In the 2024 presidential election, 74% (or 174 million people) of the voting-age population was registered to vote and 65% (or 154 million people) voted, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Almost 1/3 of Americans did not vote in our last Presidential election.

That same year, 87 percent of House races were essentially determined by a primary victory. The seven percent of total eligible voters in the US who voted in those primaries chose those winners, who would then go on to win their races in the general election. Thus that shockingly small 7 percent picked the vast majority of the House.

We need to change this paradigm. Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. With the launch of our 2026 ClassACT HR73 Voting Initiative, we hope to motivate citizens to head to the polls and engage in the crucial democratic process of voting.

ClassACT has assembled a 2026 VOTING RESOURCE GUIDE (click this link or scroll down to view) with links to handbooks and web sites to help you exercise your right to vote. You can share this guide as an attached PDF via email, through social media, or by scanning the QR code below and posting it on bulletin boards in your place of work, worship, schools, your gym…basically any and everywhere!

We hope you will share these resources with members of your communities. Reach out to citizens who may not be registered as well as those who are registered but feel disenfranchised and think their vote doesn’t matter. Remind them that “Voting is power.”

Just scan the QR code or click the link to view a printable pdf version of the 2026 Voting Resource Guide. Scroll down to view the full guide.

DEMOCRACY AT 250: VOTING RESOURCE GUIDE FOR MID-TERM ELECTIONS, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3RD

We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.

--Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father, primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd President of the United States.

Voting for candidates in the 2026 mid-term elections takes place on November 3, 2026.

CLASSACTION 1: Check if your registration is up to date. Register to vote, see what’s on your local ballot and find your polling place.

For one-stop shopping, to go to the League of Women Voters Education Fund, https://www.vote411.org/

You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining… The one thing you've got going: your one vote.

-- Shirley Chisolm, first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress.

CLASSACTION 2: Educate yourself about the candidates in your community, the issues at hand, and how candidates uphold the Constitution.

Learn about important dates and issues from guides such as the AARP’s “How to Vote in the 2026 Elections in Your State” or the National Urban League’s “America at 250: A Guide for Defending Democracy.”

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.

--John F Kennedy, 35th President of the United States

CLASSACTION 3: Vote in the Primaries. Your vote in your state and local primaries will make a big difference in the make-up of Congress in 2027. For primary dates in your state, go to the National Council of Legislatures “2026 State Primary Election Dates.” 

The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.

-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States.

CLASSACTION 4: Early Voting. Many states have early voting. Take advantage of this, to make sure that your ballot is counted and not subject to any challenges about timely submission. Check out Vote.org’s early voting chart for the 2026 midterms in your state. 

Voting is a precious right that for two centuries Americans have fought and died to protect. Let's all honor that sacrifice this election day.

-- Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States

If you want to make a difference, get out there and vote.

-- Geraldine Ferraro, 1st female Vice-Presidential candidate

CLASSACTION 5: Mail-in ballots and absentee ballots. Check your state’s rules on submitting mail-in and absentee ballots. Make sure that you mail your ballot well in advance of the cut-off date for counting ballots. Use this League of Women Voters guide.

We can all agree on the importance of voting.

-- Jenna Bush Hager, American Journalist, daughter of George W.  Bush, 43rd President of the United States

CLASSACTION 6: ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 IS ELECTION DAY. VOTE!

There's no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter.

-- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States

This guide has been prepared by ClassACTHR73, a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded by classmates at Harvard/Radcliffe to promote social justice and positive change.www.classacthr73.org.