All the dates and deadlines you need to know before voting in the 2018 Midterm Elections

If you're registered to vote but will be away from your polling place on Election Day, there's still time to request and send in an absentee ballot.

While states all have different requirements for receiving a ballot, most military service members, US citizens living abroad, college students, or people who will otherwise be away from their polling place for another reason, including a disability or religious conflict, are eligible to vote absentee in the November 6 election.

All states allow voters to request ballots by mail, but only some permit in-person requests. Virginia is the only state where voters can apply for an absentee ballot online.

While most states require that your absentee ballot be postmarked or received by your election official by Election Day, some will count your ballot as long as it arrives within up to 10 days of Election Day.

If you request a ballot but don't receive it in time to mail in back by your state's deadline, you can fill out the Federal Absentee Write-in Ballot as a backup.

In the meantime, you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot lookup tool for information on all the federal, state, and local elections and/or ballot initiatives that you can vote on this fall.

The majority of states allow early voting where you can go to your polling place before Election Day and cast your ballot.

Some of them call it "absentee voting" because you technically fill out an absentee ballot at the polling place, but either way — it's the ability to vote early in person, before Election Day.

See the full breakdown for each state's rules here »

While most states close the polls somewhere between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., almost every state has laws requiring that as long as you got in line while the polls were still open, you have to be allowed to cast a ballot if you're in line when they close.

If you're in line when the polls close and are told to leave or have any problems voting, you can call the nonpartisan voter-protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) for assistance.

If you'll be working on Election Day and won't be able to vote before or after work, you may be allowed to take time off work to vote.