In 2021 alone, 34 laws (open in new tab) restricting access to voting were passed across the country. These laws disproportionately affect black, brown, and transgender people (open in new tab), prohibit the use of ballot boxes (open in new tab), and make it illegal (open in new tab) to bring food and water to people waiting in line to vote. While some of the more extreme voter suppression laws have made national headlines, others (such as stricter voter ID requirements (opens in new tab)) are often quietly enforced without people knowing. This is one of the many reasons why it is essential to double-check the status of your voter registration and have all the materials you might need ready by Election Day.

Check below for everything you need to know about registering to vote, from how to check your registration status to voter suppression laws you should be aware of before the 2022 midterm elections.

You can register to vote online, in person, or by mail. This varies depending on the state you live in, but most states offer online voter registration, which is quick and easy. To find out how to register to vote in your state, go to How to Vote (opens in a new tab), click on the drop-down menu, select "How to Register to Vote," and find your state. This site will give you a detailed look at what you need to do before or on Election Day, as well as specific deadlines for the upcoming election.

When registering to vote, it is also important to note that voting laws are different for previously and currently incarcerated persons and for U.S. citizens living abroad (opens in new tab) (the latter largely related to your state's vote-by-mail laws). This guide from the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (opens in new tab) contains information on voting laws for formerly incarcerated persons, last updated in July 2022. Also, the ACLU's "Felony Voting Disenfranchisement Map" (opens in new tab) provides a visual view of laws across the country that prevent Americans with felony convictions from voting.

This depends on your state's laws. You can find a list of voter registration laws by state at the aforementioned How to Vote (opens in new tab) site or at Vote.org (opens in new tab).

Even if you are already registered to vote and do not believe your personal information has changed recently, you should check your voter registration status. According to Election Assistance Commission (EAC) data (opens in new tab) analyzed by the Brennan Center for Justice, at least 17 million voters nationwide were purged from the voter rolls between 2016 and 2018, and that number is likely to have increased since then.

You can easily check your voter registration status by visiting RocktheVote.org (opens in new tab), clicking on "Check Your Registration Status," and filling out the form (opens in new tab) with your personal information. You can also go directly to each state's Board of Elections website to check if you are registered.

If you have recently moved, changed your name, or want to change your party affiliation (this is especially important since you can only vote for your party's candidate in a primary election), you will need to update or change your voter registration. This can be done by registering to vote in your new state if you have permanently moved to a new state, or by checking your registration status and making any necessary changes to your personal information. If you are transgender and concerned about not having an ID that correctly matches your name and/or gender, learn your rights (opens in new tab), find out what ID you will need on Election Day (opens in new tab), and if your state allows it, mail-in Consider voting. The Lewis Voting Rights Promotion Act of 2021 (opens in new tab) would restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (opens in new tab). If this legislation is not passed, states have the power to pass voting restriction laws that intentionally harm people of color and undermine democracy as a whole. The Voting Rights Lab (open in new tab) can help you track existing and pending voting rights legislation across the country to know what is happening in your state. The Brennan Center has a history of tracking voting rights legislation and has published a summary of pending or enacted legislation (opens in new tab) as of May 2022.

Fair Fight is also here to remind you (open in new tab) that voter suppression can manifest itself in many ways before, during, and after the vote. This Twitter thread (opens in new tab) from someone who tried to vote in the 2022 midterm elections is an example of how voter suppression can occur at the polls and why we should always advocate for ourselves. If you think you've been treated unfairly at the polls, call the Election Protection Hotline (opens in new tab) at 866-OUR-VOTE.

Check your voter registration status and make sure your personal information is accurate, or you may miss your state's voter registration deadlines and not be able to vote in the next election The 2022 midterm elections are fast approaching and your vote matters, so many voter registration deadlines have already passed.

It may seem a bit ironic to talk about a politician actively trying to pass a law that curtails your ability to vote and then be told to vote to unseat that politician. Nevertheless, the ACLU (open in new tab), New Georgia Project (open in new tab), Fair Fight (open in new tab), League of Women Voters (open in new tab), Election Protection (open in new tab), and other These organizations actively fight voter suppression and protect voting rights throughout the year. If you want to do more than vote to fight voter suppression, visit the websites of these organizations to see if you can volunteer, and if you have the means, donate to support their work to protect democracy.