Attention Voters: Here's What You Have to Do to Make Sure You Get to Vote

Ignore the partisan attacks on new voters and voter registration groups. Call your county election office to ensure your registration information is correct. Vote early to avoid Election Day delays, or use an absentee ballot if you know how to fill one out.

For those voting on Election Day, know where your polling place is located, what ID to bring (especially new voters) and expect lines. Call an election protection hotline if there is trouble. But be confident that you will vote if you have followed your state's registration laws.

These are the messages from voting rights advocates as the partisan attacks on 2008's newest voters and voter drives continue with two weeks to go before Election Day.

"People should not be worried," said Tova Wang, vice president for research at Common Cause, "but they should educate themselves. For the overwhelming majority of people, there will be no problem ... But people should not let any tactic that is intended to discourage them from voting stop them."

"I would verify my registration," said Gerry Hebert, executive director of Washington's Campaign Legal Center and a former Voting Section chief at the Justice Department. "I would vote early… I would consider absentee voting. The only caution against that (means of voting) is if you make a mistake, you might not get to correct it."

With two weeks to go before the 2008 presidential election, two seemingly contradictory trends are at play across the national political landscape -- possibly confusing voters.

On one hand, Republicans -- from their presidential candidate, to state parties and their lawyers, to local McCain supporters in law enforcement posts -- have been trying to alarm and discourage voters by saying that hundreds of thousands of 2008's newest voters may not be legally registered.

On the other hand, record numbers of Americans have been voting in the handful of states where pre-Election Day, or early voting is allowed and has begun. So far, most have not faced partisan challenges or bureaucratic barriers hindering their right to vote. Moreover, early voting numbers suggest 2008 will be the highest turnout election in decades.

"This is an incredibly exciting election year," said Common Cause's Wang. "Voters should just educate themselves about the process."

What Should Voters Do?

Voters need to be sure they are properly registered. They can do this by calling their county election office and verifying their voter registration information is in their county database and is current.

Anyone who registered with the help of a voter drive this year should check to see that their form has been processed, as those applications have to be entered by local officials. If there are data-entry errors, many states still allow voters to fix those, so their right to vote is not jeopardized. In some locales, officials are still processing voter registration applications turned in weeks ago.

While on the phone, voters should ask where their polling place is located and what form of ID is required. First-time voters must show more specific forms ID when checking in to vote.

Voters can also ask about early voting options. There generally are two choices, although every state has its own laws. The first is called in-person early voting, where a voter will go to a county office or designated site and fill out a ballot. If there are any questions or mistakes made when voting, election officials can correct those. The second option is to get an absentee ballot, which is taken home and mailed. The downside of voting absentee is any mistakes in filling it out the ballot cannot always be corrected. In every election, a number of absentee ballots are disqualified for errors that could otherwise be fixed.

Here are charts that describe each state's early voting options and absentee ballot options. (This is voting by mail with an absentee ballot, which is not the same as in-person absentee voting, where voters fill-out and submit an absentee ballot at a county office before Election Day.