Quick links:
Voting deadlines all states
Our Local Ballot Guide and our Maine Voting Video
Virtual Ballot tool for everywhere else
Scroll down for details on how to vote wherever you are.
Voting early in person. If you want to vote in person, do it during early voting if it’s offered in your jurisdiction. In Maine you can vote early ONLY IF you haven’t also requested an absentee ballot in the mail. If you have already requested an absentee ballot in Maine, you must wait for your requested absentee ballot to arrive in the mail. In Brunswick you can return it by 1) bringing it with you to Town Hall, 2) dropping in the 24/7 secure dropbox outside Town Hall), or using USPS.
Voting in person on Election Day. Had a problem with your absentee ballot? In Maine and 20 other states you can register locally and vote on election day. Everywhere else, you can go to the polls only if you’re already registered locally (bring your ballot with you if you have it).
More tips for Election Day voters:
- Long lines are possible everywhere: pack a meal, a phone-charging battery, ID, hand sanitizer, and a mask
- Polling place locations & times are still changing. Double check yours.
- Need a Ride? Uber and Lyft are both helping. For Uber: Get 50% off rides to/from the polls when you use use the polling location finder in the app. For Lyft, text “Lyft” to 73179 to claim your free ride* to the polls (*Up to $25. While supplies last. Terms apply.)
- For help with any aspect of voting, add to your Contacts the Election Protection hotline (1-866-OUR-VOTE). In Maine, the LWV hotline is 207-558-3333.
- Pizza to the Polls: If the line is long, get free pizza delivered to you and your line buddies. Seriously!
- Stay safe! Mask, hand sanitizer, and what else? CDC has great tips for safe voting
Voting by mail. Use a secure dropbox rather than USPS, if it’s available where you live (38 states, but not everywhere within a state). This only applies to you if you’re voting in the same jurisdiction where you live; dropboxes are for local ballots only. If a dropbox isn’t an option for you, it may be too late for USPS to deliver your ballot on time (see ballot receipt deadlines). If you are mailing a ballot, go into the post office and ask for a “hand cancel” postmark at your post office counter to ensure the ballot gets postmarked.
Learn about what’s on your ballot. The ballot lookup tool at All In To Vote lets you save and email all your selections so you don’t have to stress in the polling both. It also lets you drill down into the candidates and issues you want to learn more about. However it doesn’t perfectly cover races at the local level, so you may want to look up a real sample ballot at the website of your local election official (view Brunswick ballots here). Other popular ballot lookup tools are at ballotpedia.org and vote411.org.
Decide where you stand. Many students feel like they just aren’t informed enough to justify voting, or haven’t given enough thought to political questions. A fun way to explore your own ideas is the Political Typology Quiz. Visit the Learn page for our favorite tools for making sense of politics and news.
Get all the info and make a plan now. TurboVote has all the data and forms you need to find your polling place, request your ballot, and get updates if things change. If your state requires paper forms, TV can send you a PDF or snail mail them to you for free, along with a pre-addressed and stamped envelope to submit them: