Is anyone else ready for this election to be over? I’m sure it’s just me. We’re almost there, though — Election Day is tomorrow, and while that’s certainly not the end of election season, it’s at least the beginning of the end.
If you’ve already voted, either early or by mail, congratulations! You get to sit back and relax (har har), to the extent that anyone can relax right now. If you’re going to be braving the real world and voting in person tomorrow, good for you. It’s important that every voice be heard, every year but especially this year, and tomorrow is going to be quite the day.
As you prepare to make your voting trek tomorrow, here are a few things to know.
1. Know your polling place.
I don’t care if you’ve been voting in the same elementary-school cafetorium twice a year for the past decade — double check before you go this year. Wait times could be long, and you don’t want to stand in line for an hour at what you think is your polling place, only to be told you need to head across town and stand in a different line.
Check your polling place online.
2. Be prepared for a wait.
Even with record numbers of voters casting their ballot early and/or by mail, it’s safe to assume in-person turnout at polling places will also be record-breaking. And with social distancing being a necessity, long voting lines are going to become about six times longer. Be prepared for inclement weather, for standing for long periods of time, for hunger and thirst, and for abject boredom. Don’t forget your mask, hand sanitizer, and any other COVID-fighting gear you like to keep around. (And if you want to make friends with those around you in line, bring enough snacks to share.)
3. Know your rights.
You get to vote. If you’re a registered voter, you have the right to vote, and laws exist that say you have that right. The ACLU has a handy list of specific voting-related rights, and their recommendations include but are not limited to:
Stay in line. If you’re still in line when the polls close, you still must be allowed to vote.
Try to fix things at the polls if possible. Know what kind of ID and other information you’ll need for voting, and have it with you when you leave the house — you don’t want to have to get out of line, go home, and come back to wait in what might be an even longer line.
Try to cast a regular ballot if at all possible. If there are questions about your eligibility to vote (ID, jurisdiction, etc.), you may be allowed to cast a provisional ballot, which you’ll likely be given an opportunity to “cure” later on. (As always, rules change from state to state.) If you have no other options, definitely do that, but it’s always better to cast an honest-to-dog regular ballot if you can. This is another reason to be sure you have every bit of information you might need to prove you deserve to be there.
Know that it’s illegal for anyone to try to prevent you from voting. (And that is try to prevent you from voting. They don’t even have to succeed to be committing a crime.) That includes physically blocking you from the polls, intimidating you, threatening you, coercing you, lying to you about voting requirements, or pretending to be a voting official (including a poll watcher, which I go into more later). If that happens to you, call one of the voting rights hotline below.
4. Know the rules about voting attire.
Different states have different rules about acceptable attire for voting, but most are in the realm of “no campaigning within [X] feet of a polling place,” so that means no candidate-specific shirts, buttons, hats, anything. Know the rules in your area, and edit your Election Day outfit accordingly.
Note I wish I didn’t have to make: Some early voters have reported getting static at their voting locations because of poll workers considering their Black Lives Matter and/or similar gear “political.” That’s BS, of course — the value of Black lives is in no way a political issue, and anyone who considers that to be electioneering is demonstrably flat wrong. I’m not telling you, and would never tell you, not to advocate for such crucial causes with pride. Just be prepared, and know your rights, if you might happen to be approached.
5. Be on your best behavior.
No campaigning. Just as a campaign t-shirt is a no-go at a polling place, actively campaigning for your candidate while you’re waiting in line is out. I know you feel passionately about your candidate (I mean, that’s why you’re standing in line for potentially hours), but this is a time to keep that to yourself — not because it’s anything wrong or shameful, but because it could literally get you kicked out of line.
No poll-watching. And when I say “poll-watching,” I mean trying to do what poll watchers do, except unofficially. Rules for poll watchers vary from state to state, but in general, they are a limited number of specifically designated people following specific rules for a specific purpose. If that’s not you, that’s not you. I mean, feel free to keep an eye on what’s going on around you, document it, call a hotline, tweet about it, whatever, but remember that it’s neither your job nor your purview to be Poll Patrol. No asking what people are doing, intimating that they might not be eligible voters, asking for ID, anything. Best case scenario, you’re being annoying as hell. Worst case, you’re committing voter intimidation, which is a crime. Just keep your eyes on your own paper.
No shit-stirring. I mean, come on. Just… just hold it in. Show restraint. It’s going to be a long day for everyone, so just try not to be the starter or even finisher of any fights.
Be patient. If you’re tired, frustrated, and annoyed with the wait, just imagine how the poll workers feel. They’ve probably been at this all day. Be polite and patient with them. You’ve made it this far. You can wait a little bit more.
Bring earbuds. Or headphones, or whatever. Don’t assume everyone in line will want to enjoy your choice of media along with you.
6. Keep some important phone numbers with you.
If you do see something untoward happening in your polling place, whether you or someone else is having their voting right violated, you should let people know right away.
The non-partisan ACLU Election Protection Hotline
1-866-OUR VOTE
En Español, 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA. In Arabic, 1-844-YALLA-US. English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali, 1-888-API-VOTE
Also find them online, on Twitter, and on Facebook.
The Department of Justice voting rights hotline
1-800-3253-3931
They also have an online complaint form.
7. Remember that there’s zero chance we’ll know who the winner is on November 3, and that’s okay.
I mean, it’ll be frustrating as hell, but from an electoral standpoint, that’s how it’s meant to be. And whether we’ve recognized it or not, it’s how it’s always been — even though states are usually called and concession and acceptance speeches are usually made on Election Night, states do keep processing absentee ballots until they’re all counted. Most years, there aren’t enough absentee ballots to have a substantial impact on the final tally. This year is not most years.
Mail-in ballot counting. To date — as of Monday, November 2, at 10:00 a.m. — there have been ‘round about 93 million early and absentee/mail-in ballots cast. In 37 states, election workers can’t start counting absentee ballots until Election Day, and in six states, they can’t even start opening envelopes until Election Day. On top of that, 18 states (or thereabouts — multiple court cases are ongoing) continue to accept ballots for a certain number of days after Election Day, as long as they’re postmarked on or before Election Day. That, too, is normal. The upshot is that it could be, like, a week before we know who the winner of the election is, and if that’s the case, that doesn’t mean anything is wrong. It means that every vote counts, and that’s right.
Red and/or blue shift. Something else to be prepared for: color shift. Historically, Democrats have been more likely to vote by mail than Republicans. In the past, this has meant that sometimes, election results have looked more red as in-person votes are cast on Election Day, and then when absentee and provisional ballots have been processed after polls close, things have shifted a little bluer. With unprecedented early and mail-in voting so far, and no way of knowing how in-person turnout is going to turn out, there’s no telling how things are going to look and how — and how many times — they’re going to shift while all the votes get counted. Again, that doesn’t mean anything untoward is happening. It doesn’t mean anyone is stealing anything. It doesn’t mean there’s fraud. It means that everyone’s vote counts, and thus everyone’s vote is being counted.
And that’s the thing to remember: Everyone’s vote counts, and that’s why everyone’s vote needs to be counted. Mail-in ballots are just as valid as any other ballots, and people who vote by mail still deserve to have their voices heard. Mail-in votes don’t “flip” elections — they’re part of elections, just as much as any other kind of vote. Once all the votes — those cast early, by mail, and on Election Day — are counted, that’s when we’ll know the will of the people. And if we have to wait a few extra days to know it, it’s worth it.
(I mean, don’t get me started on the Electoral College, but still.)
Best of luck to all.
Me, I’ve already voted absentee, so on Tuesday, I’m going to be sitting back in my jammies, pouring a glass of wine, and waiting for the results to roll in. (I mean, I will have showered and changed out of my jammies into other jammies, because ew, but the point is I won’t be in work clothes [which are fairly jammie-adjacent anyway, because freelancer, but still].) Best wishes to everyone out there braving the crowds and making your voices heard. I, and my wine and my jammies, am with you in spirit.