How, Where, and When Will You Vote in 2020?
With so many voting options to choose from, how do you pick what is right for you?
To start, review what is available in your area. Visit the links below, or call your local election office and ask for their voter guidelines, including the types of ballots that are available, the restrictions on those ballots, and the deadlines for applying and returning your ballot.
These guidelines will also explain how and when your ballot is counted. To ease some of the confusion, review the terms below:
- Absentee ballots – This is a term used to describe when people cannot vote in person, such as students who are away at school, individuals with medical conditions that make it hard to vote to in person, or members of the military on active duty assignments.
- Mail-in ballots – Due to the pandemic, many areas have mailed out applications for people to fill out and return to obtain a ballot mailed directly to you, similar to the absentee ballot process.
- Provisional ballots – If there is a question regarding your voter status, your ballot will be considered provisional. It will be held aside until the election office can verify that you are an eligible voter. For example, if you request a mail-in ballot but then decide to vote in person, your ballot would only be counted when verified that there was no duplication of your vote.
- In-person early voting – Many communities now offer people the opportunity to go to selected locations, such as county offices, two weeks before the election, and vote.
- Election day voting – Local polls are typically open between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on election day.
The site below has voting regulations and timelines listed in alphabetic order by state. Be sure to check with your local election in the coming weeks for any last-minute changes due to COVID-19 that might impact your voting options.
Your Call-to-Action this week is:
Click the button below to make (and commit) to a plan for casting your ballot this fall. Then, share it with someone who can hold you accountable (spouse, sibling, friend, etc.)
Plan Your Vote
P.S. We are seven days into our ‘9 Days for the 19th Amendment’ series.
In case you have missed any profiles you can find them below.
Ida B. Wells
Carrie Chapman
Lucy Stone
Alice Paul
Mary Church Terrell
Mabel Ping-Hua Lee
Amelia Jenks Bloomer
