Election Day | Voter Assistance
Issues Voters Should Watch Out For and What They Can Do
Several things can go wrong on Election Day at the polling place, including the following common problems. Click on one of the four links listed below for suggestions on how to handle the situation.
1. a voter not being on the pollbook
2. broken or dysfunctional machines
3. long lines
4. accessibility for persons with disabilities and limited English proficiency
Before Election Day
1. Confirm your registration in advance. You should be able to do this by going online if your state provides this service or calling your local elections board.
2. Locate your polling place. Voters sometimes show up to vote and find themselves not in the pollbook because they are voting in the wrong place.
Voter Not on the Pollbook
1. Confirm you are at the right polling place. If on Election Day, a pollworker claims you are not on the voter rolls, make sure you are at the right polling location. If you are sure that you are, ask the pollworker to call the local election office to look for your name in the computer database. If they cannot find your name, it may be because your name is misspelled in the database. Ask the election worker to search for your registration record by looking up your address or birthdate.
2. Ask for assistance. Look for the volunteers provided by the non-partisan Election Protection coalition. If you can't find any volunteers, call 866-OUR-VOTE and ask for help in advocating for you. Your candidate of choice may also be able to help.
3. Demand someone with authority review your situation. When advocating on your behalf, ask for the Election Judge or another person who with the power to instruct a pollworker to allow you to cast a regular ballot. Do not accept a provisional ballot (in some states, it is called an affidavit ballot), unless there is no other alternative.
4. Do not leave without casting a ballot. If unsuccessful, do not allow pollworkers to turn you away without at least casting a provisional ballot (a ballot that will only be counted after certain steps are taken to satisfy the election officials that a voter is eligible. Ask the pollworker or a volunteer from Election Protection to explain what you need to do to get your provisional ballot counted, and how you find out whether your provisional ballot was counted. And follow-up!
Machine is Broken or Dysfunctional
1. Speak up. Election officials should fix the problem to prevent long lines. Get the attention of a pollworker—and volunteers provided by the non-partisan Election Protection coalition, if available—and let them know a machine is in need of a technician. If you can't find any volunteer, call 866-OUR-VOTE and ask for their help in reporting the problem.
2. Make sure you get an EMERGENCY ballot. An emergency ballot gets counted just as a regular ballot. IMPORTANT: Do not let the pollworker hand you a provisional ballot (in some states it is called an affidavit ballot). A provisional ballot is a ballot which is only counted after certain steps are taken to satisfy the election officials that a voter is eligible). If the pollworker is handing out provisional ballots, call 866-OUR-VOTE to report this problem.
Lines are Long
1. Tell someone. The lines may be long because there are disruptive challenges, or broken machines, or needed materials are missing. Election officials should fix this so no one has to wait too long. Tell a pollworker and look for the volunteers provided by the non-partisan Election Protection coalition and let them know that the lines are long. If you can't find any volunteer, call 866-OUR-VOTE and ask for their help in reporting the problem.
2. Make sure you get an EMERGENCY ballot. An emergency ballot gets counted just as a regular ballot. IMPORTANT: Do not let the pollworker hand you a provisional ballot (in some states it is called an affidavit ballot). A provisional ballot is a ballot which is only counted after certain steps are taken to satisfy the election officials that a voter is eligible. If the pollworker is handing out provisional ballots, call 866-OUR-VOTE to report this problem.
Accessibility Issues
1. Know your rights. Voters with disabilities must have access to the polling booths and sign-in tables. A voter who is blind or physically disabled or unable to read English is allowed to bring a person of her choice into the voting booth (except for persons like an employer or union leader).
2. Ask for help. Look for the volunteers provided by the non-partisan Election Protection coalition or call 866-OUR-VOTE.
