois

  • Oct 9 by mail
  • Oct 21 online
  • Or in person on Election Day

+ Indiana

  • Oct 9
  • photo ID requested

+ Iowa

  • Oct 22 by mail
  • Oct 27 online
  • Or in person on Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ Kansas

  • Oct 16
  • photo ID requested

+ Kentucky

  • Oct 9
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ Louisiana

  • Oct 9 in person or by mail
  • Oct 16 online
  • photo ID requested

+ Maine

  • Oct 16 by mail
  • Or in person by Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • Online registration unavailable
  • no ID requested

+ Maryland

  • Oct 16
  • no ID requested

+ Massachusetts

  • Oct 17
  • no ID requested

+ Michigan

  • Oct 9 by mail or in person
  • online registration unavailable
  • photo ID requested

Minnesota

  • Oct 16 online or by mail
  • in person by Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • no ID requested

+ Mississippi

  • Oct 8 in person
  • Oct 9 by mail
  • online registration unavailable
  • photo ID requested

+ Missouri

  • Oct 10
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ Montana

  • Oct 7 in person
  • Oct 10 by mail
  • late registration available through Election Day at county election offices
  • online registration unavailable
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ Nebraska

  • Oct 19 by mail or online
  • Oct 26 in person
  • no ID requested

+ Nevada

  • Oct 9 by mail
  • Oct 16 in person
  • Oct 18 online
  • no ID requested

+ New Hampshire

  • Oct 24 by mail
  • by Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • online registration unavailable
  • ID requested, photo not required

New Jersey

  • Oct 16 by mail or in person
  • online registration unavailable
  • no ID requested

New Mexico

  • Oct 9
  • no ID requested

+ New York

  • Oct 12 online or in person
  • mail-in form must be received by Oct 17
  • no ID requested

+ North Carolina

  • Oct 12 by mail or in person
  • online registration unavailable
  • Note: Deadlines have been altered in 28 North Carolina counties due to Hurricane Florence. Learn more here.
  • no ID requested

North Dakota

  • n/a voters are not required to register before Election day; if you are a resident of North Dakota you can vote
  • *ID requested, photo not required

+ Ohio

  • Oct 9
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ Oklahoma

  • Oct 12 by mail or in person
  • online registration unavailable
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ Oregon

  • Oct 16
  • no ID requested

+ Pennsylvania

  • Oct 9
  • no ID requested

+ Rhode Island

  • Oct 7
  • photo ID requested

+ South Carolina

  • Oct 17
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ South Dakota

  • Oct 22 in person
  • mail-in form must be received by Oct 22
  • online registration unavailable
  • photo ID requested

+ Tennessee

  • Oct 9
  • photo ID requested

+ Texas

  • Oct 9
  • online registration unavailable
  • photo ID requested

+ Utah

  • Oct 9 by mail
  • Oct 30 online or in person
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ Vermont

  • online or in person through election day
  • no ID requested

+ Virginia

  • Oct 15
  • photo ID requested

+ Washington

  • Oct 8 by mail or online
  • Oct 29 in person
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ West Virginia

  • Oct 16
  • ID requested, photo not required

+ Wisconsin

  • Oct 17 online or by mail
  • in person by Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • photo ID requested

+ Wyoming

  • Oct 22 by mail
  • in person by Election Day as long as you are a resident
  • online registration unavailable
  • no ID requested

Don't know if your registered to vote? Check now.

Rock the Vote - A third party resource you can fill out online. Offers registration information quickly.

Vote.org - Another third party resource you can fill out online that also offers links to your state’s online registrant search (in case you’d rather check directly through your state government rather than another party)

Headcount.org - Rather than using a 3rd party to check your registration status, Headcount has contact information for your local government so that you can directly check with your local clerk’s office

voter registration deadline reminders (for social media)


The following graphics are last day reminders for voter registration. Therefor, “TODAY” is quite prominent while the actual date is much smaller. Please ensure that whatever templates you download and share have the correct date. It can be easy to miss ;)

Each graphics is sized for Instagram stories, but can technically be used on any social media site. You are welcome to use and share these. You may not claim these templates as your own or edit them in any way that may confuse consumers/misconstrue information.

Click on an image below to download.