An illustrated guide (of sorts) to the voting systems of three important swing states

enter the electoral roll

Arizona needs your name, address, date of birth, signature and driver’s license number if you have one, or the last four digits of your Social Security number if you don’t have one. Without these, you’ll need to show more ID to vote.

You will also have to swear under penalty of perjury that you are a citizen eligible to vote.

Arizona also requires those who want to vote in state elections to show proof of citizenship. This means a passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate or something similar.

Illustrated pencil that says: "in Arizona."

Election officials then compare your information with data from the state’s Department of Transportation or Social Security Administration to verify your identity. They will also send non-deliverable mail to your address to verify its accuracy. If the mail is returned to them, you will need to update your address before voting.

stay in role

Election officials use government databases and the state-by-state ERIC database to search for voters who have died or moved; They also look at jury duty data to find voters who say they moved or, in rare cases, say they are not citizens.

Voting

If you want to vote by post, you will need to request a ballot by filling out a signed form, which will be checked with your date of birth. You can also call to request a mail-in ballot; Election officials will ask you questions to verify your identity.

Your mail ballot will be verified by making sure the signature on the ballot matches the signature on file.

If you want to vote in person, you can vote early or on Election Day. In both cases, you will need to show your ID at the polling place. This is usually a driver’s license, but you can also bring other identifying documents, such as a car registration and utility bill, to prove your identity and residence.