How to Register to Vote in Your State
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How to Register to Vote in Your State

Young voters know with increasing urgency that the coming elections will disproportionately impact us and future generations to come. Issues like climate crisis, racism, student loan debt, health care and gun control have galvanized young Americans. In the 2016 general presidential election, older Americans still had the highest voting rates, but the youngest cohort disrupted the status quo by being the only age group with an increased turnout, compared to 2012. But a Vote.org and Flytedesk study showed that of students who said they planned to vote in the last election, 1 in 5 did not end up voting because they didn't have time due to class, work, or something else.

Determining how and where to register to vote in each state can be a frustratingly knotty and complex process. Perhaps this partially explains why only 32.6% of 18-29 year-olds voted in the 2018 midterm elections — which still represented, incidentally, record high numbers for young voters.

"Voting is habit-forming. Young people who voted in 2018 are 55% more likely to vote again in 2020," Kamari Guthrie, Director of Communications at Vote.org, said. "That is exactly why we are encouraging young people to engage in the process as soon as they are eligible."

Sometimes it seems like the odds are stacked our civic engagement. Maybe, as DJ Khaled said, they don't want us to win! For an extremely online generation, it's disappointing to hear, for example, that your state doesn't allow you to register to vote online (as is the case for Arkansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming).

Still, knowledge is power, and gathering information is the first step toward becoming an informed voter. Some states offer same day registration, for instance, while others have a 30 day cut off before the general election. Where does your state fall?

To find out, scroll down to your state (or hit Ctrl+F) for information on how, where and when to register to vote. A link to get more information for your state is below each ID card, created in partnership with Vote.org:

West Virginia

​For more information or to register to vote in West Virginia, visit Vote.org.​​

Illustrations: Mona Chalabi
Production: Peyton Dix and Claire Valentine
Facts and figures provided by: Vote.org
Lead image: Instagram