Voter Registration Rules

To register to vote in Alabama you must:

• Be a United States Citizen
• Reside in Alabama
• Be at least 18 years old
• Have not been convicted of a disqualifying felony (or have rights restored)
• Have not been legally declared "mentally incompetent" by a court

To register in Alaska you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be at least 18 years old within 90 days of completing your registration;
• Be a resident of Alaska;
• Not be a convicted of certain felonies (unless unconditionally discharged from incarceration, probation and/or parole); and
• Not be registered to vote in another state.

To register in Arizona you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Arizona and your county at least 29 days preceding the next election;
• Be 18 years old on or before the next general election;
• Be able to write your name or mark, unless prevented from so doing by physical disability;
• Not have been convicted of treason or a felony (or have had your civil rights restored); and
• Not currently be declared an incapacitated person by a court of law.

To register in Arkansas you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be an Arkansas resident;
• Be at least 18 years old before the next election;
• Not be a convicted felon (or have completely discharged your sentence or been pardoned);
• Not claim the right to vote in any other jurisdiction;
• Not previously be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction.

To register in California you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of California;
• Be at least 18 years of age at the time of the next election;
• Not currently be serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony; and
• Not currently be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law.

To register in Colorado you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Colorado 22 days prior to Election Day;
• Be 16 years old (but 18 years old on or before Election Day); and
• Not be serving a sentence of detention, confinement, or parole for a felony conviction.

To register in Connecticut:

• You must be a citizen of the United States;
• You must be a resident of Connecticut and of the town in which you wish to vote;
• Be at least 17 years old and will be at least 18 years old on the next election;
• You must have completed confinement and parole if previously convicted of a felony.

To register in Delaware you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a permanent resident of Delaware;
• Be at least 18 years old on the date of the next general election;
• Not be mentally incompetent;
• If you are a felon, you are eligible to vote as long as you have served your sentence (including parole) and your convictions were not for disqualifying felonies: murder and manslaughter (except vehicular homicide), sexual offenses, or crimes against public administration involving bribery or improper influence or abuse of office.

To register in the District of Columbia you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a District of Columbia resident at least 30 days preceding the next election;
• Be at least 18 years old on or preceding the next general election;
• Not have been judged legally incompetent by a court of law;
• Not claim the right to vote anywhere outside DC.

To register in Florida you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a legal resident of both the State of Florida and of the county in which you seek to be registered;
• Be 18 years old (you may pre‑register if you are at least 16);
• Not be adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other State, or if you have, you must first have your voting rights restored;
• Not be a convicted felon, or if you are, you must first have your civil rights restored if they were taken away;
• Swear or affirm the following: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Florida, that I am qualified to register as an elector under the Constitution and laws of the State of Florida, and that all information provided in this application is true.”

To register in Georgia you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a legal resident of Georgia and of the county in which you want to vote;
• Be at least 18 years old within six months after the day of registration, and be 18 years old to vote;
• Not be serving a sentence for having been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude;
• Not have been judicially determined to be mentally incompetent, unless the disability has been removed.

To register in Hawaii you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of the State of Hawaii;
• Be at least 16 years old (you must be 18 years old by Election Day in order to vote);
• Not be incarcerated for a felony conviction;
• Not be adjudicated by a court as “non compos mentis” (not of sound mind).

To register in Idaho you must:

• Be at least 18 years old;
• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Have resided in Idaho and in the county for 30 days prior to the date of election;
• Not be serving a sentence of imprisonment for a felony. Your voting rights are restored once you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole.

To register in Illinois you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Illinois and of your election precinct at least 30 days before the next election;
• Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election;
• Not be serving a sentence of confinement for a criminal conviction (but you can vote if you have been charged but not convicted, have completed your sentence, or have been released on parole);
• Not claim the right to vote anywhere else.

To register in Indiana you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Have resided in the precinct at least 30 days before the next election;
• Be at least 18 years of age on the day of the next general election;
• Not currently be incarcerated for a criminal conviction.

To register in Iowa you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Iowa;
• Be at least 17 years old (you can vote in the primary election if you will be 18 by the general);
• Not have been convicted of a felony (or have had your rights restored);
• Not currently be judged by a court to be "incompetent to vote;"
• Not claim the right to vote in more than one place.

To register in Kansas you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Kansas;
• Be 18 by the next election;
• Have completed the terms of your sentence if convicted of a felony and received a certificate of discharge; a person serving a sentence for a felony conviction is ineligible to vote;
• Not claim the right to vote in any other location or under any other name.

To register in Kentucky you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Kentucky for at least 28 days before to Election Day;
• Be 18 years of age on or before the next general election;
• Not be a convicted felon, or if you have been convicted of a felony, your civil rights must have been restored by expungement, executive pardon, or executive order;
• Not have been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of law;
• Not claim the right to vote anywhere outside Kentucky.

To register in Louisiana you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Louisiana (A college student may elect to use his home address or his address while away at school);
• Be at least 17 years old (16 years old if registering in person at the Registrar of Voters Office or at the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles);
• Not currently be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony. (If you are under an order but have not been incarcerated within the last five years, you ARE eligible to vote unless your conviction was for election fraud);
• Not currently be under a judgment of interdiction for mental incompetence.

To register in Maine you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Maine and the municipality in which you want to vote;
• Be 17 years old (you must be at least 18 years of age to vote, except that in primary elections you may vote if you are 17 but will be 18 by the general election).

To register in Maryland you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen;
• Be a Maryland resident;
• Be at least 16 years old, and at least 18 years old by the next general election;
• Not be under guardianship for mental disability;
• Not have been convicted of buying or selling votes;
• Not have been convicted of a felony, or if you have, have completed serving a court ordered sentence of imprisonment.

To register in Massachusetts you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Massachusetts;
• Be at least 16 years old (but will not be eligible to vote until you are 18 years old);
• Not have been convicted of corrupt practices in respect to elections;
• Not be under guardianship with respect to voting;
• Not be currently incarcerated for a felony conviction.

To register in Michigan you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be 17.5 at the time of registration (but you will need to be 18 years old to vote in an election);
• Be a resident of Michigan and at least a 30 day resident of your city or township by Election Day;
• Not be confined in a jail after being convicted and sentenced.

Warning: Michigan law requires that the same address be used for voter registration and driver's license purposes. Therefore, if the residence address you provide on your voter registration form differs from the address shown on a driver's license or personal identification card issued by the State of Michigan, the Secretary of State will automatically change your driver's license or personal identification card address to match your voter registration address. If an address change is made, the Secretary of State will mail you an address update sticker for your driver's license or personal identification card.

To register in Minnesota you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Minnesota for 20 days before the next election;
• Maintain residence at the address given on the registration form;
• Be at least 18 years old on Election Day;
• If previously convicted of a felony, have completed or been discharged from your sentence;
• Not be under a court‑ordered guardianship in which the right to vote has been revoked;
• Not be found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote.

To register in Mississippi you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Have lived in Mississippi and in your county (and city, if applicable) 30 days before Election Day;
• Be 18 years old by the time of the general election in which you want to vote;
• Have not been convicted of voter fraud or any other disenfranchising crime (or, if you have been convicted, you must have had your rights restored);
• Not have been declared mentally incompetent by a court.

To vote in Missouri you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Missouri;
• Be at least 17‑1/2 years of age (you must be 18 to vote);
• Not be on probation or parole after conviction of a felony, until finally discharged from such probation or parole;
• Not be convicted of a felony or misdemeanor connected with a voting or election offense (unless fully pardoned);
• Not be adjudged incapacitated by any court of law;
• Not be confined under a sentence of imprisonment.

To register in Montana you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day;
• Be a resident of Montana and of the county in which you want to vote for at least 30 days before the next election;
• Not be in a penal institution for a felony conviction;
• Not currently be determined by a court to be of unsound mind;
• Meet these qualifications by the next Election Day if you do not currently meet them.

To register in Nebraska you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Nebraska;
• Be at least 18 years of age or will be 18 years of age on or before the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November;
• Not have been convicted of a felony, or if convicted, sentence has been completed (this requirement is currently being litigated; please consult with your local election official for current guidance)
• Not have been officially found to be mentally incompetent; and
• Not have been convicted of treason, unless you have had your civil rights stored.

To register in Nevada you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Have attained the age of 18 years on the date of the next election;
• Have continuously resided in the State of Nevada, in your county, at least 30 days and in your precinct at least 10 days before the next election;
• Not currently be serving a term of imprisonment for a felony conviction;
• Not be determined by a court of law to be mentally incompetent;
• Claim no other place as your legal residence.

To register in New Hampshire you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be 18 years of age or older on Election Day;
• Register to vote only in the town or ward in which you actually live;
• Not have been convicted of a felony, unless you are past your final discharge;
• Not have been ever convicted of bribery or intimidation relating to elections.

To register in New Jersey you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be at least 17 years of age; you may register to vote if you are at least 17 years old but cannot vote until reaching the age of 18;
• Be a resident of New Jersey and your county and at your address at least 30 days before the next election;
• Not be serving a sentence of incarceration as the result of a conviction of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey or another state or of the United States;
• Not be declared mentally incompetent by a court.

To register in New Mexico you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of the State of New Mexico;
• Be 18 years of age at the time of the next election;
• Not have been denied the right to vote by a court of law by reason of mental incapacity;
• Not be currently incarcerated or serving parole or supervised probation for a felony conviction (or if you have been convicted of a felony, have completed all the terms and conditions of sentencing, have been granted a pardon by the Governor, or have had your conviction overturned on appeal).

To register in New York you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of New York and the county, city, or village where for at least 30 days before Election Day;
• 16- and 17-year-olds may preregister to vote, but cannot vote until they are 18;
• Not be incarcerated for a felony conviction;
• Not currently be judged incompetent by a court;
• Not claim the right to vote elsewhere.

To register in North Carolina you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of North Carolina and the precinct in which you live for at least 30 days prior to Election Day;
• 16- and 17-year-olds may preregister to vote, but cannot vote until they are 18 (17-year-olds may vote in a primary election if they will be 18 at the time of the general election);
• Not be currently serving a felony sentence, including probation, parole, or post-release supervision.

North Dakota does not have voter registration, but to be eligible to vote you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen;
• Be at least 18 years old on the day of election;
• Be a resident of North Dakota;
• Reside in the precinct for 30 days preceding Election Day;
• Be able to provide a drivers license, non-driver identification card or other approved form of identification.

In order to register to vote in Ohio, you must meet these requirements:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be at least 18 years old on or before the next general election;
• Be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote;
• Not be currently incarcerated (in jail or prison) for a felony conviction;
• Not have been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court;
• Not have been permanently denied the right to vote for violations of election laws.

To register in Oklahoma you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the State of Oklahoma;
• Be 18 years old on or before the date of the next election (you may pre-register to vote if you are at least 17 years and six months old, but you won’t be eligible to vote until your 18^th birthday);
• Be a "bona fide" resident of the State of Oklahoma (A person is a “bona fide” resident of the State of Oklahoma if he or she has an “honest intent to make a place one’s residence or domicile, a conscious decision to make a location an individual’s home.");
• Have not been convicted of a felony and not completed the sentence including any term of incarceration, parole or supervision, or probation;
• Not now be under judgment as an incapacitated person, or a partially incapacitated person prohibited from voting.

To register in Oregon you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Oregon;
• At least 16 years old (to vote, you must be 18 by Election Day).

To register in Pennsylvania you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States at least one month before Election Day;
• Be a resident of Pennsylvania and your election district at least 30 days before Election Day;
• Be at least 18 years of age on the day of Election Day;
• Not have been in prison within the last five years for a felony conviction.

To register in Rhode Island you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Rhode Island for 30 days preceding the next election;
• 16- and 17-year-olds may preregister to vote, but cannot vote until they are 18, or will be 18 at the time of the general election;
• Not be currently incarcerated in a correctional facility due to a felony conviction;
• Not have been lawfully judged to be mentally incompetent.

To register in South Carolina you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election;
• Be a resident of South Carolina, and live in the county and precinct where you are registering;
• Not be confined in any public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime;
• Never have been convicted of a felony or offense against Election Day laws, or if previously convicted, have served your entire sentence, including probation or parole, or have received a pardon for the conviction;
• Not be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent.

To register in South Dakota you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Reside in South Dakota;
• Be 18 years old by the next election;
• Not be currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system;
• Not have been judged mentally incompetent by a court.

To register in Tennessee you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Tennessee;
• Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election;
• Not have been convicted of certain felonies, or if convicted, have had your full rights of citizenship restored (or have received a pardon)

To register in Texas you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of the county in which the application for registration is made;
• Be at least 17 years and 10 months old (you must be 18 to vote);
• Not previously convicted of a felony, or if convicted, you must be fully discharged from your punishment, including any incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or be pardoned;
• Have not been declared mentally incompetent by final judgment of a court of law.

To register in Utah you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Have resided in Utah for 30 days immediately before the next election, and currently reside in the precinct in which you are registering to vote;
• Be at least 18 years old by the general election in which you vote. 16- and 17-year-olds may preregister to vote, but cannot vote until they are 18 (individuals may vote in a primary election if they are 17 years old on or before the date of the primary election and will be 18 years old on or before the date of the corresponding general election);
• Not have been convicted of certain felonies, or if convicted, have had your full rights of citizenship restored (or have received a pardon);
• Not be convicted of treason or crime against the elective franchise, unless restored to civil rights;
• Not be found to be mentally incompetent by a court of law.

To register in Vermont you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Vermont;
• Be 18 years of age on or before Election Day (17 year olds who will be 18 years of age on or before the date of a general election may register and vote in the primary election immediately preceding that general election);
• Have taken the following Oath: You solemnly swear (or affirm) that whenever you give your vote or suffrage, touching any matter that concerns the state of Vermont, you will do it so as in your conscience you shall judge will most conduce to the best good of the same, as established by the Constitution, without fear or favor of any person [Voter’s Oath, Vermont Constitution, Chapter II, Section 42].

To register in Virginia you must:

• Be a resident of Virginia (a person who has come to Virginia for temporary purposes and intends to return to another state is not considered a resident for voting purposes).
• Be a U. S. Citizen.
• Be 18 years old (any person who is 17 years old and will be eighteen years of age at the next general election shall be permitted to register in advance and also vote in any intervening primary or special election).
• Not be registered and plan to vote in another state.
• Not currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law.
• If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored.

To register in Washington you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be at least 18 years old by Election Day;
• Be a legal resident of Washington state, your county, and precinct;
• Not be disqualified from voting due to a court order; and
• Not currently serving a sentence of total confinement in prison under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections for a Washington felony conviction or currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction

To register in West Virginia you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Live in West Virginia in the county in which you are registering;
• Be at least 17 years old and turning 18 before the next general election;
• Not currently be serving a sentence, probation, or parole following a conviction for a felony, treason, or election bribery;
• Not have been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of competent jurisdiction.

To register in Wisconsin you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Wisconsin for at least 28 days before an election;
• Be at least 18 years old;
• Not have been convicted of treason, felony or bribery, or if you have, your voting rights have been restored;
• Not be incapable of understanding the objective of the elective process and be declared incompetent by the state or be under guardianship, unless the court has determined you are competent to vote;
• Not have placed a bet or wager on the result of the election.

To register in Wyoming you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be 18 years old by General Election Day;
• Be a resident of the State of Wyoming;
• Not be currently adjudicated mentally incompetent;
• Not have been convicted of a felony, or if convicted have had your voting rights restored.

Note that you must re-register to vote if you did not vote in the last general election. If you mail in your voter registration form, you must also: sign the oath on the form before an oath-taking officer (e.g. a county clerk or notary public) and include a scanned copy of the ID you showed to the oath-taking officer.