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2022 Midterm Elections: How can you track your ballot online after you vote?

Early voting has become increasingly popular in the United States and most states now allow voters to check that their mail-in ballot has been counted.

Update:
How to track your ballot online
GAELEN MORSEREUTERS

One of the most notable shifts in voting patterns over the past decade has been the move towards early voting. More and more states are offering residents the opportunity to cast their ballots at a time of their choosing, reducing the risk of waiting for hours in line on polling day.

US midterm elections live online: Election Day | Latest news

The trend was catalysed in 2020 by the covid-19 pandemic, which made such mass gatherings at the polling station dangerous for vulnerable groups and many states and districts opened up more early vote options. Polling from Gallup found that in 2010 (the first year in which the question was asked) just 26% of voters intended to vote before Election Day, but that figure has risen to 41% of voters in 2022.

More states are also now offering ways for early voters to track their ballots, ensuring that their voice is heard in a vital set of midterm elections. Voters utilising a mail-in or absentee ballot can track their vote using a range of state-specific resources.

To find out how to track your ballot, head to vote.org’s Ballot Tracker to see what resources are available in your state.

The only states not currently offering any form of ballot tracker are Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Wyoming.

Organisers prepare for violence on Election Day

While more and more Americans are choosing to exercise their democratic right at a time of their choosing, Election Day remains the focus for most voters. With so much at stake in the 2022 midterm elections there is a concern that those tensions may escalate into violence at polling stations and volunteers have been drafted in to ensure there are no disturbances.

Last summer military veteran Ellen Gustafson co-founded a campaign group called Vet the Vote to offer assistance at polling stations. The organisation recruits veterans and military families to volunteer at polling stations, at a time where there is a shortage of helpers.

The increasingly confrontational nature of politics in the United States has made the prospect of volunteering on Election Day less appealing in 2022. Vet the Vote has already registered more than 63,000 volunteers across the nation.

Iraq war veteran Andrew Turner told NPR that he felt that experiences overseas made him well-placed to assist during the midterms:

“From someone who actually was in Iraq during Iraqi elections, it’s hard to think that you come back to the United States and you don’t have a poll worker because someone’s threatening one of those poll workers.”

“And it made me think that, hey, I’ve got no problem dealing with that.”