Urgent: Voter Registration Deadlines and Information

July 27, 2012

You can't vote if you are not registered to vote, and in almost every state you must register well ahead of the election. This year Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, and some states will still hold primary elections before then, so you need to know if that affects the timing of your registration.

No two states are exactly alike in their voter registration requirements, but registration by mail is now allowed. You can find out your state's voter registration deadline, obtain voter registration forms, and get answers to other questions at Vote411.org.

Many UE locals conduct voter registration drives in their workplaces, and this year that's more important than ever. Each UE member should also take responsibility for registering your family, friends, and co-workers.

This year the Republican Party and big business have launched an all-out attack on the right to vote. They have been purging millions of voters from the rolls, and in several states they've passed legislation to deny the right to vote to millions more voters who don't have a driver's license or some other form of government-issued identification document with a photograph. They use the lame excuse that this is to stamp out "voter fraud" (which is, in fact, practically nonexistent), but they know that the people who don't have drivers licenses are predominantly poor, elderly, disabled and students - and less likely to vote Republican.

Here, for UE members, stewards and local officers, is a checklist for getting your fellow workers and family members registered to vote.

  1. Go to Vote411.org and download a copy of the National Mail Voter Registration Form. Read the form for the specific instructions that apply to your state. Make copies of the form.
  2. You can also obtain copies of your state's mail-in voter registration form from your county election office, some other government offices, or groups engaged in voter registration in your community.
  3. UE stewards and officers can have members who aren't registered to vote fill out the forms, and then mail or deliver the forms to the election office for them.
  4. Draw up a list of your immediate family members, neighbors, and co-workers.
  5. Ask each of them if they are registered to vote. If they are not registered -- or not sure - have them fill out and sign the form and mail it for them.
  6. Repeat as often as necessary. Remember, Corporate America intends to win this election by any means available - especially by keeping working-class people from voting. We have to make sure our people are registered to vote, and then get everyone to the polls on Election Day.
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES (for states where UE members live.)

California: Postmarked 15 days before the election.

Connecticut: Postmarked 14 days before the election. If delivered in person, received 7 days before election.

Illinois: Postmarked 28 days before election.

Indiana: Postmarked 29 days before election.

Iowa: Postmarked 15 or more days before the election. If delivered in person, received 10 days before the general election. (Same rule applies to primaries.) You can also register in person on Election Day.

Maryland: Postmarked 21 days before the election.

Massachusetts: Postmarked 20 days before election.

Michigan: Postmarked 30 days before election.

Minnesota: Received 20 days before the election. You can also register in person on Election Day if you can provide proof of residency.

Nebraska: Postmarked third Friday before the election. If delivered in person, received by 6:00 p.m., second Friday before election.

New Hampshire: Received 10 days before election. You can also register in person on Election Day.

New Jersey: Received 29 days before election.

New York: Postmarked 25 days before election.

North Carolina: Postmarked 25 days before election.

Ohio: Postmarked 30 days before election.

Pennsylvania: Received 30 days before election.

South Dakota: Received 15 days before election.

Vermont: Received by 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before election.

Virginia: Postmarked 29 days before election.

West Virginia: Postmarked 21 days before election.

Wisconsin: Postmarked 20 days before election. If delivered in person, received by 5:00 p.m. one day before election. You may also register in person on Election Day.

Dates in the above list come from the National Mail Voter Registration Form.