Nevadans may have heard that today is one of the voter registration deadlines for those who want to participate in the November general election. But in a state that now has same-day voter registration, what’s the significance of the day?

The deadline —- which applies to mail and in-person voter registration — is most important for recent arrivals to Nevada or people who don’t have a Nevada driver’s license or ID card, according to Washoe County Registrar Deanna Spikula. State identification is key for registering to vote online or getting registered at a polling place on Election Day or during early voting, which begins Oct. 17.

Others who may find the Oct. 6 deadline important are out-of-state students who are going to school in Nevada but haven’t updated their driver’s license yet. Seniors who don’t drive and therefore don’t have a license may also want to make special note of the Tuesday deadline.

While some counties have already started sending out ballots, people who register by the Oct. 6 deadline can still expect to receive a mail-in ballot and a sample ballot in their mailbox, Spikula said.

The deadline for online registration — which requires DMV-issued identification — is Oct. 29. While people who miss that deadline will still be able to register at a polling site the day they vote, the advantage is that people who register online will be able to bypass the registration step at the voting site and proceed directly to vote.

“It's just a quicker process if you're already registered in our poll book when you go to the voting location to check in,” Spikula said in a call with reporters on Monday.

Those who register by midnight on Oct. 15 will receive ballots in the mail, while those who register after that cutoff must vote in-person during early voting or on Election Day to participate, according to the Nevada secretary of state’s office.

To register or update registration information by mail, people are asked to download the application form, fill out the required information, print the form and mail it — or deliver it by hand — to the election official in the county where they reside. It must be postmarked by today to ensure a voter can participate in the general election.

Voters should update their information if their physical address, name or party affiliation has changed.

Those with a DMV-issued identification can check their registration status, update information such as their address or party affiliation, cancel their registration or register for the first time at RegisterToVoteNV.gov.

Important dates:

• Oct. 6: Deadline for mailing in application to register to vote; deadline for in-person voter registration
• Oct. 29: Deadline for registering to vote online
• Oct. 17—30: Early voting (Nevadans can register to vote at polling places on the day they vote)
• Nov. 3: Election Day (Nevadans can register to vote at polling places on the day they vote)