Welcome to the cool kids club. Where we vote.
So Covid has totally rocked this election year — with delays and deadline extensions. And I’m not here today to argue whether or not mail-in-ballots are good or bad (I am voting by mail and have in the past as well.) All I’m doing is giving you all the information you need to know about voting in the 2020 presidential and state elections.
First you’ve got to be registered.
Literally. If you’re not registered, none of this matters. Check to see if you’re registered at Vote.org. If you’re not, you can fill out the form below.
Now, decide if you’re voting absentee.
Because there are deadlines. We are literallythisclose to Election Day, but there is still time to request and absentee ballot if you’ll need it. Some states have no excuse absentee voting and some have restrictions. However, a lot of states are lifting these restrictions due to Covid. To check your state’s absentee voting rules, visit this page at Vote.org. And there is still time to request a mail-in ballot. For those deadlines, please visit this page at Vote.org or Google has a handy tool right on their main search page. Or even better, if you have a question, shoot me a direct message on social, comment below, or use the contact tool on the main site. I’ll find out information for you.
And if you’re good to go with dates and deadlines and need to request an absentee ballot, you can do that right here.
Then brush up on your candidate and policy info.
The presidential election is always in the forefront of everyone’s voting minds. But don’t forget about your state elections … and remember local elections? No you probably didn’t. I like BallotPedia as a resource. Type in your zip code, and you can read up on all of the election information you may need to make your informed, responsible decision. It’ll give you an idea of what the ballot will look like and allow you to get info on the candidates.
Send your mail in ballot in ASAP.
I mean…remember the deadlines?
Voting early doesn’t only mean voting by mail.
Check out your state’s early voting dates and rules. That might be a better option for you than on Election Day (11/3.)
Find out if your state offers early voting by visiting this voting calendar at Vote.org, the U.S. Vote Foundation, Google [your state] + early voting or check with your state offices directly.
First week of October: Ask your boss about getting some time off for voting.
It’s about a month out from Election Day, and since it’s not a holiday, you aren’t given guaranteed time off to vote. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Ask you boss to approve some PTO for voting if you can. Some companies even offer paid voting time that is separate from your usual PTO. And if they’re not ok with it, there’s still some time to request your mail-in ballot.
November 3rd – In person voting:
Covid has thrown everything off. Primary elections were a little all over the place. So make sure you’re sure where your polling location is and that you have all of your required documentation. You can find your polling location here and list of required documentation here. But make sure you double check before 11/3 with your state office — I know my county listed polling location changes in the paper and it was available online. Again, reach out to me directly, and I will find the information for you if needed!
Still November 3rd – But later:
Don’t expect the final result just yet. With an influx in mail-in ballots and many post marks being accepted ON 11/3, and more people generally voting in this election, it will take a few days to receive and calculate all results.
And sometimes vote counting gets messed up — I’m looking at you Iowa and remembering the 2000 (not personally remembering because I was 7 but recalling information) where it took about a month to recount Florida’s votes as they were the deciding factor in the election result. The Supreme Court didn’t wait that long and called it in favor of Bush. But I digress.
There’s some unknowns about the results, but actually voting isn’t one of them. I literally just gave you all of the information.