Election Day 2024: Register to vote online? Maybe you’re out of luck

Handling voter registration online is one of the greatest modern conveniences available to American voters, and it’s one you may be considering on the eve of the 2024 general election. Unfortunately, it’s a convenience you may have to do without, depending from where you live.

Early voting is still underway in many states for this fall’s general election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, and voter registration deadlines have also passed in many of these states. In most states, as well as Washington, DC, residents have the option to register by mail, in person or online. However, for a handful of states, online registration isn’t an option at all, so residents will have to take other steps to sign up.

Based on recent statistics, registration has increased dramatically recently, and it is likely that US residents across the country are still eager to register. Last month, Stem.org reported that more than 150,000 people used its services to register on National Voter Registration Daythat was on September 17th. By comparison, the site registered just under 280,000 voters in all of 2023. Time to register is running out, so here are the states where residents have to go a little further than the computer to get the process moving.

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Which states do not have online registration?

The following seven states do not offer any form of online registration:

• Arkansas
• Mississippi
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Wyoming

These states have a combined population of approximately 40 million people, the majority of which, 30 million, are in Texas.

In these states, voters will have to make do with mail-in and in-person registration options. Unfortunately, the deadlines for those other methods have passed in Arkansas, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Texas, so any residents of those states who haven’t yet registered are out of luck this year. A more complete overview of the registration deadlines in each of these states and what options you have can be found below.

It’s worth adding that North Dakota also doesn’t offer online registration, as it doesn’t use registration at all. Residents of the Peace Garden State must present a valid ID at their polling station to prove they are eligible to vote.

How much time do I have to register if I live in one of these states?

CNET has created an interactive map of the US that allows you to find your registration deadline by simply hovering your cursor over your state. You can also read on for the details on the US government’s Vote.gov website.

State deadlines

• Arkansas: Mail-in entries must be postmarked no later than Monday, October 7. The deadline for personal registration was also Monday, October 7.
• Mississippi: Mail-in entries must be postmarked no later than Monday, October 7. The deadline for personal contact was also Monday, October 7.
• Montana: Mail-in entries must be postmarked by Monday, October 7. In-person registration can be done through Election Day.
• New Hampshire: Mail-in registrations must be received by Election Day, November 5. In-person registration can also be done through Election Day.
• South Dakota: Postal registrations must be received no later than Monday, October 21st. The deadline for personal contact is also Monday, October 21.
• Texas: Mail-in entries must be postmarked no later than Monday, October 7. The deadline for personal registration was also Monday, October 7.
• Wyoming: Postal registrations must be received no later than Monday, October 21st. In-person registration can be done through Election Day.

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