We Wanna Make Sure Your First Time—Ahem!—Voting Is Totally Satisfying, so Here’s What to Do
So you want to vote in the presidential election. Welcome to the cool-kids club, population all the voters.
Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, voting in 2020 is going to be a wee bit, uh, tricky (ahem, more mail-in ballots than ever before and coronavirus safety precautions at polling places). Also, if you’ve never voted before, you may be like, Hi, I have no idea how to do this!
But deep breaths, friends. We’re here to walk you through every single step of how to vote, when to vote, and where to vote in order to make sure your ballot counts. Here’s where to start and all the important dates you’ll need to remember to get you through November 3.
Now: Register to Vote
Literally nothing else matters if you’re not registered to vote. Check on your registration at Vote.org. If you’re not in the system, do it right now…right here:
Also Now: Decide if You’re Going to Vote by Mail
If you’re not down to vote in person because you’re minimizing your activity during the pandemic (hard same), check to see if you’re allowed to vote by mail even without an excuse (or if, you know, you can use the v real excuse of the coronavirus pandemic that won’t go away). Every state has different requirements for this and because 2020 is pure chaos, the rules may change…even though we’re thisclose to Election Day. Head to Vote.org to see what’s up in your state.
Yep, Still Now: Request an Absentee Ballot
Wouldn’t it be amazing if your absentee ballot could be automatically mailed to you? ::pauses to dream about this:: Okay, back to reality. Some states actually send you an absentee ballot, but in most places, you gotta request it first. (It’s so confusing, truly.) Insert all your info below or head here to do so, and Vote.org will generate a form that you’ll have to print—we know, who owns a printer these days?—and fill out and then mail back to your Board of Elections with a stamp and everything. After all this, you should receive an absentee ballot in the mail.
Right After You Request a Ballot: Do Your Pre-Voting Homework
It’s so freaking easy to forget about all the local elections (who knew you had to vote for coroner in some places?!). Go to Ballotpedia.org and type in your zip code to see what your ballot will look like and get info on all the other peeps you’ll need to decide on.
As Soon as You Get Your Absentee Ballot: Vote by Mail
Now that you actually have your absentee ballot (bravo, bravo!), fill it out correctly. Check out Vote.org’s absentee ballot rules to make sure you cross your Ts and all that, since the regulations vary by state. (PSA: Don’t throw out the directions that come with your ballot! You gotta follow all of them so your vote doesn’t get discarded for something silly like not signing in the right place.) Then send that baby back ASAP. Every state has different deadlines for when these votes have to be received by, so go to triple-check that info here.
September 17: Sign Up to Be a Poll Worker if That’s Your Vibe
Sooo, most poll workers are over 61 years old and those folks are really risking their lives to work this year, thanks to the coronavirus. If you are healthy, have the day off, and are loaded up with PPE, consider signing up to work the polls at EAC.gov.
September 18: Check if You Can Vote Early
Some states let you vote in person early, like up to 40 days before Election Day (whaddup, Illinois?!). Doing so will help you avoid the crowds and ensure your ballot is counted on the actual day. Google “[your state] + early voting,” visit our how-to-register guide, or check your local election office’s website at USVoteFoundation.org to learn about your state’s rules.
September 22: Check Your Registration—Again
Sure, you registered to vote way back when, but…let’s triple-check your status on National Voter Registration Day. No one wants to show up to the polls and see they’re not on the list.
October 2: Ask Your Boss if You Get Time Off to Vote
Since Election Day isn’t actually a national holiday like it is in some countries (looking at you, South Korea), voting IRL may be tricky for folks who have to work long hours far away from their polling place. More than a month before Election Day, ask your boss if they’ll be cool with you taking a little time off to vote IRL. If they’re not, there’s still time to request and fill out an absentee ballot.
October 20: Make Sure Your Absentee Ballot Has Arrived
If you requested your absentee ballot ages ago and it still hasn’t arrived, call your local board of elections. (Yeah, sorry, picking up the actual phone is your best bet here.) Google “[your county] board of elections phone number” to get that info. They can check on your status and see where it is. This also gives you a little time to get a new one if it got lost somehow.
October 22: Mail in Your Absentee Ballot—if You Haven’t Already
Twelve days before the election, make sure your absentee ballot is en route to the Board of Elections, especially if you’re sending yours through the USPS, which has been underfunded this year and therefore is dealing with major delays. If you send your ballot in after this, there’s no guarantee it will get to where it needs to go in time—no matter what state you’re in.
November 1: Write Out Your Voting Plan
Obviously, you did all your research a few weeks back, but there’s no harm in doing a little refresh if you’re planning to vote IRL. Hit up Ballotpedia.org again to see if there’s any new info about the candidates in your district, then decide who you’re going to vote for. Write all the names down in a note on your phone so you can get in and out of the polls quickly on November 3. (Just check your state’s Board of Elections site to make sure you can actually look at your phone in your polling place. Some states have hard-core rules about this. If you can’t BYO phone, go old-school and write all your picks out on a piece of paper to carry with you or, ya know, write ’em in Sharpie on your arm.)
Then, decide how you’re actually going to vote. Are you going to your local polling place with your mom? Going before work at the crack of dawn? Wearing your favorite mask so you can take an “I Voted” selfie after doing the deed? Cool. Fill out this plan and share it on social. It’s the good kind of peer pressure.
November 2: Find Your Polling Place—and See if You Need ID
If you’re voting in person tomorrow, make sure you know where you’re going. Look up your polling place here. Some states also make you show proof of identification or residence. Check out your state’s guidelines here and get your docs in order if you need ’em.
November 3: If You’re Voting In Person…Vote!
Pack your PPE, head on over to your polling place, and vote your heart out! (Oh, yeah, and you may wanna bring a snack and some comfy shoes in case the lines are looooooooong.)
Later on November 3: Don’t Expect to Hear the Final Results
Because so many states allow absentee ballots to be counted up to seven days after Election Day—and because so many more people will actually be voting this way this year—we probs won’t have final results on November 3. So watch the news if you must but don’t expect to wake up on November 4 with a clear idea of what’s ahead.
Trump has claimed that we won’t know for “months” or “years,” even though he has no proof of that. But some experts claim it could take a week or longer to have the presidential results. Don’t panic though! This happened a bunch during the primaries earlier this year, when some races weren’t called until a few weeks later. In New York, for example, Democratic challenger Jamaal Bowen’s win over incumbent Representative Eliot Engel was confirmed three weeks after voters cast ballots in the primary.
And, of course, we can travel back in time to 2000 when the presidential race between Al Gore and George Bush wasn’t decided day-of either. It took a month to recount ballots in Florida, whose electoral college votes would decide the election. The Supreme Court eventually halted the recount, calling the election in favor of Bush.
So, yeah, there are a bunch of unknowns for now, so why don’t we focus on the one thing you can know: how to freaking vote.
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