Mark your calendar for Tuesday, November 8! That’s when the 2022 midterm elections will be held across the United States.
Serving as the half-way point through a President’s four year-term, all 435 House of Representatives seats, 34 of 100 Senate seats, 36 state governorships, and tons of state and local offices will be up for grabs on this big day – including mayors, school board officials, sheriffs, and judges
While midterm elections have historically had low voter participation when compared to presidential elections, that doesn’t seem to be the case in 2022. Your vote matters! And, with so much at stake, it’s important to be informed about the issues and positions of candidates before you cast your ballot.
Here are four ways you can use the internet to become a more informed voter ahead of the November 8 elections.
1. Double check your voter registration status
Bottom line: you can’t vote if you’re not registered.
Even if you think you are already registered to vote and your personal information has not recently changed, you should still check your voter registration status.
Fortunately, it’s easy to check: just visit our Vote 2022 page plug in your information, and our site will let you know whether you’re registered to vote, and, if you’re not, how to do so.
2. Know what’s on your ballot
To fully participate on November 8, it’s vital to know the races and ballot measures on which you’ll be voting.
Fortunately, there are nonpartisan online resources – like Vote411 or Ballotpedia – that make it easy to learn about what you can expect. After providing your address, these tools will generate a list of candidates and issues that will be on your ballot.
3. Do your research
To figure out how you will vote, it helps to first make a list of the issues that are most important to you. From there, you can go online and research where your federal, state, and local candidates stand on these issues.
For starters, you can learn more about candidates from the Vote 2022 page and click through to their websites and social media accounts. Other nonpartisan online resources include:
- Vote411.org – enter your address to see what issues are on your ballot, who is running, and compare candidates side-by-side
- Govtrack.com – find out who your representatives in Congress are and how they voted on specific legislation.
- Ontheissues.org – provides information about where different politicians stand on a variety of issues
4. Make a voting plan
Planning the logistics of voting is important. And pinning down a plan to vote ahead of time can reduce anxiety and increase the likelihood of you casting a ballot.
Depending on where you live, you may have the option to vote by mail, vote early in person, or only in person on Election Day. Our Vote 2022 page provides you with the ability to see what voting options are available in your state, as well as find your polling location.
For all information regarding election deadlines and procedures, it’s best to visit your state’s elections page.
The internet increases voting
From registering to vote to researching candidates ahead of November 8, the internet has become an indispensable citizen tool for every step of the electoral process.
In fact, research has shown that internet use is positively related to voter turnout. The more people who have access to broadband, the more likely they are to get out and vote. And that makes for a stronger country – and a more resilient democracy.
To find out more about the relationship between broadband and voter turnout, read our related article here.
