Do you have a plan to vote?
Whether you're voting at the polls or by mail-in ballot there are important things every voter needs to know to make sure their vote counts.
This guide is breaking down important information to help solve questions before election day November 3rd.
Check to see if you are registered to vote here. Voter registration closed October 19.
FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO VOTE AT THE POLLS:
Find your polling place here.
Learn about your county's voting systems here.
What COVID-19 precautions are in place? Learn about that here.
If you already submitted a mail-in or absentee ballot, you cannot vote at a polling place on election day. However, if you did not return your mail-in/absentee ballot, the Department of State lists these two options: 1) "Bring your ballot and the pre-addressed outer return envelope to your polling place to be voided. After you surrender your ballot and envelope and sign a declaration, you can then vote a regular ballot." 2) "If you don't surrender your ballot and return envelope, you can only vote by provisional ballot at your polling place. Your county board of elections will then verify that you did not vote by mail before counting your provisional ballot."
Get more polling questions answered here.
FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO VOTE BY MAIL-IN
The application to file for a mail-in ballot and vote early at county office locations closed on October 27.
Voters who still have a mail-in ballot to drop off are strongly encouraged to take it in person at their county's drop-off location in order to avoid postal delays and make sure their vote is received by the county in time.
Find where to return ballots here.
Ballots must be postmarked by November 3rd in order to be counted and they must be received no later than November 6. Ballots must be placed within the secrecy envelope, and voters cannot write on the secrecy envelope. The secrecy envelope must then be placed inside the second, outer envelope that requests the voter's signature and information on the back. The outer envelope must be signed where indicated.
With only days to go before the election on November 3rd, the post office strongly urges voters to get their ballots in immediately in order to make sure ballots arrive on time and it suggests mailing them one week before the deadline.
The Post Office issued this advice to voters who plan to drop their ballot off in a mailbox:
"With a record number of people across the country voting by mail, the U.S. Postal Service’s number one priority between now and the November election is the secure, timely delivery of the nation’s Election Mail.
Now, less than a week to the election, the Postal Service continues to recommend that, as a common sense measure, voters should mail their completed ballots before Election Day and at least one week prior to your state’s deadline.
Some states may recommend allowing even more time for mailing completed ballots.Voters should keep these recommendations in mind when deciding how to return their ballots." - Desai Abdul-Razzaaq, spokesperson,USPS Corporate Communications
LAST MINUTE EMERGENCIES
Per the Department of State, "in emergency situations (such as an unexpected illness or disability and last-minute absence) following the deadline at 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election, you can request an Emergency Absentee Ballot. The deadline to submit your Emergency Absentee Ballot Application to the County Election Board is 8:00 pm on election day." Learn more about that here.