by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~
The United States has long dazzled the world as a paragon of democracy. We’ve held ourselves up as a shining example of how to conduct fair, safe, and calm elections. This year things feel a little different.
A highly contagious virus menaces our population. Federal intelligence agencies warn that foreign governments such as Russia and China are still interfering with our elections, primarily by spreading misinformation, weird conspiracy theories, and outright lies. President Donald J. Trump’s newly appointed Postmaster General has created slow-downs in postal service. The President frets about mail-in voter fraud (for which no evidence has been produced so far), and says he’ll send law enforcement agents to polling places (even though that’s prohibited by federal law and/or by long-standing precedent).
The result? Many of us are either scratching our heads, biting our nails, or both.
Will we be duped by malicious fake news rumors? Will law officers from our own government try to stop us from voting? If hordes of us vote by mail will the post office be able to handle the volume? If we vote in person will we catch the plague? Will our votes be properly counted? Will our elections be fair, for heaven’s sake?
Unfortunately there are no definite answers. But after studying several voting guides offered by government agencies and nonpartisan organizations, we here at Sass101.com feel encouraged that most state and local authorities are just as concerned as we are about election integrity, and they are working hard to do things right. Also Sass101 has great faith in the nation’s 600,000 hardworking postal employees. Last but not least, we’re keeping all fingers crossed that Americans’ common sense will prevail over the nutty fringe notions that our enemies want us to believe.
We’ve gathered advice from various reliable sources, double-checked it, and distilled it into the following tips on how each of us can conquer the chaos before November.
23 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT
. Tell your government representatives that a) you want fair and safe elections, and b) they need to take action now to make that happen. The more of us who contact our leaders and demand decisive action to protect our democracy, the more they must listen to and act on our wishes.
Almost all officials have staff whose job it is to hear and read constituents’ comments and requests via phone and email. This includes folks from the President and U.S. congressmembers on down to state governors and county supervisors. When you reach out to them, try to keep your remarks concise, and of course always be polite.
To find your leaders’ contact info, you can do an Internet search for the name of your city, county, or state plus the words “government representatives.” You can also try the lookup resource provided by the League of Women Voters.
. Don’t fall for false information about voting procedures! Make sure to rely on info you get from official sources, for example your county and state governments. Some nonpartisan, nonprofit groups like Vote.org, Rock the Vote, Protect the Vote and Vote411 (League of Women Voters) are also trustworthy.
. Make your voting plan now, if you haven’t already. See all the tips below on how to do that. Don’t delay! The November 3, 2020 General Election is coming up fast.
. Register to vote. To find out how, you can do an Internet search for the name of your county and the phrase “Registrar of Voters,” then look for the tabs regarding voter registration.
. Double-check your voter registration. Even if you believe you’re already registered, and even if you’ve voted before, make sure in advance that your registration is still valid, so as to avoid an unpleasant surprise at the last minute.
To find out how to check your registration status, you can do an Internet search for the name of your county and the phrase “Registrar of Voters,” then look for the relevant tabs. Also you can visit vote.gov, the official U.S. government site, or try registration checkers like the one offered by Vote.org.
. Choose your specific method for voting as soon as possible. Will you vote in person, absentee, or by mail? Visit your state and county voting guide websites to learn the specific steps you should take to vote, according to the voting method you prefer. Even if you’ve voted a certain way recently, the official process for that method might have changed in the meantime.
. Get your ballot. If you decide to vote absentee or by mail, visit your county registrar’s website or phone its offices to check on when they’ll send you your ballot, then make sure you receive it by the date they specify. If not, follow up promptly with a phone call to the registrar’s office to let them know it has not yet arrived. Your county registrar needs to mail your ballot to you well before Election Day. You’ll need plenty of time to fill it out, then to mail it back or to deliver it in person either to the registrar’s office or to the special vote drop-off boxes that some states offer.
. Give yourself plenty of time to study your ballot and to research the issues and the candidates in advance so that you can make well-informed choices. If your county registrar’s office does not send you a ballot in advance by mail, you can search for a sample on their website, or contact them and ask for guidance on how to find a sample ballot online.
. Don’t get fooled! Beware of false info and “fake news” about the candidates and the issues while you’re deciding how to vote. There are individuals and groups in this country and around the world who are bald-face lying and spreading baseless rumors to try to influence your vote. Many are marketing professionals, highly skilled at creating and disseminating propaganda designed to mislead or distract you from the truth.
Carefully double-check all claims about the ballot measures, pro and con. Also check out boasts or accusations regarding the candidates. It can be helpful to think about who is presenting the info. What do they stand to gain or lose? Try to rely on independent, unbiased, nonpartisan sources for the information you use to make your decisions. Carefully examine everything you read and hear to figure out where it came from, and whether or not the source has a particular goal or mission. Use your common sense.
. Consider using a ballot drop-off box. If you’re worried about the reliability of mail-in voting that uses the U.S. Postal Service, and/or worried about catching coronavirus by going inside a polling place, keep in mind that your state and county might offer drop-off locations where you can deposit your completed ballot in a secure, special box outdoors. Contact your local election officials for info on this option.
If you decide to vote in person, follow these steps…
. Read the handy guide to voting rights provided by Vote.org.
. Have the correct identification. Double-check with your state and county offices regarding current ID requirements, and prepare to take with you whatever type is needed for voting. Keep in mind that many states’ voter ID laws have changed recently, so make sure you get up-to-date facts.
. Know your voting location. Visit your County Registrar’s website, phone its offices. or try Vote.org’s polling place locator to double-check on exactly where you should go to vote. Sometimes polling places are changed without adequate notification! This year many counties are reducing the number of polling places due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s especially important to make sure you know the correct location of your current polling place.
. Plan your transportation in advance. If you don’t have a way of traveling to your polling place for Early Voting or for Election Day, reach out right now to coordinate with family and friends who might be able to help, or contact the following organizations who might be able to guide you on how to arrange transportation:
. Your county registrar’s office
. Your state’s Secretary of State office
. Local colleges and universities
. Your political party’s headquarters (Republican, Democrat, Independent, etc.)
. League of Women Voters
. Learn what steps authorities are taking to keep voters and poll workers safe from COVID-19, and prepare to follow their requirements and recommendations. Visit your state and county voting guide websites to find this info.
. Make your personal plan for pandemic safety. For example pack your mask, hand sanitizer, your own pen, and be alert to staying at least six feet away from others. To protect yourself and others from coronavirus, follow public health experts’ guidelines.
. Try to decide how you’re going to vote on each ballot measure and candidate well before you get to your polling place, so that you can minimize the time you spend there. You may bring with you notes or a pre-filled sample ballot to help you remember your decisions.
. If your county offers early voting, with polling places open so you can vote on certain days prior to Election Day, try to take advantage of that option. Lines will be shorter and the atmosphere will be quieter, thus increasing convenience and decreasing COVID-19 risk for yourself, other voters, and the poll workers.
. If you decide to vote on Election Day, plan to arrive at your polling place as early as possible. Give yourself plenty of time in case anything goes awry.
. Prepare to wait in line for hours if necessary. Bring food, water, medications, hat, sunscreen, umbrella, coat, and/or other appropriate gear for the weather.
. Remember that if you are in line at the time when the polling place closes, you are entitled to stay and vote!
. Do not let anyone confuse, rattle, intimidate, or harass you about voting. Polling places are required by law to be safe, quiet, welcoming, and factual. No unpleasant, inappropriate, or misleading remarks or behavior is allowed. All campaign and promotional materials and discussions are prohibited in the polling area.
If anyone tries to question your eligibility to vote or your voting choices, stay calm, courteous, focused, and firm. Remember that once you have been properly qualified to vote under state and national law, voting is your sacred right. Any attempt to interfere with it or deprive you of it for false reasons is a crime that you should report immediately. Also report any misinformation about voting requirements, or people who pretend to be poll workers, election officials, or law enforcement agents when they are not.
. Report any inappropriate comments or behaviors to the poll workers, and/or to the following hotlines, which are staffed by volunteer attorneys and other qualified folks:
1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español)
1-888-API-VOTE (Asian multilingual assistance)
1-844-YALLA-US (Arabic)
. Phone the hotlines listed above for help on straightening out any other types of glitches in your voting process that are not satisfactorily addressed by the poll workers.
Sass101 wishes you safe and healthy enjoyment of your constitutionally guaranteed right to vote!
Main sources for this article:
Vote 411 (League of Women Voters)
Guide to voting rights (Vote.org)
Voting in the Year of COVID-19: How to ensure a free, fair, and safe 2020 election
“Outright Lies”: Voting Misinformation Flourishes on Facebook
Katerina Lorenzatos Makris, a career news reporter and fiction author, is Sass101.com’s founder and editor.
Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine.
She has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, RescueDiva.com, AnimalIssuesReporter.com, and Examiner.com (Animal Policy Examiner).
While specializing in animal and environmental issues, Katerina has covered a wide range of additional topics such as hurricanes, elections, 12 capital murder trials, and last but not least, women’s issues.
Her hundreds of interviews include HRH Princess Irene of Greece, Pres. George H.W. Bush, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ralph Nader, Sissy Spacek, Ted Danson, the real Col. Sanders, and Benji the Dog.
Together with coauthor Shelley Frost, Katerina wrote a step-by-step guide for hands-on, in-the-trenches dog rescue, Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need (The Lyons Press).
Please email Katerina at sass101info AT yahoo DOT com with any questions or comments. [We spell out the address that way to try to foil spammers. ? ]
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