(Intro)

Do you live in Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands or the Northern Mariana Islands? Do you want to vote? Well, then you're in the right place. Voting in U.S. Territories is tricky, because while you may have participated in a presidential primary, residents of U.S. territories don't get to vote in presidential elections. That kinda sucks. But it doesn't mean this election isn't important for you. Each territory will elect a delegate to the House of Representatives who, for right now, is your only voice in the U.S. federal government. You may also have local elections that are super important, so don't sit this one out.
To vote, first you have to register. In all territories, you need to go in person to your local elections office during their normal business hours and fill out a registration form. In Guam, you can also see a volunteer registrar. There are links to all of their locations below. Bring a copy of your passport, birth certificate, or naturalization certificate when you register in American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands. Any government-issued photo ID will work to register in Puerto Rico or Guam. The deadline to register is September 9th in the Northern Mariana Islands, September 19th in Puerto Rico, October 10th in American Samoa, October 8th in the Virgin Islands, and October 28th in Guam.

Once you've registered, you get to vote. For most of you, that means going to vote in person. But, if you won't be in your home territory on election day because of work, school, or travel, or if you have an illness or disability that prevents you from going to the polls on election day, you can apply to vote absentee by mail. All you have to do is find your form in the links below, fill it out, and mail it in, or in American Samoa, you can send an email to your election office to request an absentee ballot. You need to request your absentee ballot by September 19th in Puerto Rico, October 14th in the Northern Mariana Islands, October 24th in the Virgin Islands and American Samoa, or November 4th in Guam. Then, your ballot will show up in the mail, and all you have to do is fill it out at your own pace and mail it back by November 8th.

For the rest of you, you'll head to the polls on November 8th. Closer to election day, you can check your elections website  to find out where you can go to vote and what hours your polls will be open. There's a link for each territory in the description. Bring your voter registration card or the same ID you used to register with you.

You can also contact your local election officials to request a sample ballot. It will tell you everything you'll be able to vote for, so you can research candidates and ballot measures ahead of time if you want to. You can even fill it out and bring it with you to the polls so you remember exactly how you want to vote. All the links you need to get registered and find your local election officials are in the description below. Thank you for voting.