{"id":37978,"date":"2024-10-28T19:25:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T19:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=37978"},"modified":"2024-10-28T21:37:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T21:37:11","slug":"what-to-do-if-your-vote-is-challenged-practical-advice-from-a-civil-rights-attorney-for-election-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/what-to-do-if-your-vote-is-challenged-practical-advice-from-a-civil-rights-attorney-for-election-day\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do if your vote is challenged: Practical advice from a civil rights attorney for Election Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Karen Figueroa-Clewett<\/a>, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the general election drawing close, it\u2019s important to know your rights in case your vote is challenged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to ensure that your vote is counted is to advocate for yourself. I\u2019m a civil rights attorney and lecturer for the University of Southern California\u2019s undergraduate civil rights advocacy initiative<\/a>, Agents of Change. Here are several straightforward ways to ensure your vote is counted and two practical remedies for you to consider if your vote remains challenged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major part of ensuring that you are able to vote is doing the necessary preparation before you even get to the polling place. Read on to find out how and where to register, where and when you can cast your ballot, and what numbers to call for any information you can\u2019t find online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you registered to vote? Check it out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you vote, you need to ensure that you\u2019re registered to vote. You can verify your registration status using this tool<\/a>. If you can\u2019t use an online tool, then call your local election office or a voter help line like the ones listed in the hotline section below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find you\u2019re not registered, you can use this tool<\/a> from the National Conference of State Legislatures to find your state\u2019s online registration application. If you need to do this in person, then call your local election office for instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, you may have missed your state\u2019s deadline for voter registration. But it may not be too late to register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many states allow same-day registration at the polling site. You can find your state\u2019s same-day voter laws detailed here<\/a>. Ask the poll worker, at the correct polling location, for a same-day registration form; complete the form and then ask for a \u201cconditional ballot.\u201d A conditional ballot allows election officials to count your vote after verifying your voter eligibility. If you can\u2019t research online, you can call your local election office to find out if you can register on Election Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Marchellos Scott, right, helps Morehouse College students fill out a voter registration form at a college registration booth on Aug. 19, 2024, in Atlanta. Elijah Nouvelage \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gather documents to verify your identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you live in a state that requires identity verification to vote in person, gather the required documents \u2013 which may range from a driver\u2019s license to bank statements with identifying information \u2013 before traveling to the correct polling place. You can find your county election office\u2019s contact information here<\/a>. This webpage<\/a> includes a table listing each state\u2019s acceptable ID documents and possible exceptions for some people. You may also call your local election office to find out what\u2019s required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absentee voters: Locate your state\u2019s identity verification rules here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find the correct polling location<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can ensure that you\u2019re headed to the right polling place with this tool<\/a>. Or call your county election office to find your polling place and its hours of operation; you can look up your county\u2019s election office contact information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you know your polling place and its hours, you can go there and check in. In most cases, you\u2019ll be handed a ballot, shown where to vote and asked to put your ballot in a machine or a box, and then you can go merrily along your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the moment of check-in is where things might go wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems at your polling place<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are potential vote challenges and ways to overcome them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Possibility No. 1: Out-of-order polling machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re asked to leave because of malfunctioning machines, don\u2019t. Instead, ask for a paper ballot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Possibility No. 2: You\u2019re in line and officials announce the polls have closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re in line at the polling location before it closes, don\u2019t let them turn you away at closing time if you haven\u2019t voted. You have the legal right to vote under those circumstances, so stay in line and wait to cast your ballot<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Possibility No. 3: You\u2019re not on the registered voters list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re told you can\u2019t vote because your name is not on the voter roster, ask the poll site worker to check again<\/a> and to check what\u2019s called the list of supplemental voters. If they still can\u2019t find your name, ask the poll worker to verify that you\u2019re at the right location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Poll workers want you to vote. But sometimes there are problems. Brendan Smialowski\/AFP via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Possibility No. 4: Someone claims you shouldn\u2019t be allowed to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your voting eligibility remains challenged after ensuring you\u2019re at the right polling location, ask to cast a provisional ballot<\/a>, which is available in every state except Idaho and Minnesota. You can find details about your particular state\u2019s provisional ballot rules here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track your provisional ballot here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call a hotline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are not given a provisional ballot, call an election hotline for help. Here are four hotlines, run by members of the nonpartisan Election Protection coalition<\/a>, that can help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

English: 866-OUR-VOTE\/866-687-8683, the Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights Under Law<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA\/888-839-8682, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education Fund<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asian Languages: 888-API-VOTE\/888-274-8683, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arabic: 844-YALLA-US\/844-925-5287, Arab American Institute<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report voter intimidation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If someone tries to scare you into voting or not voting for a candidate, stand your ground and demand a ballot from the poll site, call one of the hotlines above to report the intimidation, and file a claim with the FBI later by phone at 800-CALL-FBI \u2013 800-225-5324 \u2013 or online at tips.fbi.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

File a lawsuit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are still blocked from voting, consider legal action \u2013 but get advice on your exact situation from one of the hotlines, which have free lawyers on hand. It\u2019s a good idea to write down the names of people who prevented you from voting and to ask people who witnessed the incident for their contact information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leer in espa\u00f1ol<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an updated version of a story that was originally published on Nov. 2, 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen Figueroa-Clewett<\/a>, Lecturer, Agents of Change program, Department of Political Science and International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karen Figueroa-Clewett, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences With the general election drawing close, it\u2019s important to know your rights in case your vote is challenged. The best way to ensure that your vote is counted is to advocate for yourself. I\u2019m a civil rights attorney and lecturer for the University of Southern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":37979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8025,46,296,36,4],"tags":[500,3456,474,885,891,886,860,15710,14129,475,795,3455],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37978"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37978"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37980,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37978\/revisions\/37980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}