How to Get a Voting Ballot
In order to get a voting ballot, you must be an American citizen with the right to vote. If you are unsure about your citizenship status, you must clarify it before you begin the process of registering to vote. You must have previously registered and received a voter registration card in order to cast your ballot at the local polling station on Election Day.
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Instructions
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Get a Voting Ballot
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Register to vote by simply filling out a voter registration application and sending it in. Typically, it takes about 2 to 8 weeks to receive your voter identification card in the mail. So it is highly recommended that those planning on voting at an upcoming election register 8 weeks in advance.
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Find out where your local polling station is. This can be done by looking on your voter registration card or calling your County Clerk's office. Your polling station location is determined by your legal home address.
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Bring an identification source with you on Election Day. If this is your first election, you will be asked to show identification. If not, then you may be able to get a voting ballot by only showing your voter registration card, but you should still bring your ID as a backup.
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Ask the election official for a voting ballot. Once you have been confirmed as eligible to vote, the official should direct you to a private location and hand you a voting ballot. If they have not done this, you should ask, as it may simply be an oversight.
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Read the instructions once you get a voting ballot. There are two types of ballots: computerized and pen and paper. Both offer instructions for completion and it is highly recommended that you read the instructions completely before filling them out.
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Submit your ballot as your vote. With computerized submissions, a confirmation phrase should appear on the screen. With paper-and-pen ballots, you will fold and hand the ballot to an election official who will then place it in a locked box to be counted later with all the other ballots.
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Tips & Warnings
Incomplete or incorrect ballots will be ineligible. Read and follow the instructions carefully if you want your vote to count.
It is illegal to falsely portray another voter or to falsify information on your voter registration application. These actions are punishable by fines and up to 3 years in prison.
