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2026 Election: What ID Do You Need to Bring to the Polls?
When voting in person, make sure you know what documents are required in your state
7-minute read
Rob Dobi
Key takeaways
- Thirty-six states require some form of identification for voting in person.
- Check with your local elections office early to see whether you’re on the rolls, identify your polling place and make sure your ID is up to date.
- If you can’t prove your identity right away, many states allow you to cast a provisional ballot that can be counted later.
In the months leading up to the Nov. 3 election, there’s been lots of talk of changes around voting and ballots.
So it’s important to know what your state requires in terms of identification to ensure your vote will count, whether you’re dropping in before Election Day for early voting or showing up on the day of.
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Some states ask you to show a driver’s license or other form of government-issued ID when voting in person. Others don’t require much more than your name. But by knowing what’s needed ahead of time, voters can avoid any confusion or extra processing and paperwork at the polls.
Thirty-six states mandate at least some form of ID for voting in person. That’s the most since the very first such laws were enacted in the middle of the past century, says Katy Owens Hubler, director of elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The other 14 states and Washington, D.C., use other methods, such as a signature checked against information on file to verify identification, according to NCSL.
“If there is a trend line, it is getting a little bit stricter,” Hubler says. “That said, there are states every year that make changes to what IDs are acceptable.”
In some states, that means allowing retirement center identification cards, student IDs or digital IDs accessed through a phone app, she says.
What ID should you bring to the polls?
Because the U.S. Constitution grants states the authority to administer elections, different states have different rules — some of which keep changing. Hubler has some simple advice for anyone unsure of what identification to bring to their local polling site: Find out before you go to cast your ballot.
Of the 36 states that always ask for some form of official identification for voting in person, 24 require ID with a photo of the voter, such as a driver’s license or passport, while the other 12 allow an official ID without a photo.
There are quirks in some states. Wyoming accepts Medicare and Medicaid ID cards, neither of which features a photo. Voters in Arizona have a choice of showing an official government-issued ID with a photo (a driver’s license, a federal ID such as a passport or a tribal enrollment card) or two non-photo documents attesting to identity and address (such as a recent utility bill, a bank statement, or a vehicle registration or insurance card).
Pennsylvania requires a photo or non-photo ID only from first-time voters, or those voting in a new precinct, who are casting a ballot in person. Meanwhile, this will be the last year retirement center IDs are acceptable in Florida under a newly passed state law.
What about the states that don’t require voter ID?
The remaining 14 states and the District of Columbia have fewer requirements for in-person voting, according to NCSL. These states usually ask the voter to give their name and, sometimes, to sign a poll book or other document, which is verified by the poll worker against registration records.
In the District of Columbia, poll workers are not required to follow up by checking registration once a voter has signed the tablet-based poll book they use.
States with fewer requirements for in-person voting note that a rigorous voter registration process removes the need for extra ID checks when a ballot is cast at the polls. In some non-ID states, including Illinois, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, voters must sign an affidavit attesting to their eligibility to vote when they show up in person at the polls
Regardless, Hubler encourages voters to “be informed” by checking with state and local elections offices. But if you aren’t sure, she says a safe bet is to bring your driver’s license — if you have a valid one.
“The problem becomes for many older voters [that] they no longer have the driver’s license because they no longer drive,” she says. “So it does become more important to know what other IDs are accepted.”
Check with your local elections office for more information.
Get Ready to Vote
There’s a wealth of information available to help you prepare for the Nov. 3 election:
- AARP has compiled information on the voting process, including registration deadlines and rules, absentee mail ballot procedures and links to each secretary of state or elections division.
- Ballotpedia, a nonprofit digital encyclopedia of politics, features a sample ballot tool. Enter your address to see the candidates and issues you’ll vote on in November.
- OpenSecrets rigorously details how much money is raised and spent by candidates and political action committees — and where it comes from.
- The National Conference of State Legislatures has a state elections resource hub that links to detailed information on ballot measures and the partisan composition of every state legislature.
- USA.gov, an official website of the U.S. government, has resources and answers to common election-related questions, with links to each state’s voting division.
What if you don’t have a valid license?
Nearly 21 million voting-age U.S. citizens do not have a current, non-expired driver’s license, while another 28.6 million have a license that doesn’t have both their current address and current name, according to the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement at the University of Maryland. An additional 2.6 million adults lack any form of government-issued photo identification.
The center also found that 13 percent of voting-age citizens between the ages of 50 and 64 and 11 percent of those 65 and older lack a license with their correct name or address. Older adults who downsize or relocate to live with family or in a nursing home and haven’t updated their information could encounter challenges when they try to vote.
If you don’t have a valid license, there are other types of government-issued documents that states usually accept, including a passport or a hunting license. In addition, many states issue IDs with your current name and address, which are also acceptable at the polls.
Alaska, for example, will accept a birth certificate as verification. That could be a problem for some older voters who may not have the document or were not born in a hospital, says Lauren Kunis, CEO and executive director of VoteRiders, which helps citizens navigate voter ID laws. Iowa voters who bring a photo ID that does not contain current information can establish their identity by also providing documents that prove their address, such as a property tax statement, utility bill or bank statement.
What happens if you don’t bring the ID you need to vote?
If you get to the polls and you don’t have the right form of identification, many states allow voters to cast “provisional” ballots. These ballots aren’t counted until a more thorough review can be conducted, which could include the voter providing the necessary proof of identification within a certain time period. This process is known as “curing.”
Alabama, for instance, will count a ballot if the voter who cast a provisional ballot brings the required ID to an election office by 5 p.m. on the Friday after Election Day. In Rhode Island, a person unable to provide proper proof of identification can cast a provisional ballot that will be reviewed by the local board of canvassers. If approved, the vote will count.
Less than 1 percent of ballots cast nationwide in 2024 (or slightly more than 1.7 million) were provisional. That number has been steadily declining, according to a 2025 report by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent, bipartisan government agency.
The EAC study concluded that states rejected a little more than a quarter of those provisional ballots. Kunis with VoteRiders believes that many voters don’t follow through on providing the required ID to have theirs approved.
“Ballot cure is very successful when the election outcome is in the balance,” she says. “But in our experience, people are less interested in curing their ballot when the race has already been called.”
Kunis encourages people to vote early so there is time to address any issues before Election Day. Check your voter registration status on your state election site, making sure it is up to date and that you haven’t been dropped from the rolls for any reason, she says. Find out where your polling station is and check the hours, then double-check what ID is needed there.
“Make a plan to vote, and make a plan to vote early if that option is available to you where you live,” she says.
Join Our Fight to Make Sure Your Vote Counts
AARP is a nonpartisan organization that never supports or opposes candidates for office. We believe the right to vote is fundamental, and we advocate for policies ensuring that Americans 50 and older can exercise that right without unnecessary barriers. Here’s what you can do to help:
- Learn more about voting in your state this year.
- Pledge to vote for candidates in 2026 who will protect and strengthen Social Security and support family caregivers.
- Sign up to become an AARP Activist for the latest news and alerts on issues you care about.
- AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Become a member or renew your membership today.
Chris Adams, the AARP Bulletin’s director of state news, contributed to this story.
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