2022 Midterm Elections: Do I need my ID card to vote and what do I need to bring with me?
Election Day 2022 is nearly upon us; don’t forgot to check the voting requirements in your state if you are planning to vote in person on Tuesday.
The federal system employed in American elections dictates that states are free to decide upon some elements of the voting process and there are differences between states.
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One such area is in regards to voter ID, which is required at the polling station in some states. Most states insist that voters bring a form of ID with them to vote in person but this is by no means a universal rule.
The accepted forms of ID also varies between states, but it broadly has to be a valid photo ID issued by either a federal agency or the state in which you are trying to vote.
One of the few areas of consistency across all states is that first-time voters must produce ID if they did not register to vote in person. This is the result of a federal law and is the same throughout the United States.
To search for the voter ID rules in your state check out National Conference of State Legislature’s Voter Identification Laws help page.
Of the states that require voters show identification before they vote in person, around half require photo ID.
Typically accepted forms of photo ID include:
- Driver’s licenses
- State-issued ID cards
- Military ID cards
- Passports
Some states also accept forms of non-photo ID too, which could include:
- Birth certificates
- Social Security cards
- Recent bank statements or utility bills