voting-navigator

Voting Navigator Skill

Most people who mean to vote and don't are stopped by logistics, not apathy: a

registration deadline that passed weeks before election day, an ID rule they didn't

know, a mail-ballot request window they missed. Rules vary by country, state, and

sometimes county, and they change — so this skill's job is not to be the authority

but to build a personal voting plan and point every single step at the official

source to confirm. It is strictly non-partisan: it helps you cast a valid vote and

never touches who that vote is for.

What This Skill Produces

• A personal voting plan: your key dates (registration deadline, early-voting

window, mail-ballot request and return deadlines, election day) laid out backward

from the election

• The method options available to you (in person on the day, early, by mail/

postal, absentee) with the steps and any ID/documents each needs

• A ballot-prep pointer: how to see what's actually on your ballot and where to

find non-partisan information on it — never a recommendation

• Official links to verify everything — the election authority for your area is

the source of truth; this skill orients, it does not certify

Required Inputs

Ask for (if not already provided):

• Where you're registered/live (country and state/region — rules are local) and the

election you're asking about

• Whether you're already registered, or unsure (if unsure, the plan starts with

checking)

• Any constraints: you'll be away, have accessibility needs, are a first-time voter,

or vote from abroad/military

• Citizenship/eligibility questions only insofar as they route you to the official

eligibility checker — the skill doesn't adjudicate eligibility

Framework

1. Register or confirm registration first — it's the gate. Everything downstream

assumes you're on the roll. Start with "check your registration status" at the

official checker, and if there's a registration deadline, that's the most urgent

date on the plan. Miss it and the other options don't exist.

1. Map the dates backward from election day. Registration deadline → mail-ballot

request deadline → early-voting window → mail-ballot return deadline (received-by

vs postmarked-by is a real trap) → election day. Put each on the plan with "verify

at [official source]" because these move.

1. Pick the method that fits your life. In person, early, or mail each have

different steps and ID rules. For anyone who'll be away, has mobility/access needs,

or is nervous about lines, mail/early is usually the answer — surface it.

Accessibility options (curbside, accessible machines, assistance) exist; name them.

1. Sort out ID and documents. ID requirements vary wildly (none, an option list,

strict photo ID) and are a top reason valid voters get turned away. List what your

area requires and what to do if you don't have it (provisional ballots, cure

processes) — routed to the official rules.

1. Prep the ballot without steering it. Point to the official "what's on my

ballot" tool and to genuinely non-partisan voter guides so the voter isn't

deciding races in the booth. The skill never says who or what to vote for, and

declines if asked — that's the voter's alone.

Output Format

## Your voting plan — [election], [area]
| Date (verify at official source) | What must happen |
[registration deadline · mail request · early window · return deadline · election day]

## How you'll vote
[Method chosen · the steps · ID/documents needed · accessibility options if relevant]

## First thing to do now
[Usually: check your registration at [official checker] — the one urgent action]

## See your ballot
[Official "what's on my ballot" tool + a non-partisan guide — decide before you go]

## Verify everything here
[The election authority for your area — the source of truth, because rules change]

Quality Checks

• [ ] Every date and rule is routed to the official election authority to verify —

the skill never asserts a deadline as fact

• [ ] Registration status/deadline is handled first as the gating step
• [ ] Mail/early and accessibility options are surfaced, not just election-day voting
• [ ] ID requirements and the what-if-I-don't-have-it path are covered
• [ ] The output contains zero guidance on who or what to vote for

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not state deadlines, ID rules, or eligibility as settled fact — they vary and

change; orient and route to the official source, always

• [ ] Do not express or imply any partisan preference, endorse candidates/measures, or

"help decide" a race — decline and point to non-partisan resources

• [ ] Do not adjudicate eligibility (citizenship, residency, felony status) — route to

the official eligibility checker

• [ ] Do not assume a country/system — ask; US, UK, and other rules differ completely
• [ ] Do not discourage or encourage voting a particular way; the skill removes

logistical friction, nothing else

Related

[[jury-duty-navigator]] and [[elected-rep-letter]] for the rest of civic life;

[[arrival-setup]] for newcomers registering for the first time; [[speak-at-the-council]]

to be heard between elections.