Change starts with us. One way we can make changes on local and national levels is by voting. The Black Service Chamber’s voting initiative is designed to encourage the black community to vote by making resources easy to find and uniting our causes.
Find tools below that will help you register to vote in your state or check your voter registration status.
Voter registration deadlines vary by state. Check your state website for information about deadlines.
You can check your voter registration stated directly with your state. Utilize the resources above to find your state’s voter registration lookup tool.
Most states offer online voter registration. Check the resources above to access your state’s registration tools.
No. Your form will not be processed by your state if you put a P.O. Box as your permanent address. For districting purposes, you must put a physical address.
There is a section of the voter registration form to put your mailing address, in addition to your physical address.
Residency rules vary by state. In some states, you may need to wait a certain number of days or have lived in the state for a certain amount of days before you register to vote in the next election. In others, you may be eligible to register to vote immediately upon moving.
A state cannot require you to live there for more than 30 days to register to vote. Please check your state’s local resources and guidelines on voting.
We recommend contacting the Federal Voting Assistance Program. The group specializes in helping people living abroad and/or in the armed forces get registered to vote. The FVAP can also be reached by phone: (800) 438-VOTE.
Yes. If you’ve changed your address, name or political party, you must re-register with your state.
The voter registration age requirement varies by state. Most states allow individuals who will be 18 by the next election to register to vote.
Some states have a minimum age requirement to register to vote (Ex: you may have to be 17 ½ years old).
It has been common practice in the United States to make felons ineligible to vote, in some cases permanently. Over the last few decades, the general trend has been toward reinstating the right to vote at some point, although this is a state-by-state policy choice.
In all cases, “automatic restoration” does not mean that voter registration is automatic. Typically prison officials automatically inform election officials that an individual’s rights have been restored. The person is then responsible for re-registering through normal processes. Some states, California is one example, require that voter registration information be provided to formerly incarcerated people.
| Never Lose Right to Vote | Lost Only While Incarcerated | Automatic Restoration After Release | Lost Until Completion of Sentence (Parole and/or Probation) | Automatic Restoration After | Lost Until Completion of Sentence | In Some States a Post-Sentencing Waiting Period | Additional Action Required for Restoration (1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | Colorado | Alaska | Alabama |
| Vermont | District of Columbia | Arkansas | Arizona |
| Hawaii | California (2) | Delaware | |
| Illinois | Connecticut | Florida (4) | |
| Indiana | Georgia | Iowa | |
| Maryland (3) | Idaho | Kentucky | |
| Massachusetts | Kansas | Mississippi | |
| Michigan | Louisiana | Nebraska | |
| Montana | Minnesota | Tennessee | |
| Nevada | Missouri | Virginia | |
| New Hampshire | New Jersey | Wyoming | |
| North Dakota | New Mexico | ||
| Ohio | New York (5) | ||
| Oregon | North Carolina | ||
| Pennsylvania | Oklahoma | ||
| Rhode Island | South Carolina | ||
| Utah | South Dakota | ||
| Texas | |||
| Washington | |||
| West Virginia | |||
| Wisconsin |
Connect with a Black Service Chamber representative. Let us help you through every step of registering to vote and getting involved in local elections.
