The Tool Desk
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Where to find reliable voting information
Election administration is primarily handled by state and local officials. Federal portals are useful starting points, but the election office responsible for your jurisdiction is the authority for current local instructions.
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- Start at Vote.gov. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) manages the site, which directs voters to state election websites for state-specific information. Registration must be completed directly through your state, not through Vote.gov. See About Vote.gov.
- Use the EAC voter hub to find state and local election information, voter FAQs, accessibility materials, and federal contacts for reporting intimidation, fraud, or other concerns.
- Check registration through Can I Vote. Choose your state to reach its official registration-status lookup. USAGov recommends checking early enough to resolve a problem before the registration deadline; see Confirm your voter registration.
- Contact your state or local election office about registration, polling locations and hours, election administration, and official results. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) calls the state or local office the best resource for election-administration questions: Where to get voting and election information.
- Try NASS #TrustedInfo as another route to official election officials and information. Its 2025–2026 campaign urges voters to go directly to officials’ websites, social-media pages, and materials: NASS #TrustedInfo.
For “Where is my polling place?” or “What are my local voting hours?”, use the official state or local election site reached through these portals. Do not rely on a search result, old message, or unofficial map when an official jurisdiction-specific listing is available.
How to report election misinformation or a suspected violation
First distinguish inaccurate political commentary from deceptive instructions about voting or a possible violation of election law. The FBI describes intentionally deceiving qualified voters to prevent them from voting as voter suppression and advises people to verify voting information with an election office and report suspected suppression.
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| Concern | Where to report |
|---|---|
| False or deceptive directions about when, where, or how to vote; suspected voter suppression | Report suspected instances to IC3.gov. The FBI also provides a tips site for potential election crimes. See FBI: Election Crimes and Security. |
| A suspicious post on a social platform | Use the platform’s reporting tool when appropriate as an additional route. The FBI presents platform reporting as an option, not a substitute for reporting to government authorities. |
| Voter intimidation or suspected voter fraud | Contact your state election office. |
| Possible violation of federal voting laws | Submit the DOJ Civil Rights Division Voting Section Election Complaint Report. The FEC’s election-information page lists the Voting Section’s phone numbers and email; check it for current contact details. |
| Belief that a federal election was administered fraudulently | Contact the FBI. |
| Immediate danger or a threat of harm to an election worker | Call 911 or local police immediately, as the FBI advises. For a possible state or local election-law violation, contact local law enforcement. |
Keep the original message and its context when possible—such as the post, sender, date, and link—so the receiving authority can assess what was shared. Not every inaccurate political claim is a federal election crime: the FBI distinguishes potential federal crimes from conduct that is not a federal election crime, and states may have separate laws.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check whether election results are official
Election-night totals are preliminary, even if every precinct appears to have reported. The EAC explains that the canvass aggregates and confirms valid ballots; certification is officials’ attestation that the results account for all votes cast. Only election officials provide official results, and the timeline and certifying authority vary by state and sometimes locality.
- Open the state or local election office’s results page for the jurisdiction in question.
- Look for its canvass and certification information to see whether totals are preliminary or certified.
- Distinguish news-media projections from official certification. Recounts and audits may affect the timeline, and their rules and methods differ among states.
The EAC’s explanation of the process is available at Election Results, Canvass, and Certification.
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