On Election Day, millions of voters will go to the polls in 17 states where they’ll face strict identification, early voting cutbacks, same-day registration elimination, proof of citizenship requirement, additional scrutiny (whatever that means), or some combination of them all.
Collectively, these 17 states are home to over 110 million people and will wield 189 of the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency.
To be clear: that’s 70 percent of the overall number of electoral college votes needed to reach 270, and 34 percent of the states.
Voters who are turned away from the polls, may leave thinking there is nothing they can do to appeal the decision. They would be wrong. The first step, however, is to go to the polls prepared for the worst, even in states without any voting restrictions.
Knowledge is power; pull up a stool.
The following states have voter ID laws: Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Dakota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Kansas requires voters to provide proof of citizenship. In addition, there have been early voting cutbacks in Nebraska, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin. Arizona and Kansas have a duel registration system; Arizona places restrictions on mail-in ballots, and North Carolina and Ohio have eliminated same day registration.
Each state has different requirements when it comes to the ID necessary to vote; some will take a military ID, or a passport, but most prefer a state driver’s license or a state issue identification card. To find out what each your state requires, click here and scroll down until you see its name. Besides the ID information, the page will include what time the polls open, the date by which absentee ballots much be postmarked, etc. Just click on one of the tabs at the top.