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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.