Last-Minute Voting Tips

There are three things every voter should do before they head to the polls, election experts agree: Check to make sure you're registered to vote at your current address, find out where your polling place is and find out what ID you'll need when you go to cast your ballot.

You'll not only save yourself time, you'll save yourself some aggravation. And there's sure to be some of that on Election Day, with a record turnout predicted nationwide.

Every state has different requirements for the kind of identification voters must have in hand at the polls. The easiest way to find what you'll need is to start with two non-partisan Web sites: canivote.org, run by the National Association of Secretaries of State, which represents the chief election officials from around the country; and Vote411.org, sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

You can check to make sure you're registered at both sites, which also have information on polling places as well as voter ID requirements by state. Most states also have election hotlines (see chart with this story) for voters to call if they do not have Internet access.

You'll also find additional information about provisional ballots, voter IDs and first-time voters below.

First things first
But making sure you're registered and identifying your polling place are both crucial first steps to making the process go more smoothly Tuesday.

"Research has shown from the past two election cycles that the No. 1 question voters have on Election Day is, 'Am I registered to vote,' and the second-most frequent question is, 'Where do I go to vote?' " said Kay Stimson, director of communications and special projects for the National Association of Secretaries of State. "So, those are two very powerful things voters can find out in advance."

Sean Greene, project manager for research for the Pew Center on the States' electionline.org, agrees.

"Check with a phone call, in person or online that you're actually registered to vote," he said. "That's the most important thing. And when you're doing that, check what sort of ID you need to bring, and where you're supposed to vote. Knowing all of that ahead of time, obviously, is the best way."

Canivote.org "is the only Web portal that's set up by election officials linking directly to election officials that's out there," said Stimson. "It allows people to check their registration, find their polling place, learn about ID requirements and perhaps most importantly, look up a contact for a local election office."

LWV help by phone
The League of Women Voters, with 850 chapters around the country, also will have volunteers staffing the phones in the next few days to answer voter questions about Election Day. Check your local phone book for the group's number.