There Are Other Things To Vote For Besides The Next President

Your local deadline may have passed, but several states and the District of Columbia allow you to register in person and vote on Election Day, November 8. Check out the details for your state here.

Why it matters: All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 out of the 100 Senate seats are up for grabs this November. Republicans currently control both chambers. The Democrats aren't likely to take over the House, but the battle for the Senate is expected to be close, with key races in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Republican candidates have faced pressure to denounce Donald Trump after leaked audio revealed the presidential nominee bragging about sexual assault. Some GOP leaders have openly shifted focus from electing a Republican president to maintaining the party's power in Congress.

Check out who's running in your state and Congressional District here. You can look up the voting records of candidates who've already served in Congress here.

Why it matters: Governors do a lot. In most states, they put together the state budget, which funds health care, education, services for people with disabilities and many other things you probably care about. They can also veto bills passed by your state legislature. Your state senators and representatives, in turn, approve the budget and make the state laws. A lot of the issues we grill presidential candidates on play out heavily at the state level, including battles over reproductive rights, LGBT rights, police accountability, minimum wage, drugs and guns.

Voters in 12 states will elect governors, while 80 percent of all state legislative seats nationwide are up for grabs this year. Some states will also vote for lieutenant governor, attorney general and other statewide elected offices.

Get up to speed on who's running in your area here. You can check out candidates' public statements, voting and executive action records here.

Why it matters: ballot measures ask you to vote directly on proposed policies. Issues on the ballot in several states include marijuana, guns, minimum wage and the death penalty.

Learn more about your state's 2016 ballot measures here.

There are also measures on medical marijuana in Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota.

Why it matters: The Leslie Knopes of the world literally run your town and decide how to spend taxpayer funds in your community. Debates going on at the national level also play out in local measures like proposed fracking bans and minimum-wage ordinances.

Research your local candidates and issues here.

Why it matters: This is the most puzzling part of the ballot for a lot of voters, but these judges have an arguably more direct impact on people's lives than many other officials. Their job is literally to make decisions, hearing most criminal cases and handing down sentences when juries find people guilty. They also decide civil matters, like child custody disputes.

Aside from a few high-profile cases like Aaron Persky, the California judge widely criticized for sentencing Brock Turner to only six months in jail after he was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, most Americans know very little about the judges we're asked to elect. If you've ever felt tempted to just skip this section at the polls, you're not alone — around a quarter of people who vote for president leave it blank.

Find out who's running in your area here. The National Association of Women Judges Informed Voters project has compiled resources you can use to learn more about the judges on the ballot in your state. Your local media outlets are another place to look for coverage of judicial elections.