Make a plan. Know your resources. Take care of yourself along the way.
We Want Power: Your Guide to Getting Vote Ready
Preparation makes a difference, whether you’re heading out for a walk or getting ready to cast your ballot. Taking a few steps now can help you arrive informed, organized, and ready to participate.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Use this nonpartisan guide and the national resources at Vote.org to prepare. Voting deadlines, hours, and requirements vary by state, so confirm the details for your address with your state or local election office.
Why voting matters
The things we care about do not exist separately from the decisions made in our communities. Access to health care. Affordable housing. Public transportation. The quality of our schools. Safe sidewalks, maintained parks, and places to gather. These are part of what makes it possible to live well, care for our families, and move through our neighborhoods with dignity.
Voting gives us a way to participate in choosing the people who make those decisions. Depending on where we live and what is on the ballot, we may also vote directly on measures that affect public spending, services, and community priorities.
That is why it helps to look at the whole ballot. Different offices carry different responsibilities, and decisions made at the local and state levels can have a direct effect on our daily lives.
At GirlTREK, our commitment to well-being includes paying attention to the conditions around us. Walking helps us connect with our bodies and our neighbors. Civic participation gives us another way to bring our concerns, experiences, and hopes into public life.
Voting is one part of that work. Preparing to vote helps us follow through.
1. Check your voter registration
Start by making sure your information is current.
Even if you have voted before, take a moment to check your registration, especially if you have moved, changed your name, or have not voted recently. Do not assume that an update to another account or government record automatically updated your voter registration.
Use Vote.org’s registration checker to get started. Review your name, address, and registration status. If something looks incorrect or you cannot find your record, contact your state or local election office for help.
If you need to register or update your information, check the rules immediately. Some deadlines have already passed. Depending on your state, options such as same-day registration or an in-person registration period may still be available. Confirm what applies to you and which documents you would need.
Why this step matters: Checking now gives you time to ask questions and address problems before you arrive to vote. It can also help you confirm which ballot and voting location apply to your address.
Your next step: Check your registration today, save any confirmation you receive, and write down any follow-up action and its deadline.
2. Decide when and how you will vote
Make a plan that works with your real life.
Work schedules, caregiving, transportation, appointments, and other responsibilities can fill a day quickly. Choosing your voting time in advance helps you make room for it.
Review the options available where you live, then choose the one you can realistically complete.
If you are voting early
Check Vote.org’s early voting calendar, then confirm current locations and hours with your election office. An early voting location may be different from your Election Day polling place.
Choose a specific day and time. Check how you will get there, how long the trip may take, and whether the location meets your accessibility needs.
If you are voting by mail
Review your state’s absentee ballot deadlines. The deadline to request a ballot and the deadline to return it are different. Confirm whether your state requires receipt by a certain time or accepts a qualifying postmark.
If you already have your ballot, read all instructions before completing it. Check the signature, date, envelope, and any witness or other requirements that apply. Confirm your permitted return options and the exact deadline for the method you choose.
With Election Day approaching, ask your election office about available return options and timing. Do not assume that mailing a ballot shortly before Election Day will get it there on time.
If you are voting on Election Day
Use Vote.org’s polling place locator to get started, then confirm your assigned location and hours with your election office.
Plan transportation, allow time for a possible wait, and consider any arrangements you need for work or caregiving. Contact your election office in advance if you need information about accessible voting equipment or assistance.
Why this step matters: A specific plan turns an intention into something you can act on. It also gives you time to work through practical barriers.
Your next step: Complete this sentence and put it on your calendar: “I will vote on ___ at ___, and I will get there or return my ballot by ___.”
3. Get familiar with your ballot
Give yourself time to understand the choices in front of you.
Visit Vote.org’s ballot information tool to begin exploring your ballot. Your state or local election office may also provide an official sample ballot.
Review each office and any ballot measures. Start with the issues you care about, then learn which offices have authority over them. Someone running for a local office may have very different responsibilities from someone running for a state or federal position.
As you research, consider:
What does this office have the power to do?
What priorities and proposals has each candidate shared?
What experience or record helps me evaluate those proposals?
What would a “yes” or “no” vote on a ballot measure actually change?
What questions do I still need answered?
Use official candidate materials, election office resources, and reliable reporting. When you see a claim on social media, check its source and date before relying on it or sharing it.
You do not have to research everything in one sitting. Set aside a manageable amount of time, take notes, and return to the questions that need more attention.
Why this step matters: Familiarity helps you make choices based on your priorities. It can also make a long or unfamiliar ballot feel easier to navigate.
Your next step: Review your sample ballot and identify the races or measures you want to learn more about.
4. Pack for the day
Prepare for both the voting requirements and your comfort.
Before leaving home, review your state’s voter ID requirements. Accepted documents and requirements vary. If you are unsure whether your identification qualifies, contact your election office before you go.
Keep your required documents together somewhere easy to access. Save your confirmed polling location, its hours, and your transportation information.
Depending on your needs and the weather, consider bringing:
Any required identification or registration documents.
A charged phone and a portable charger.
Comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate layers.
Glasses, mobility aids, medication, or other personal essentials.
Water or a snack for a possible wait, where permitted.
If you need assistance or accessible equipment, ask your election office what is available and how to request it. Build enough time into your day to move at a pace that works for you.
Why this step matters: Having what you need can reduce last-minute stress. Preparing for your comfort also supports your ability to stay through a wait.
Your next step: Gather your voting essentials the evening before your planned voting day.
5. Know where to turn for help
You do not have to navigate a voting problem alone.
Save the Election Protection Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). You can call or text to speak with a trained, nonpartisan Election Protection volunteer about voting questions or problems.
If your name is missing from the voter list, you are unsure about an identification requirement, or you encounter another problem, ask a poll worker for help. Explain the issue clearly and ask what steps are available to resolve it.
If you are in line when the polls close, stay in line. You have the right to vote. If you experience intimidation or a barrier to voting, contact Election Protection for assistance.
Try to resolve the issue before leaving your voting location. If you cannot vote a regular ballot because of a registration or eligibility problem, ask whether a provisional ballot is available and appropriate. Request instructions explaining any follow-up requirements, deadlines, and how to find out whether it was counted.
Why this step matters: Knowing whom to contact gives you a clear next action when something unexpected happens.
Your next step: Save the hotline in your phone and keep your election office’s contact information with your voting plan.
6. Check the status of your mail ballot
Make tracking part of your voting plan.
If you voted by mail, use the ballot tracking resource available through Vote.org or your state or local election office. Where tracking is available, check whether your ballot has been received and whether officials have identified an issue. Vote.org provides access to ballot tracking alongside its other voting tools.
If your ballot has not arrived as expected, contact your election office promptly. If officials flag a missing signature or another problem, ask whether you can correct it, exactly what you must submit, and when it is due. Correction procedures and deadlines vary by state.
Follow up through official channels rather than relying on an unfamiliar text, email, or social media message requesting personal information.
Why this step matters: Following up may give you an opportunity to address a problem while there is still time.
Your next step: Check your ballot’s status and keep any confirmation or follow-up instructions you receive.
Your final voting check
Before your planned voting day, ask yourself:
Have I checked my registration and addressed any questions?
Do I know when, where, and how I will vote?
Have I confirmed the deadlines that apply to my plan?
Have I reviewed my ballot?
Have I checked identification and document requirements?
Have I planned transportation, caregiving, and time away from other responsibilities?
Have I considered any accessibility or assistance needs?
Have I saved 866-OUR-VOTE?
If I voted by mail, have I checked my ballot’s status?
You can also share accurate voting resources with someone who needs them. Send a link to an official election office, help someone find their polling information, or make time to review voting logistics together. Give each person space to make their own choices.
Take a breath. Make your plan. Keep the information you need close at hand.
We Want Power
At GirlTREK, we know the power of taking a first step and the strength of moving together. A walk can create space to breathe, reconnect, and notice what is happening around us. It can also remind us that our well-being is connected to the places where we live and the people who share them.
We want power over our well-being, our futures, and the decisions that shape our communities. We want our needs to be taken seriously and our experiences to be part of the conversation.
Voting is one way to exercise that power. It gives us a role in choosing who represents us and, when measures appear on our ballots, deciding questions that affect our communities directly.
That participation deserves preparation. Checking our registration helps us get ready to enter the process. Reviewing our ballots helps us connect our choices to our priorities. Making a plan helps us navigate busy lives. Knowing where to find help gives us support when questions arise.
Our civic lives continue after Election Day, too. We can follow the decisions of elected officials, attend public meetings, ask questions, and stay connected to the issues we care about. Casting a ballot is one step in an ongoing practice of paying attention and participating.
As we care for ourselves and build connections through walking, we can make room for that practice together.
Our voices matter. Our communities matter. We deserve to help shape what comes next.
Take your next step at Vote.org.
This guide provides nonpartisan voter information. Confirm current deadlines, requirements, and voting procedures with your state or local election office.
