Election Day 2024: Concerns about voter list purges? Breathe easy with these registration search tools
News of states purging their voter registration rolls continues to make headlines, even though there are less than 24 hours to go until Election Day. So it’s understandable that you’re concerned about the status of your own registration if you haven’t looked into it already.
A recent example of this came from Virginiawhere this month the state’s attempt to purge suspected non-citizens from its list through a program rolled out in August prompted legal action from the Justice Department, which filed a lawsuit citing concerns that eligible citizens would be wrongly removed in the process. In a 6-3 decision on WednesdayThe US Supreme Court has allowed the contested purge of Virginia to proceed. Similar purges have also recently occurred in North Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma, with a federal court halting another purge attempt in Alabama.
Brennan Center Research found that these purges increased by 21 percent between 2020 and 2022 compared to the same period between 2014 and 2016. While these purges can often be routine affairs that accurately exclude voters who have been eligible for longer, the Brennan Center warned that increasing them too much can lead to an increased ‘risk of inaccurate purification’. If introduced so close to a major general election, they could also risk purging people who have done nothing wrong, leaving them without time to resolve the situation.
Whatever the reason in your country, there are a handful of free online tools that can help you quickly look up your registration status. Read on for all the details, including information on avoiding phishing scams during the election year.
For more information about the upcoming elections, learn which states currently allow early voting and which states still allow you to register to vote.
Where can I check my voter registration?
Although you can search where you live on the Secretary of State’s website to check your voting status, a faster way is to go to a nonpartisan voter website to check your registration. Please note that all of these sites below allow you to check your voter status if you live in one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C., but they do not contain voter information if you live in one of the U.S. territories: U.S. citizens living in U.S. areas cannot vote for a president in the general election. Here are three nonpartisan sites you can use to check your voter status:
Stem.org is one of the most popular sites you can use to check the status of your voter registration online. Operated by a nonprofit, nonpartisan voter organization, Vote.org lets you find out if you’re registered to vote using a few simple pieces of personal information: your first and last name, address, date of birth, and email address. You also have the option to add your phone number to receive text messages, which you can also opt out of. If you find that you are not registered, you can tap Register to vote knobon the Vote.org main page to sign up.
Can I vote? of the National Association of Secretaries of State is another one-stop shop for voice tools. If you have the Registration status of voters link on the main page Can I vote? page and then choose the state where you live. You will be sent to your state’s official registration confirmation page to check your voter status.
Vote411.orgFunded by the League of Women Voters, it also allows you to check your voter status, register if you’re not logged in, and see what’s on your local ballot. Like the NASS voter site, Vote411 allows you to check your status by directing you to your state’s voter registration confirmation page. If you are not registered, Vote411.org offers one Register to vote link on the main page, which asks you to enter your name, address, email address and telephone number, and provides information about the registration options available to you. If your state offers online registration, Vote411 provides a direct link to that official page.
What should I do if I find out that I am not registered to vote?
If you use one of these resources and discover that you are not registered, perhaps due to a voter roll purge or because you forgot that you never registered, there are several options available to you to try to register in time for the elections. 2024 General Election. You can check this guide from CNET to find out what methods your state offers for voter registration and what the deadlines are. Registration deadlines have passed in many states, but there are still some that allow you to register on Election Day itself.
How do I watch out for election phishing?
Like many other aspects of modern life, elections and voter registration have become targets for phishing scams. Reports from major swing states Such as Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania found that people were being targeted by programs using URLs like “all-vote.com” and “votewin.org,” with text messages claiming the recipient was not registered to vote. When they click through, they are asked to enter their personal information into a form.
In a report on election phishing says cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs suggested three “red flags” to look out for if you suspect such a message may be a scam:
- Check a site such as Icann Lookup to see if the URL domain has been registered recently.
- Check the site to see if it contains little factual information about who is leading the alleged group.
- Check how much personal information is requested from you and whether the form signs you up for more messages.
These can all be telltale signs of phishing fraud.
For more information about the upcoming election, read about how the U.S. election system is under attack and how officials are preparing for challenges in the process.
