LibGuides: Elections and Voting: Voting

Voting Resources

Early & Absentee Voting
Information for all 50 states and the territories.
Elections & Voting Information, Washington State
The state's official site to look for information about voting and election information. There links to registration, forms, election information, what to do if you are going to be away during an election, etc.
Electoral Data for Counties in the United States: Presidential and Congressional Races, 1840-1972
This site includes federal and county-level returns for elections to the U.S. President presidency and to the U.S. House of Representatives.
My Vote
This site allows you to review your voting history, update your name, address, phone, etc.
A New Nation Votes
Collated from newspapers, this site has early American election results for the U.S. Senate & House of Representative. Data may be downloaded and narrowed by state, jurisdiction, party, election, year, office, etc.
Voters Away At College
Not certain what to do when you go to college? This site gives you all kind of good information about how to handle your voting while away from home.
Voting & Registration Tables
From the U.S. Census Bureau, a site with all kinds of data sets and reports related to voting, voters, and voter registration.
Washington Votes
This site is from the "Washington Policy Center, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational organization". Their goal is to provide updated information on each action in the state's legislature.
Washtington State Frequently Asked Questions about Voting & Elections

Voting Rights

One place you may always receive help with any government information research is Government Information Online (GIO) where librarians across the United States will assist you.

Voting Rights - essays from the Civil Rights collection at the Library of Congress.
Some reasons why we oppose votes for women ... National association opposed to woman suffrage. New York City [1894]. From the Library of Congress.
Elections, the American Way, a research guide from the Library of Congress.
Washington's successful vote-by-mail system wasn't built overnight by Donna Gordon Blankinship. Crosscut, April 15, 2020.
Voting Rights: A Short History, Carnegie Corporation of New York. November 18, 2019.
S.4263 - 116th Congress (2019-2020), John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
H.R.4 - 116th Congress (2019-2020), John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
- H.Con.Res.107, 7/27/2020
- H.Rept. 116-317

Washington Voter Rules

Voting Eligibility in Washington State

Visit the Washington Secretary of State website for additional information. To register to vote, you must be:

A citizen of the United States;
A legal resident of Washington State;
At least 18 years old by Election Day;
Not disqualified from voting due to a court order; and
Not under Department of Corrections supervision for a Washington felony conviction.
College students can either vote absentee in their home state or register to vote in WA if they have lived in WA for at least 30 days and have established a residential address in WA.
Check to see if you are already registered.

Deadlines

Voter registration deadlines are determined by the date of the election.
Online and mail registration must be received 8 days before Election Day.
Register to vote in person during business hours at a county elections department and any time before 8:00 PM on Election Day.
Election Calendar

ID Requirements for Registration

Online registration portal

To use the online voter registration system you will need a current Washington State driver's license, permit or ID card. If you do not have any of these, you may still register by mail or in person.

Mail-in Registration

An ID is not required for mail-in registration, but you must provide one of the documents listed on the form to verify residence: Driver’s license number, OR Last four digits of Social Security number

Update Registration

Update registration after a move or name change.

Cancelling registration

You may voluntarily cancel your Washington State voter registration by completing this form and returning it to your county elections department.

Other states voter registration deadlines

If you are not a resident in Washington state, there are several places to check to verify your voter registration and deadlines including Vote.org and Voting & Election Toolkits from GODORT, the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association.