Tuesday, September 1, 2020

How to Vote

The November 3rd 2020 U.S. election is fast approaching! If the voting process has become moderately confusing and inconvenient for those of us who are familiar with voting due to additional voter suppression, it will be damn near impossible for many new and returning voters. Voting is a right, and as such it should be made as easy and straightforward as possible for everyone. If that's not part of your political "goals" then you need to reconsider those goals and change them. What follows is intended to bring resources together into a quick guide to voting from any state or territory. I'll use Maryland (MD) as an example because that's where I'm from.

Step 0: Get ID


Does your state require an ID? Check the ID laws for each state. The federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) places additional ID requirements on first-time voters who registered by mail. MD requires proof of residency when registering or voting for the first time, but afterwards doesn't require any documentation to vote in-person or by absentee/mail-in (for example, you can request the latter with the last 4 digits of your SSN).

If your state does require one and you need one, you can use VoteRiders or follow this guide on how to get an ID from your local DMV.

STEP 1: Register to Vote


Need to register, or verify whether you already have? Check here.

Then mark your calendar with your state's registration deadline. MD's deadline is 10/13.

As a last case scenario, some states (like MD) let you same-day register at the polls.

STEP 2: Make a Voting Plan


Option 1: Vote absentee/mail-in
Take the postal service risk, and request an absentee/mail-in ballot (the MD request deadline is 10/20, and all registered voters will receive request forms in the mail - though if you have a license or MVA ID it's faster to use the online system). The deadlines are just a guide though, you should submit your request ASAP in case the elections office is overwhelmed and can't process your request in time.
  • What is absentee/mail-in voting?
  • Does your state require excuses to vote absentee/mail-in? MD does not.
  • How will your identity be verified when processing ballots? This could include ID copies, signature comparisons, and/or witness/notary signatures. MD requires a signed oath (which must match the signature on file) on a sealed envelope.
  • When will your vote be processed and counted? Actually, many states have enacted temporary policies on processing and counting for the 2020 election. MD begins processing and counting on 11/4 at 8am 10/1 when ballots are received.
  • How will you get your ballot? See the above links, but states may offer different formats including ballots being mailed to you (MD sends out three weeks "about 30-45 days" prior to the election), faxed to you, and emailed to you as a downloadable link.
  • Is there any risk with the downloadable version? Apparently these can't be scanned and could slow down vote counting. According to the MD election website, "This process slows down the vote counting after the election and puts election workers at risk during the pandemic, so we ask that you not use internet delivery unless it is necessary."
  • How can I return my ballot? NOTE: PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY AND DOUBLE-CHECK THAT YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL REQUIREMENTS BEFORE RETURNING YOUR BALLOT!! DON'T LEAVE ANY REASON FOR YOUR BALLOT TO BE THROWN OUT!!
    • Return Method A: Hand delivering by 11/3 at polling centers, likely in your county or major city (early or day-of locations in MD on a map, see the full list of MD locations here)
    • Return Method B: Hand delivering by 11/3 at ballot drop boxes, likely in your county or major city (see locations in MD on a map here or see the full list here due by 8pm on 11/3, expected to number 270 across the state)
    • Return Method C: Mailing back by postmarking (I repeat, postmarking as in received and processed by the postal service, NOT simply "placing your ballot into a mailbox") on time (MD = 11/3) and arriving to the local board of elections on time (MD = 11/13 at 10am), though USPS recommends mailing your ballot "at least 7 days before Election Day"
    • Return Method D: Change your mind and vote in-person instead, though you'll likely complete a provisional ballot
      • NOTE: Provisional ballots are expectedly treated differently by state, and will not be counted under certain circumstances (besides obvious cases where multiple votes have been cast by a single voter or the voter hasn't met ID requirements as described above)

Option 2: Vote in-person early

Take the COVID-19 risk, and vote early to avoid the rush. This is what some political experts recommend. See your state's election website for more information on locations.

Option 3: Vote in-person on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd

Take the COVID-19 risk, and stand in line if all else fails. Unfortunately, many states are reducing the number of polling stations by around 80%. See your state's election website for more information on locations. Then make a plan to vote before, after, or during work, or take off if you are able.

NOTE: FiveThirtyEight has an excellent guide on how to vote as well.

Step 3: Educate Yourself


This is a very polarizing election so you many already know who you plan to vote for, but it doesn't hurt to cut through the (social) media bias and rampant misinformation in order to get to the heart of where candidates stand on the issues.

Learn how your stance on national issues matches political parties and candidates by taking the political quiz on ISideWith.

Learn about your local ballot candidates and issues on Vote411. This will probably take the majority of your time when completing your ballot, and may require around 30 minutes of research if you want to be thorough.

And while we're on the topic of educating ourselves and preparing against an onslaught of misinformation in the next couple months, here are a few respectable news sources that will provide evidence-based accounts with the goal of being more moderate (links go to Facebook pages that you can Like to help balance the inevitable bias we all see in our social media feeds):

Actually, following Twitter's example, Facebook has begun instituting fact-checking with the help of the following agencies (which presumably can also be trusted to provide evidence-based accounts):

If you've already explored the education resources above and are feeling masochistic, check out the debates and watch the candidates act like immature children to talk over each other (all are from 9pm-10:30pm EST):
  1. First presidential debate on 9/29 (moderated by Chris Wallace, anchor of “Fox News Sunday”): YouTube full, YouTube recap
  2. Vice presidential debate on 10/7 (moderated by Susan Page, USA Today’s Washington bureau chief): YouTube full, YouTube recap
  3. Second presidential debate on 10/15 (moderated by Steve Scully, political editor at C-SPAN, in a town-hall-style event with undecided voters in Florida) The debate was canceled, now we have two separate town halls with undecided voters on 10/15: Biden on ABC moderated by George Stephanopoulos in PA from 8-9:30pm EST (YouTube full, ABC recap of both), Trump on NBC moderated by Savannah Guthrie in FL from 8-9pm EST (YouTube full, NBC recap of both)
  4. Third presidential debate on 10/22 (moderated by Kristen Welker, NBC News White House correspondent and co-anchor of “Weekend Today”): YouTube full, YouTube recap
*If you can only tune into one fact-checking account while watching the debates, the folks at USA TODAY are fantastic.

Step 4: VOTE!!!


Add your plan to your calendar, and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

Step 5: Spread the Word


Fact check me, and then tell everyone you know to go through these steps. If there's anything else that you're curious about, or think might be useful to know when voting from anywhere in the nation, let me know.
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