If you live in a state that has its Presidential Primary on February 5th, have you registered?
You may still be able to do so. Follow me below the fold for registration deadlines and details:
The following twenty-one states hold their Presidential primaries on February 5th:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Kansas
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Utah
You can still register to vote by mail in six of those states:
Alabama: deadline is January 26th
California:deadline is January 21st
Connecticut: deadline is January 31st
Kansas: deadline is January 21st
Massachusetts: deadline is today, January 16th
Minnesota: deadline to register by mail is today, January 16th, but you can register at the polls on election day.
All of these states accept the National Voter Registration Form.
You can also still decide to vote in the North Dakota primary, since North Dakota does not require voter registration prior to election day. Minnesota is unique among these states in that it allows election day registration at the polls (bring ID!).
My apologies for not getting this out earlier--Delaware and Oklahoma had their deadlines on January 12th, and New Jersey's deadline was yesterday.
I know most people on this site are already registered, but if you're like me and you've moved recently, it's easy to forget to re-register, especially if you only move within your state.
If you need an absentee ballot, you can still request one in the following February 5th states:
Alabama (deadline January 31st)
Alaska (deadline January 26th)
Arizona (deadline January 25th)
California (deadline January 29th)
Colorado (deadline January 29th)
Georgia (deadline Feburary 1st)
Idaho (deadline January 30th)
Illinois (deadline January 31st)
Missouri (deadline January 30th)
New Jersey (deadline January 29th)
New Mexico (deadline February 1st)
New York (deadline January 29th)
Oklahoma (deadline January 30th)
Tennessee (deadline January 29th)
Utah (deadline February 1st)
The rest of the February 5th states don't have deadlines listed--just make sure you request one in time for the form to get to the correct office, get processed, receive the absentee ballot in the mail, and send it back so that it arrives before election day. In other words, if you want to vote absentee, now's a good time to send your ballot request. Look to your state's election website to find more information: http://www.votesmart.org is a good place to start.
Now get out there and vote! And hey, if your state's deadline is still a ways off--register some new voters while you're at it.
I'll be around for a bit if you have questions about the registration process, what kind of ID you'll need if you're voting for the first time, etc.