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5 Big Questions About Voting

On November 5, tens of millions of Americans will cast their votes for president and many other important leaders. Here’s what you need to know. 

September 30, 2024
By Nicole Tocco

As You Read, Think About: Why is it important for Americans to vote? 

1. Who is allowed to vote in the United States?

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About 240 million people could be eligible to vote in this year’s presidential election. People are allowed to vote in the U.S. if they’re:

• U.S. citizens

• at least 18 years old on Election Day

• registered, or officially signed up, to vote.* To register to vote in a state, a person must be able to prove that they live there. 

*Not required in North Dakota

2. Why is everyone talking about voting?

It’s a huge deal! Having the right to vote gives Americans a say in how the country, their states, and their towns are governed.

“Voting is at the very heart of American democracy,” says author and college professor Kim Wehle.

Many Americans faced a long struggle to win that right. When George Washington was elected in 1789, only about 6 percent of the population was allowed to vote. They were mostly White men who owned land.

Over time, Black people, women, and Indigenous groups gained the right to vote. But they were often kept from doing so. For example, racist laws in some states kept many Black people from voting for decades after they legally won the right.

Library of Congress/Interim Archives/Getty Images

Protesters call for equal voting rights at the March on Washington in 1963.

3. How do voters actually vote?

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On November 5, many voters will go to their local polling places, such as schools and firehouses. People will cast votes for president, members of Congress, and state and local leaders. In some places, voters will fill out a paper ballot. In others, they’ll use a computer.  

Some people may have to wait in long lines for hours for their chance to vote on Election Day. But tens of millions of Americans might have already voted by then.

In the 2020 presidential election, 43% of voters cast ballots by mail.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

4. How can people vote before Election Day? 

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Nearly every state and Washington, D.C., offer early voting. People in those places can cast their votes at polling places before Election Day.

Also, every state allows some form of voting by mail. Eight states hold elections almost entirely by mail. Voters receive ballots a few weeks before Election Day. The ballots must be completed and returned on or before November 5. 

People who’ll be living far away from home can also vote by mail. Many college students and members of the U.S. military will use what’s called an absentee ballot. 

5. Does everyone who can vote cast a ballot?

Danny Rivera

No. In the 2020 presidential election, only about 67 percent of Americans who could have voted actually did. And that was the highest percentage to vote in a national election since 1900! 

“If we don’t vote, we’re allowing other people to decide who the leaders are,” Wehle says. “By voting, we honor the many people who came before us who fought so hard and sacrificed so much for us to be able to vote.”

1. Based on the article, what does it mean to be eligible to vote? What are the basic requirements to vote in the U.S.?

2. What are two ways that voting rights in the U.S. have changed over time, according to the article?

3. Describe two methods people may use to cast their votes on Election Day.

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