Your Rights. Your Vote.

This November (also now known at ‘voting season’) we are faced with an election that in my opinion will determine the future of our nation and our lives. Whether you choose to vote by mail or at your polling place, you must know your rights! The ACLU provided a few bullet points in their latest publication that are worth keeping at your beck and call.

• If the polls close while you’re in line to vote at your polling place (whether voting early or voting on Election Day), stay in line. You can still vote.

• Under federal law, if you have a disability or have difficulty reading or writing in English, you have the right to received help at the polls.

• If an election worker cannot find your name on the list of registered voters, you are still entitled to a provisional ballot. To double check that you have not been purged from voter rolls, you can double check your registration with this 30-second test at vote.org. If you have utilized a provisional ballot there are three very important things to remember:

  • Ask for written instructions to confirm your vote is counted, while also securing a phone number to confirm it has been counted.

  • In 27 states around the country, if you cast your provisional ballot at the wrong polling location it will not be counted. Confirm your polling location here.

  • In several states where ID is required (CT, ID, IA, LA, MI, MT, NH, SD, TN), you may be able to vote without proper ID by signing a something under oath.

• If you experience voter intimidation (which by the way, is a federal crime) including aggressive questioning about your citizenship status, criminal record, or voting record, you can report it (and you should) to the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

• If you are not registered to vote, you must do it now. It takes 2 minutes and will most likely be the most important thing you do today. Register to vote.

• Finally, if you prefer to vote by mail due to COVID-19 or another reason, some states are increasing the opportunity to request an absentee ballot. You can request one here.

Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash