With talk of voting fraud, voter suppression, and shrinking poll locations, it can be easy to feel discouraged about how protected your vote actually is. But the truth is that many people, including those in the government and at the polling places, are doing their best to ensure a safe, effective, and secure election in this age of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of the most significant ways people are working to protect your voting rights and help your vote get counted toward a fair election.
7 Ways Your Vote Will Be Counted, Protected, and Safeguarded
As the 2020 Election Day fast approaches, citizens are casting their votes in droves across the nation thanks to a wide variety of options to help them vote during the pandemic. But how can voters be sure their votes will be counted properly and fairly? What precautions are being taken to ensure a safe, secure, and fair election takes place? Here are seven of those ways people are making sure your vote counts this year:
- Early Voting, Mail-In Voting, and Absentee Balloting—Everyone does not have to vote on November 3; for many years now, states have permitted absentee balloting, early voting, and even mail-in voting to make their civic duty more convenient. These days, additional states have adopted these supplemental options and even encouraged them for the sake of public safety.
- Safety Precautions at the Polls—Perhaps you have seen it on a news broadcast: lengthy lines snaking outside and around polling places with voters wearing masks, spaced as close to six feet apart as possible, waiting for hours on end to vote early. At polling places across the nation, the poll workers collecting the votes are disinfecting the equipment and enforcing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s guidelines.
- Congressional Support of the Post Office—Earlier this year, what seemed like the defunding and restructuring of the United States Postal Service (USPS), including less overtime and fewer resources, caused Congress to take immediate action to ensure that the USPS would be able to function without interruption, especially as the mail-in and absentee ballots begin their shipments and deliveries.
- Essential Workers at the Post Office and Polls—These hard-working folks are protecting your vote every day with every ballot they deliver or polling site they set up and run.
- Supreme Court Intervention—Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a case in Pennsylvania to support the state court’s decision on mail-in votes. This means that in Pennsylvania, mail-in voters will still have their votes counted as long as those ballots are received within three days after the election and postmarked by November 3, yet again helping to make sure citizens’ votes get counted.
- Poll Watchers—Meant to help maintain fairness at the poll sites, these poll watchers observe voting activities at the polls and report them back to the people in charge of the polls as well as whichever party they represent. There are very specific rules and guidelines for poll watchers in most states, though, to ensure that their “watching” is non-interventional and non-obstructive.
- Staying Proactive—We all must be proactive. Register to vote early. Vote as soon as possible. Read all directions for voting. Even keep tabs on where your ballot goes once it leaves your hands. If that means tracking your mail, then do it. Being proactive in so many ways will help make sure your vote counts and your voting rights are protected.
Contact a New York Civil Service Employee Defense Attorney
From enacting safety precautions to passing legislative measures, many people are trying to make sure your vote counts in the 2020 National Election. Call an NYC civil litigation lawyer at 833-563-9522 to learn how your vote is protected by law and what to do if you suspect your rights as a voter have been violated. JOEY JACKSON LAW, PLLC, has the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to help you with voting rights and other legal concerns.
Sources:
https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/poll-watcher-qualifications.aspx
https://www.nyclu.org/en/issues/voting/your-rights-voting-info
https://www.propublica.org/article/propublicas-pandemic-guide-to-making-sure-your-vote-counts
https://www.npr.org/series/754498433/secure-your-vote-2020-election-security