Learn what it takes to be ready to cast your ballot in the 2026 U.S. Midterms (a.k.a. Midterm Elections).

Participating in U.S. elections is more than just registering to vote and showing up to the polls. Many new voters enter the voting booth or review their ballot by mail for the first time, and find themselves overwhelmed by the number of contests and pages, confused by the language in proposed amendments or bonds, or realize that they've forgotten who or what they intended to vote for because they didn't write it down —or they panic because they thought they were allowed to use their smartphone inside the voting booth to consult their notes or look something up, but they're not!

Participating in U.S. elections actually begins long before entering the voting booth or completing your ballot by mail...

• It starts with making sure that you're registered ahead of the deadline (October 5, 5pm CT), and that your voter address is up-to-date before the (same) deadline.
• It's checking your voter registration status no later than 30 days before every upcoming election to confirm that you're still eligible to participate even if you think you're registered or were registered in the previous election.
• It's checking the accepted forms of voter ID and making sure you have it before visiting the polls.
• It's reviewing your sample ballot and consulting resources (non-partisan information is recommended) that help you make informed choices.
• It's bringing your physical election notes or annotated sample ballot with you into the voting booth and not relying on your memory (fallible) or your smartphone (prohibited), so you can make informed choices.