Your quick guide to getting ready to vote
Current news to help you understand for what’s at stake in your next election
Election Day: April 7 - Wisconsin voters will elect a new state supreme court justice, a decision that will impact the makeup of the court.
Primary Election Day: August 4 - Kansas will be asking voters whether they would like to elect state supreme court justices, instead of the state's current nomination process.
Election Day: June 16 - Oklahoma will be asking voters whether they would like to increase their state's minimum wage.
Election Day: November 3 - Nevada will be asking voters whether they would like to implement photo ID requirements when voting.
Election Day: November 3 - Virginia voters will be asked whether or not they would like to amend the state's re-enfranchisement process for individuals with felony convictions.
Reference to understand elections, democracy and why your vote matters
In many states, you do not have to wait until you turn 18 in order to participate in politics! Pre-registration is one of the ways in which 16 and 17 year olds can get ready to vote. Read more to learn how pre-registration works in your state!
Democracy relies on the premise of one person, one vote - that is until people's votes don't all hold the same weight. Read more to learn about how gerrymandering is a complex tool used by politicians to keep power and weaken democracy!
Every few years redistricting impacts where and how our communities vote... Read more to learn about the in's and out's of this critical aspect of democracy.
Ballot measures are one of the most impactful ways that voters can impact their community from the ballot box - read on to learn the in's and out's of how they work!
From the president to our city councilmembers and everything in between, our vote is a critical way to use our voice to impact our communities. We dive into the nuances of why it's important to use your voice at the ballot box!
Wisconsin will have two state supreme court candidates on their ballot on April 7, as current Justice Rebecca Bradley is retiring. While the election is nonpartisan, there is a clear party divide between candidates. One liberal candidate, Chris Taylor, and one conservative candidate, Maria Lazar, are on the ballot. Supreme court elections in the state have become a regularly high profile occurrence, with the 2023 and 2025 elections being the two most expensive judicial races in the history of the United States.
This year’s race may not break spending records, but it is still greatly important. A liberal candidate victory expands the liberal majority of the court to 5-2, and a conservative candidate victory keeps the court’s split at a 4-3 liberal majority.
To learn more about this election, visit Ballotpedia or contact Wisconsin’s Elections Commission.
Kansas voters will be asked on August 4 whether they would like to elect their state supreme court justices. This would be an amendment to the state constitution. The ballot will offer a “yes” or “no” option, with a “yes” vote supporting amending the state constitution and abolishing the current nominating commission process, and a “no” vote supporting a continuation of the state’s current system.
Currently, the seven justices are selected through a nominating commission, made up of nine members who are selected by the governor and the Kansas Bar Association, who then send potential candidates to the governor. The governor then makes the final selection of a justice. As of 2026, there are 21 states that hold elections for their state supreme court justices.
To learn more about this ballot measure, as well as the other measures on the August 4 ballot, visit Ballotpedia or contact Kansas’s Election Division.
Oklahoma voters will be voting on State Question 832 on June 16. A “yes” vote supports raising the minimum wage to $12 per hour in 2027. Currently, the minimum wage in Oklahoma is $7.25, the same as the federal minimum wage, which it has been since 2009.
The ballot measure also includes language to increase the minimum wage to $13.50 in 2028, $15 in 2029, and to increase the minimum wage each year after 2029 according to inflation and cost of living increases. It also increases which individuals are subject to receiving minimum wage in the state, including people such as part-time employees, minors, farm and agricultural workers, amongst others.
To learn more about this ballot measure, as well as what else is on the June 16 ballot, visit Ballotpedia or contact Oklahoma’s State Election Board.
Nevada voters will be asked if the state should require photo identification for voters. This would be a state constitutional amendment, proposed as a “yes”or “no” question on the ballot. A “yes” vote supports requiring an approved form of photo ID for residents to present when voting in person, or providing the last four digits of their driver’s license or Social Security number when voting by mail.
In Nevada, proposed ballot measures must be approved in two separate consecutive even-yeared elections. Question 7 was approved in 2024, and must be approved again by voters in 2026 in order to be enshrined in the state constitution. Currently, 36 other states require voters to present some form of voter ID, and of those states, 24 require photo identification.
To learn more about this ballot measure, as well as what else is on the November 3 ballot, visit Ballotpedia or contact Nevada’s Secretary of State.
Virginia voters will be asked if they support amending the state constitution to allow individuals convicted of felonies to have their right to vote restored following their release from incarceration. In Virginia, a person convicted of a felony can only have their right to vote reinstated on an individual basis by the governor, a process that the individual must initiate. Approximately 260,000 people in Virginia were disenfranchised from voting in 2024 as a result of a felony conviction.
To learn more about this election and what will be on the November 3 ballot, visit Ballotpedia or contact the Virginia Department of Elections.