What are voting requirements?

To vote in a federal election in the United States, a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and meet their state's residency requirements. These three core requirements are set by federal law and the U.S. Constitution. The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971 during the Vietnam War, lowered the federal voting age to 18 nationwide. Federal law (the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act) and various state laws govern other aspects of voter eligibility.

The U.S. citizenship requirement is set by federal law (federal courts have generally held that voting in federal elections requires U.S. citizenship). Most states extend this requirement to state and local elections by their own laws. A few cities, including some in Maryland and Vermont, allow non-citizens to vote in purely local elections such as school board races, but this is rare and remains controversial.

The 18-year age minimum was set by the 26th Amendment. Some states allow 16- or 17-year-olds to pre-register and to vote in primaries if they will be 18 by the general election. The residency requirement varies by state. Most states require voters to be residents of the state and the specific election district at the time of voting. Some states have minimum residency periods (often 28 to 30 days) before a voter can register or cast a ballot. College students, military members, and others who move can sometimes choose between voting where they currently live and voting at their previous residence by absentee ballot, depending on state law.

Several categories of people are disqualified from voting in some states. Many states bar people with felony convictions from voting, either permanently or until they have completed their sentences (including parole or probation). Maine, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico allow people in prison to vote. Other states have varying restoration procedures. Roughly 4 to 5 million Americans are barred from voting at any given time due to felony convictions, with the highest rates in states such as Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Voter ID laws also vary widely. Some states require photo identification at the polls, others accept various forms of identification, and some require no ID. Federal law requires identification only for first-time voters who registered by mail and did not include identification with their registration. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits voting practices that discriminate based on race, color, or membership in a language minority group.