Created in partnership with Access Democracy
The right to vote is the foundational principle of our democracy. American heroes like Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the suffragists fought for every American to have this right. Protecting the vote is more important now than ever, as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to make it harder to vote.
You can fight back by working to improve access to voting in your community. This guide covers actions you can take right now to change how elections are run, and make voting more accessible for every eligible person in your community. These are steps you can take today—they don’t require your state’s legislature to change any laws, or a court to issue a new ruling.
The way that elections are run matters. A study by Charles Stewart, a political scientist at MIT, found that in 2016 more than 1 million Americans weren’t able to vote because of problems like long lines at the polls, mail ballots not arriving on time, and registration problems. That’s 1 million people who wanted to vote and couldn’t—in an election decided by fewer than 80,000 voters across 3 states.
The way elections are run is a mix of federal and state law. From Alaska to Florida, officials at the state and local level are charged with implementing voting laws and rules. These officials work year-round to set up and manage elections, not just on Election Day. You don’t often hear about these officials, and that’s because most of them just want to make sure elections run right. But state and local officials don’t always have access to the resources they need to drive the result we all want: fair, equal, and easy access to the ballot.
The challenges that voters face are often a result of decisions made by these election officials. Just like with any public official, it’s critical that the officials who implement your state’s voting laws and rules hear from their communities. By letting your state and local election officials know that you care about the right to vote, you can have an impact on the decisions they make to ensure fair, equal, and easy access to the ballot—for every voter in your state.
Your election officials need to know that we demand fair, equal, and easy access to the ballot. This guide covers 4 simple steps you can take today to change how elections are run in your community and protect the right to vote for every eligible American:
This guide is intended to be a voting access toolbox. It provides information about the critical challenges voters across the country face when they try to cast a ballot—and what you can do to change that right now, without waiting on your state’s legislature to make new laws. Depending on the laws and rules in your state, and the challenges voters are facing in it, some tools may be more relevant than others. Please grab what you need, and help us build a society that values fair, equal, and easy access to polls.
Based on the voting issues your state is facing, you can develop next steps that include advocating with election officials to make voting more accessible, as well as actions you can take directly like registering voters (check out Indivisible435 for more information and tools on voter registration). You may already be in touch with other organizations that work on voting rights issues in your community, and many of them build relationships with state and local election officials. We encourage you to reach out to these organizations, which can be a resource to you and a partner in advocacy. And remember—you are encouraged to engage in respectful, open and honest conversations with election officials about these important topics, using the questions as a guide.
Understanding what’s happening locally, and identifying trends across and between states, will play an important role in voting rights advocacy around the country. As part of the conversations you undertake with election officials, you can record your answers in this survey. We would like to collect this information to identify systemic voting rights issues, as well as election officials who want to be more active protecting the right to vote and can provide important expertise.
Your statewide election official often sets election standards for the entire state. This office can clarify confusing points of state election law, update standards to reflect modernization efforts, and provide additional resources at the state and local level to run elections. Let your statewide election office know you appreciate the importance of the office and ask them to use their power to make it easier for all eligible Americans to vote.
State and federal laws—like the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)—set standards for how elections are run, and none of the questions you’ll be asking should be unfamiliar to the election officials you are meeting with.
These conversations will help you learn more about how elections are administered in your state–making you a better advocate. They will also let the state election official know that citizens, like you, are engaged and are supportive of policies that make voting easier.
Remember: The best way to use this guide is to read through all of it, and decide which parts raise the issues most important to ensuring equal access to voting in your state. You don’t have to ask your state election official about every issue below!
**Remember to Fill Out the Survey at AccessDemocracy.us/Indivisible with What You Learned**
Each state has a government official or elections board that is charged with managing elections statewide. In most states, the Secretary of State fills this role. You can look up your state election official here.
Although the specifics vary by state, the state election official or board is typically charged with administering the statewide voter registration database, developing the process for testing voting equipment, and making sure local officials follow election laws.
Make a plan to call or meet with your statewide election official or a member of his or her staff to ask how he or she is working towards fair, equal, and easy access to the ballot. There may be instances where your statewide official or their staff is unwilling to arrange a time to talk with you. These statewide election officials tend to be elected to office, so they are open to the same tactics and requests your groups have been using on Congressional officials: calls, protests, and public pressure.
Can I register to vote online?
If yes → Great! What is the deadline for online registration?
How are you educating voters in the community about the option to register to vote online?
How have you ensured that the online registration system won’t crash, particularly when many people in our state are visiting the site close to the registration deadline?
Is information about online registration available in Spanish [or other commonly spoken languages in our state]?
If no → Why not? Thirty-six states and D.C. already have online voter registration. Allowing online voter registration makes it easier for citizens to register, is more secure than registering on paper, reduces transcription errors, and saves states money.
What would it take to get online voter registration in our state (a new law, a regulatory change)?
Can we count on you to support efforts to bring online registration to our state?
Do we have automatic voter registration?
If yes → Great!
If no → Why not? Nine states and D.C. already have this. It makes it much easier for citizens to register and reduces transcription errors, which makes for cleaner voting rolls. This is a key step in modernizing our election system.
Can we count on you to support automatic voter registration efforts in our state?
How can a voter confirm that she is registered and that her voter registration information is up-to-date?
Does our state offer same day registration?
If yes → Great! Thank you for making voting easier. Including information about same day registration in voter education materials and training all poll workers about same day registration can help ensure voters’ access to the ballot and make for an efficient Election Day!
If no → Why not? Many states have same day registration and studies show that it has a positive effect on turnout.
Can we count on you to support same day registration efforts in our state?
What other voter outreach and education do you do?
If yes → Do you have programs that reach out to students? Voters with disabilities? Non-English speaking members of our community? New citizens? Individuals with criminal convictions who are now eligible to have their voting rights restored?
Would you join me in taking a position to support expanded access to voter registration in our state?
The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy. Before citizens can exercise this right, they must be registered to vote. When, how, and if a citizen may register to vote is controlled by the states, with a little bit of federal law on top. Some states have taken steps to make it easier for citizens to vote—like online registration and automatic registration. Other states have enacted laws designed to make it harder, or in the case of felon disenfranchisement laws, impossible for certain citizens to vote.
The 2016 election was the first presidential election without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The VRA gave the federal government authority to review any changes to votings laws in certain states. The Supreme Court, in Shelby County v. Holder, gutted this provision of the VRA. A 2016 Demos report said:
“In Alabama, North Carolina, Texas, and many other states, this has led to what journalist Ari Berman describes as ‘the most sustained attack [on voting rights] since the passage of the VRA.’ Policymakers in these states are working to limit or repeal policies that encourage and enable participation, such as Early Voting and Same-Day Registration (SDR), while also erecting new policies that unnecessarily limit participation, such as strict photo ID laws.”
These troubling developments highlight the importance of making registration easier, of increasing outreach to voters by election officials, and of your own efforts to register people in your community!
Online Registration
Thirty-six states and D.C. currently allow citizens to register to vote, or update their registration information, online. Click hereto see if your state offers online voter registration. To register online, a voter completes an online form, which is transmitted to state or local election officials. In most states, a voter must have a valid state driver’s license or other state-issued ID card to register online (voters without that ID can still register by other means). The election official reviews the information the voter provided and validates it by comparing it to state databases (like the DMV database). If the information does not match or there is another issue with the registration, the voter is notified.
Online registration has many benefits. Many citizens, especially students and younger voters, find it easier to register online. With paper forms, election staff must decipher handwriting and transcribe the information into their database. Since online registration is completed and transmitted electronically, this process significantly reduces errors. Online registration also saves states money. A 2010 report found that Maricopa County, Arizona saved 80 cents every time a voter registered online instead of on paper. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent bipartisan commission charged with developing voting and election guidelines, found that use of online registration has almost tripled over the last several years. In 2014, 6.5% of voters registered online, and by 2016 that number grew to 17.4%. Just like with any technology, it’s common sense to make sure that a state’s online voter registration system is secure and well-functioning. States should ensure that their online voter registration system has safeguards to protect voter data and privacy; can handle a large number of visitors to the website, particularly close to the registration deadline; is accessible to persons with disabilities; and that eligible voters across the state are made aware of the opportunity to register and update their information online.
Automatic Registration
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, commonly known as the “motor voter” law, required states to allow citizens to register at DMVs. Most states initially implemented this law as an “opt in” system—meaning that voters could choose, or “opt in,” to register to vote when updating or renewing their driver’s license. In contrast, automatic voter registration means that when eligible citizens interact with the DMV or other government office that registers voters, they will automatically be registered to vote unless they “opt out” of registration. Automatic voter registration reduces the burden on citizens because when you register, your registration follows you better, without constantly having to submit extra paperwork. It also helps state and local election officials because voters’ addresses are routinely updated, resulting in cleaner voter rolls.
In March 2015, Oregon became the first state to pass legislation to automatically register eligible citizens to vote (unless they opt out). As of December 2017, eight additional states and D.C. have followed suit, and 32 states are considering automatic registration legislation. Click here to see if your state offers automatic voter registration.
Same Day Registration
As of October 2017, 15 states and D.C. allow citizens to register to vote and vote on the same day. Out of those, 13 states and D.C. allow registration and voting on Election Day. Click here to see if your state offers some form of same day registration (SDR). Regardless of the state’s voter ID laws, states that allow SDR require the voter to show proof of residency and identity in order to register on the same day you vote. In most cases, a valid driver’s license or government-issued ID card will suffice.
There is no question that SDR makes it easier for people to vote. This one-stop process results in a longer registration period and helps eligible voters manage last-minute problems or mistakes. According to research by the National Conference of State Legislatures, SDR policies on average increase overall turnout by 5%. And, studies indicate that permitting Election Day registration and voting could increase youth turnout by as much as 14% in presidential election years.
How is a voter notified that she has been removed from the rolls? How can a voter who has been incorrectly removed correct the problem?
No eligible voter should be removed from the rolls. It’s so important for a voter to be able to correct any mistakes if she is improperly removed.
Do you use the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program?
If yes → You may be aware that Crosscheck’s flawed methodology has been found to incorrectly flag potential double registrants. According to a Rolling Stone study, 1 in 6 Latino voters, 1 in 7 Asian-Americans, and 1 in 9 African-Americans in Crosscheck states were flagged as potential double registrants. There are many other ways of ensuring that voter rolls remain up-to-date. Please take steps to end the use of Crosscheck in our state.
If no → Great! As you know, there are many ways of keeping our state’s voter rolls remain up-to-date, which helps ensure efficient election administration and avoid polling place problems.
Would you join me in taking a position to support fair and accurate maintenance of voter rolls?
Maintaining up-to-date voter rolls is an important way to ensure that all eligible Americans can participate in our democracy. State and local officials should ensure that citizens who register to vote remain on the rolls so long as they are eligible and living in the state, and that voter roll information, such as voters’ addresses, is accurate. This promotes fair and efficient election administration and helps to avoid problems at the polls.
The National Voter Registration Act, a federal law, regulates how to maintain voter registration lists, and under what circumstances voters can be removed or “purged” from the rolls. States, however, retain considerable flexibility and control over how to implement list maintenance requirements. There are a number of methods for keeping state voter rolls up-to-date in a manner that protects eligible Americans from being improperly removed. These include referring to Postal Service, DMV, Social Security and other similar databases to determine if a voter has moved, died, or is otherwise ineligible; direct outreach to voters to confirm their mailing address; and some reliable inter-state data sharing agreements that enable states to compare information about voters they think have moved.
All too often, state efforts to “clean” the rolls actually end up purging eligible voters. For example, some states use the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program (Crosscheck)—championed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach of the shameful Trump voter fraud commission—to remove voters from the voter rolls. A Rolling Stone investigation revealed that Crosscheck’s flawed methodology (such as not matching middle names) resulted in “an astonishing one in six [Latinos], one in seven Asian-Americans and one in nine African-Americans in Crosscheck states” being flagged as potential double registrants. Indivisible Chicago has been crucial in highlighting additional security threats posed by Crosscheck – read more here.
Do we have early voting and/or vote by mail in our state?
If yes → Great! Have you provided guidance to localities on providing early voting to the fullest extent possible, including the full range of days and hours? Where is this guidance made available?
If no → Why not? Please advocate for early voting and vote by mail in our state. Early voting and vote by mail increase opportunities for a citizen to vote. The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration recommended in 2014 that states expand pre-Election Day voting.
Will you join me in taking a position to support expanded access to voting before Election Day, either in person or by mail?
Once a citizen is registered to vote, she still must overcome one final hurdle before being able to exercise her right to vote: she actually has to cast her ballot! For many Americans, the option to vote only on a weekday during business hours doesn’t make sense: work and family responsibilities make getting to the polls very difficult.
In fact, according to a report published by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in 2016, 41% of all the votes cast nationally were cast before Election Day. In its 2014 report, the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration applauded the trend towards offering more opportunities for pre-Election Day voting and recommended that more states offer such opportunities. Despite this, 13 states still require a specific excuse to vote absentee and do not have any form of early voting. These states can expand the right to vote by offering early voting and making available to all citizens the option to vote by mail. See what your state offers here.
In addition, election officials should be certain that the locations and times they offer for voting are equally available to communities across the state. This includes flexible voting hours, and polling places that can be easily accessed (including by public transit). Polling place closures and limited voting hours disproportionately affect communities of color. A studyby the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that, in the 2016 election, “in states with histories of voting discrimination there were 868 fewer polling places operating on Election Day.”
Administrative decisions on polling locations, hours and staffing have an enormous impact on access to the ballot—particularly for voters of color. Targeted choices to under-resource polling locations in communities of color can prevent communities of color from exercising their right to vote. As the NALEO Education Fund wrote in their report Latino Voters at Risk: Assessing the Impact of Restrictive Voting Changes In Election 2016:
“Election administrators’ discretion to set aggressive registration list maintenance policies, to close or consolidate polling locations, to provide insufficient resources for polling places in underrepresented communities, and to neglect the provision of language assistance throughout the election process has already made it more difficult for many Latinos and underrepresented voters to participate in elections.”
While the NALEO report was focused on Latino communities, similar patterns of habitual under-resourcing of polling places and other voter access issues can also be seen in neighborhoods with large African American, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander populations.
Early Vote
Early vote expands access to voting for working Americans, and for those with childcare or elder-care responsibilities. Early voting is when the state offers in-person voting for a period in advance of Election Day. Thirty-seven states and D.C. offer some form of early voting. While that is an encouraging number, in recent years, states have started to reverse the trend by cutting back on early voting. The Brennan Center reported in February 2016:
“[S]tarting in 2011, several states started restricting early voting. In North Carolina, the legislature slashed seven early voting days, removing times that were especially popular among African Americans. Among these: the Sunday before the election, used by churchgoers for a ‘Souls to the Polls’ drive. In the prior election, more than one-quarter of all African-American voters in the state had voted on those days. In 2012, Florida dramatically reduced early voting. After exceptionally long lines—which disproportionately impacted African Americans and Hispanics—prevented 200,000 from voting and caused a national outcry, the legislature backtracked and reinstated most of the days it had eliminated. Overall, eight states have new laws cutting back on early voting days and hours.”
In many states, the law gives some flexibility to local election officials about where to offer early vote, and the days and hours it will be available. These officials should be encouraged to offer early vote to the fullest extent they are able under the law, including—where the law permits it—early in the morning, later in the evening, and on Saturdays and Sundays. Click here to see if your state offers early vote.
No-Excuse Absentee / Vote by Mail
Making voting more flexible helps enfranchise people who cannot get time away from work, who have a disability or are mobility impaired, who have family obligations that prevent them from voting in-person, and countless others. Vote by mail is one way to create additional opportunities for voters to exercise their right to vote in the way that is most comfortable and convenient to them. In addition, vote by mail can save states money because they do not need to have as many polling locations and staff. More convenient voting options may also increase turnout.
Absentee voting by-mail was originally developed as an alternative way to vote for people who would be away from their polling place on Election Day. Initially, most states only allowed voters who had certain legally-defined reasons to vote absentee. Now, 27 states and D.C. have no-excuse absentee voting—which means all voters, regardless of reason, can vote absentee. These states generally require voters to apply for an absentee ballot.
Three states, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado, conduct their elections by mail. In these states, every voter gets a ballot in the mail without having to apply. (However, voters may still vote in person if they wish.) Many other states allow voting by mail in certain limited circumstances. Click here to see what your state offers.
Note: Federal law does not guarantee time off work to vote, but many states have passed laws giving workers some protection when they take time off to vote. The AFL-CIO has a comprehensive list of state laws on time off to vote, available here.
What ID does our state require to vote?
If no photo ID → Great! Restrictive ID laws disenfranchise millions of Americans.
If photo ID required → Why is photo ID required?
What should voters who don’t have a photo ID do?
What photo ID does your office provide for voters?
Is that photo ID free?
What support is there for voters who cannot afford the fees associated with the ID or the underlying paperwork (like a birth certificate)?
How long does it take to acquire the photo ID issued by your office?
Can we count on you to support efforts to remove photo ID requirements?
All states have some way to make sure that you are who you say you are. But in recent years, more and more states have enacted restrictive voter ID laws purportedly to combat voter fraud, demanding documents that some people don’t have.
Indivisible and partner organizations will be rolling out future resources on what you can do to combat voter ID laws intended to disenfranchise millions of voters—especially voters of color. Widespread in-person voter fraud—the only kind that ID requirements can prevent—is virtually non-existent. A 2014 review of “general, primary, special, and municipal elections from 2000 through 2014” found only 31 incidents out of the “more than 1 billion ballots… cast in that period.”
While the benefit to election integrity is virtually non-existent, restrictive ID laws disenfranchise millions of Americans. According to information released by the ACLU, 11% of voting-age citizens, more than 21 million people, do not have a government-issued photo ID. Moreover, restrictive voter ID laws disproportionately affect minorities, the elderly, people with lower incomes, and those with disabilities—the very populations that often have the hardest time accessing the information and documents needed to get an ID. Our country has a long and ugly history of disenfranchisement—read more in our Electoral Politics 101 guide—and modern attempts to limit the vote through voter ID laws harken back to these shameful efforts to disenfranchise voters based on race, sex, or disability. Click here to see the ID requirements in your state.
What kind of voting machines do we use in our state? Are there are any planned changes?
Do you make electronic poll books available in our state? Are there plans to introduce electronic poll books?
What steps are you taking to safeguard our elections from cyberattacks?
Thank you. The recent revelations about Russian interference in the 2016 election make clear that we must take this threat seriously.
Do you have the resources you need to protect our election infrastructure from cyberattacks?
Would you join me in taking a position to support strong protections for voter privacy and security?
Voting Machines
States and localities use a variety of voting machines and may even use different machines within the jurisdiction for different types of voting. Most places use one of three types of machines: Direct-Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting Machine, Optical Scan Machines, and Hybrid Machines.
You can learn more about the types of equipment in use in polling places in your state from this resource made available by Verified Voting.
The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration’s 2014 report cautions of an impending crisis in voting technology. The Commission notes that many of the voting machines in use today were purchased with federal funds in the early 2000s and are past their prime. In fact, according to research by the Brennan Center, some 43 states are using machines that are more than a decade old. Additionally, according to research by the Center for American Progress, 13 states are using machines that do not use paper ballots or produce a VVPAT. The lack of a paper record makes it impossible to conduct a post-election audit to ensure that voting systems are accurately recording and counting votes.
Electronic Poll Books
When a voter arrives at the polling place, the first thing he does is go to the check-in table where a poll worker looks for his name in the poll book. Traditionally, these books were printed lists of all of the voters registered in the particular precinct. Now, more jurisdictions are switching to electronic lists on a tablet or laptop computer. Electronic poll books can enable poll workers to look up voters in the entire county or state, and direct them to the right polling place if they have come to the wrong one. Some even automatically update records on who has voted during an early vote period or at a different voting location. The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration’s 2014 report recommended using electronic poll books.
There are some downsides, however. Electronic poll books can malfunction and are more susceptible to hacking and cyber threats. For these reasons, many jurisdictions that use electronic poll books still keep printed paper copies of the poll book at polling locations or nearby.
Resource Management: Polling Place Hours, Locations & Staffing
Some of the most important decisions elections officials make are about resource management. These decisions range from how many polling locations to open during early vote, to how many voting machines and poll workers to deploy, to whether there are staff members available to assist voters facing language barriers.
One of the most significant consequences of resource management decisions is their effect on wait times to vote. A review by the Brennan Center of three states with some of the longest lines to vote in 2012 revealed that “precincts with the longest lines had fewer machines, poll workers, or both.” Furthermore, the study showed that “[a]reas with higher percentages of minority voters tended to have fewer machines… and voters in precincts with more minorities experienced longer waits” to vote. Also, “those who waited the longest tended to live in urban areas and were disproportionately African American and Latino.” Long wait times to vote can depress voter turnout. In 2012, long lines at the polls caused more than 200,000 Floridians to leave without casting a ballot.
Where polling locations are placed also has an important impact on who is able to cast a ballot on Election Day and can disproportionately hurt communities of color. A panel convened by the Carter Center revealed that some Native American voters had to drive more than 100 miles to cast a ballot in the 2016 Presidential election. Following the Supreme Court’s decision to gut the Voting Rights Act, states closed 868 polling locations in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Carolinas—a decision that directly hurt the ability of those states’ African American and Latino communities to vote.
The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration recommends that jurisdictions use models and tools to assist in resource allocation, such as the calculators developed by the CalTech-MIT Voting Technology Project. These calculators show different line lengths depending on various factors at a polling place, including ballot length and number of poll workers. The use of such calculators may help guard against allocating too few resources to communities of color and urban areas.
Cybersecurity
Nothing highlights the importance and urgency of better protecting our election infrastructure from cyber threats more than the recent revelations about the extent of Russian hacking during the 2016 election. Russian operatives targeted election systems in 39 states, as well as an election equipment vendor. Outdated voting machines must be updated and their security strengthened by requiring a paper audit trail. Election officials should have plans to protect voter registration databases and electronic poll books from cyberattacks. A poll from the summer of 2017 found that 1 out of 4 voters will consider not voting in the future because of cybersecurity concerns. As jurisdictions take steps to improve their technology, they must keep the safety and security of voter information at the forefront. Failure to do so will only further erode public confidence in our elections.
Remember to Fill Out the Survey at AccessDemocracy.us/Indivisible with What You Learned
Your local election official is responsible for running your elections. Federal and state law sets many of the parameters, like the requirements for voter registration or the days that citizens can vote, while others are left to local officials to decide. Let your local election office know that you understand they work year-round to ensure well-run elections, and ask them to make decisions that make it easier for all eligible Americans to vote. These calls will help you learn more about the state of play in your community—making you a better advocate. They will also let your local election official know that citizens, like you, are engaged and are supportive of policies that make voting easier.
Remember: The best way to use this guide is to read through all of it, and decide which parts raise the issues most important to ensuring equal access to voting in your state. You don’t have to ask your local election official about every issue below! Fill Out the Survey at AccessDemocracy.us/Indivisible with What You Learned.
Locally, most elections are administered at the county level by an individual or a board. You can look up your local election office here.
The local election office is responsible for the logistics and mechanics of the election within their area, often including determining the location and number of polling places, allocating machine and human resources, and training poll workers.
Make a plan to call or meet with your local election official to ask how he or she is working towards fair, equal, and easy access to the ballot.
How do you determine how many polling places to have on Election Day?
How do you determine where to locate polling places?
Is there a deadline for setting Election Day polling places?
How do you inform voters of the location of their polling place, especially if the location has changed since last year?
Once a citizen is registered to vote, she still must overcome one final hurdle before being able to exercise her right to vote: she actually has to cast her ballot! For many Americans, the option to vote only on a weekday during business hours doesn’t make sense: work and family responsibilities make getting to the polls very difficult.
In fact, according to a report published by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in 2016, 41% of all the votes cast nationally were cast before Election Day. In its 2014 report, the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration applauded the trend towards offering more opportunities for pre-Election Day voting and recommended that more states offer such opportunities. Despite this, 13 states still require a specific excuse to vote absentee and do not have any form of early voting. These states can expand the right to vote by offering early voting and making available to all citizens the option to vote by mail. See what your state offers here.
In addition, election officials should be certain that the locations and times they offer for voting are equally available to communities across the state. This includes flexible voting hours, and polling places that can be easily accessed (including by public transit). Polling place closures and limited voting hours disproportionately affect communities of color. A studyby the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that, in the 2016 election, “in states with histories of voting discrimination there were 868 fewer polling places operating on Election Day.”
Administrative decisions on polling locations, hours and staffing have an enormous impact on access to the ballot – particularly for voters of color. Targeted choices to under-resource polling locations in communities of color can prevent communities of color from exercising their right to vote. As the NALEO Education Fund wrote in their report Latino Voters at Risk: Assessing the Impact of Restrictive Voting Changes In Election 2016:
“Election administrators’ discretion to set aggressive registration list maintenance policies, to close or consolidate polling locations, to provide insufficient resources for polling places in underrepresented communities, and to neglect the provision of language assistance throughout the election process has already made it more difficult for many Latinos and underrepresented voters to participate in elections.”
While the NALEO report was focused on Latino communities, similar patterns of habitual under-resourcing of polling places and other voter access issues can also be seen in neighborhoods with large African American, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander populations.
Are you offering early vote to the maximum extent allowed by law – including the full range of days and hours?
How do you determine how many polling places to have during early voting?
How do you determine where to locate early vote polling places?
Is there a deadline for setting early vote polling places?
How do you inform voters of their early vote polling places?
Early vote expands access to voting for working Americans, and for those with childcare or elder-care responsibilities. Early voting is when the state offers in-person voting for a period in advance of Election Day. Thirty-seven states and D.C. offer some form of early voting. While that is an encouraging number, in recent years, states have started to reverse the trend by cutting back on early voting.
The Brennan Center reported in February 2016:
“[S]tarting in 2011, several states started restricting early voting. In North Carolina, the legislature slashed seven early voting days, removing times that were especially popular among African Americans. Among these: the Sunday before the election, used by churchgoers for a ‘Souls to the Polls’ drive. In the prior election, more than one-quarter of all African-American voters in the state had voted on those days. In 2012, Florida dramatically reduced early voting. After exceptionally long lines—which disproportionately impacted African Americans and Hispanics—prevented 200,000 from voting and caused a national outcry, the legislature backtracked and reinstated most of the days it had eliminated. Overall, eight states have new laws cutting back on early voting days and hours.”
In many states, the law gives some flexibility to local election officials about where to offer early vote, and the days and hours it will be available. These officials should be encouraged to offer early vote to the fullest extent they are able under the law, including—where the law permits it—early in the morning, later in the evening, and on Saturdays and Sundays. Click here to see if your state offers early vote.
How do you determine how many voting machines, poll workers, ballots, and other resources to allocate to each polling place?
The 2014 bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration recommended that election officials use a resource allocation calculator, such as the kind developed by the CalTech-MIT Voting Technology Project. Do you use this or a similar tool?
What kind of voting machines does our county/city use?
Is this different from what the rest of the state uses?
Do the machines use a paper ballot or produce a paper receipt of each vote cast?
How old are the machines?
Do you think we need new machines?
When are the voting machines tested?
Who does the testing?
Are the testing and certification meetings open to the public?
Do you have the resources you need to protect our election infrastructure from cyberattacks?
Do you use electronic poll books?
If yes → Great! What is your backup plan in the event that an electronic poll book malfunctions?
If no → Why not? The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration’s 2014 report recommendsusing electronic poll books to increase accuracy and efficiency and to give each polling place access to full, real-time county and state voter rolls.
Do you provide ballots and other election information in other languages? If so, what is your process for translating the materials?
Note that the Voting Rights Act requires areas with significant minority-language populations to print voting materials in English and other needed languages. Check here for areas covered by these requirements.
Do you need more poll workers? How can I become a poll worker?
What are the requirements for being a poll worker?
Do you allow high school students to be poll workers?
Can poll workers work half days?
Voting Machines
States and localities use a variety of voting machines and may even use different machines within the jurisdiction for different types of voting. Most places use one of three types of machines: Direct-Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting Machine, Optical Scan Machines, and Hybrid Machines.
You can learn more about the types of equipment in use in polling places in your state from this resource made available by Verified Voting.
The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration’s 2014 report cautions of an impending crisis in voting technology. The Commission notes that many of the voting machines in use today were purchased with federal funds in the early 2000s and are past their prime. In fact, according to research by the Brennan Center, some 43 states are using machines that are more than a decade old. Additionally, according to research by the Center for American Progress, 13 states are using machines that do not use paper ballots or produce a VVPAT. The lack of a paper record makes it impossible to conduct a post-election audit to ensure that voting systems are accurately recording and counting votes.
Electronic Poll Books
When a voter arrives at the polling place, the first thing he does is go to the check-in table where a poll worker looks for his name in the poll book. Traditionally, these books were printed lists of all of the voters registered in the particular precinct. Now, more jurisdictions are switching to electronic lists on a tablet or laptop computer. Electronic poll books can enable poll workers to look up voters in the entire county or state, and direct them to the right polling place if they have come to the wrong one. Some even automatically update records on who has voted during an early vote period or at a different voting location. The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration’s 2014 report recommended using electronic poll books.
There are some downsides, however. Electronic poll books can malfunction and are more susceptible to hacking and cyber threats. For these reasons, many jurisdictions that use electronic poll books still keep printed paper copies of the poll book at polling locations or nearby.
Resource Management: Polling Place Hours, Locations & Staffing
Some of the most important decisions elections officials make are about resource management. These decisions range from how many polling locations to open during early vote, to how many voting machines and poll workers to deploy, to whether there are staff members available to assist voters facing language barriers.
One of the most significant consequences of resource management decisions is their effect on wait times to vote. A review by the Brennan Center of three states with some of the longest lines to vote in 2012 revealed that “precincts with the longest lines had fewer machines, poll workers, or both.” Furthermore, the study showed that “[a]reas with higher percentages of minority voters tended to have fewer machines… and voters in precincts with more minorities experienced longer waits” to vote. Also, “those who waited the longest tended to live in urban areas and were disproportionately African American and Latino.” Long wait times to vote can depress voter turnout. In 2012, long lines at the polls caused more than 200,000 Floridians to leave without casting a ballot.
Where polling locations are placed also has an important impact on who is able to cast a ballot on Election Day and can disproportionately hurt communities of color. A panel convened by the Carter Center revealed that some Native American voters had to drive more than 100 miles to cast a ballot in the 2016 Presidential election. Following the Supreme Court’s decision to gut the Voting Rights Act, states closed 868 polling locations in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Carolinas—a decision that directly hurt the ability of those states’ African American and Latino communities to vote.
The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration recommends that jurisdictions use models and tools to assist in resource allocation, such as the calculators developed by the CalTech-MIT Voting Technology Project. These calculators show different line lengths depending on various factors at a polling place, including ballot length and number of poll workers. The use of such calculators may help guard against allocating too few resources to communities of color and urban areas.
Cybersecurity
Nothing highlights the importance and urgency of better protecting our election infrastructure from cyber threats more than the recent revelations about the extent of Russian hacking during the 2016 election. Russian operatives targeted election systems in 39 states, as well as an election equipment vendor. Outdated voting machines must be updated and their security strengthened by requiring a paper audit trail. Election officials should have plans to protect voter registration databases and electronic poll books from cyberattacks. A poll from the summer of 2017 found that 1 out of 4 voters will consider not voting in the future because of cybersecurity concerns. As jurisdictions take steps to improve their technology, they must keep the safety and security of voter information at the forefront. Failure to do so will only further erode public confidence in our elections.
Do you conduct registration drives or register people to vote in locations other than your office?
Do you send your staff to conduct voter registration at local colleges, citizenship ceremonies, or other places where there may be large numbers of unregistered eligible voters?
Can I help my friends and family register to vote? What do I need to know in order to be able to do it correctly?
The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy. Before citizens can exercise this right, they must be registered to vote. When, how, and if a citizen may register to vote is controlled by the states, with a little bit of federal law on top. Some states have taken steps to make it easier for citizens to vote—like online registration and automatic registration. Other states have enacted laws designed to make it harder, or in the case of felon disenfranchisement laws, impossible for certain citizens to vote.
The 2016 election was the first presidential election without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The VRA gave the federal government authority to review any changes to votings laws in certain states. The Supreme Court, in Shelby County v. Holder, gutted this provision of the VRA. A 2016 Demos report said:
“In Alabama, North Carolina, Texas, and many other states, this has led to what journalist Ari Berman describes as ‘the most sustained attack [on voting rights] since the passage of the VRA.’ Policymakers in these states are working to limit or repeal policies that encourage and enable participation, such as Early Voting and Same-Day Registration (SDR), while also erecting new policies that unnecessarily limit participation, such as strict photo ID laws.”
These troubling developments highlight the importance of making registration easier, of increasing outreach to voters by election officials, and of your own efforts to register people in your community!
Online Registration
Thirty-six states and D.C. currently allow citizens to register to vote, or update their registration information, online. Click hereto see if your state offers online voter registration. To register online, a voter completes an online form, which is transmitted to state or local election officials. In most states, a voter must have a valid state driver’s license or other state-issued ID card to register online (voters without that ID can still register by other means). The election official reviews the information the voter provided and validates it by comparing it to state databases (like the DMV database). If the information does not match or there is another issue with the registration, the voter is notified.
Online registration has many benefits. Many citizens, especially students and younger voters, find it easier to register online. With paper forms, election staff must decipher handwriting and transcribe the information into their database. Since online registration is completed and transmitted electronically, this process significantly reduces errors. Online registration also saves states money. A 2010 report found that Maricopa County, Arizona saved 80 cents every time a voter registered online instead of on paper. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent bipartisan commission charged with developing voting and election guidelines, found that use of online registration has almost tripled over the last several years. In 2014, 6.5% of voters registered online, and by 2016 that number grew to 17.4%. Just like with any technology, it’s common sense to make sure that a state’s online voter registration system is secure and well-functioning. States should ensure that their online voter registration system has safeguards to protect voter data and privacy; can handle a large number of visitors to the website, particularly close to the registration deadline; is accessible to persons with disabilities; and that eligible voters across the state are made aware of the opportunity to register and update their information online.
Automatic Registration
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, commonly known as the “motor voter” law, required states to allow citizens to register at DMVs. Most states initially implemented this law as an “opt in” system—meaning that voters could choose, or “opt in,” to register to vote when updating or renewing their driver’s license. In contrast, automatic voter registration means that when eligible citizens interact with the DMV or other government office that registers voters, they will automatically be registered to vote unless they “opt out” of registration. Automatic voter registration reduces the burden on citizens because when you register, your registration follows you better, without constantly having to submit extra paperwork. It also helps state and local election officials because voters’ addresses are routinely updated, resulting in cleaner voter rolls.
In March 2015, Oregon became the first state to pass legislation to automatically register eligible citizens to vote (unless they opt out). As of December 2017, eight additional states and D.C. have followed suit, and 32 states are considering automatic registration legislation. Click here to see if your state offers automatic voter registration.
Same Day Registration
As of October 2017, 15 states and D.C. allow citizens to register to vote and vote on the same day. Out of those, 13 states and D.C. allow registration and voting on Election Day. Click here to see if your state offers some form of same day registration (SDR). Regardless of the state’s voter ID laws, states that allow SDR require the voter to show proof of residency and identity in order to register on the same day you vote. In most cases, a valid driver’s license or government-issued ID card will suffice.
There is no question that SDR makes it easier for people to vote. This one-stop process results in a longer registration period and helps eligible voters manage last-minute problems or mistakes. According to research by the National Conference of State Legislatures, SDR policies on average increase overall turnout by 5%. And, studies indicate that permitting Election Day registration and voting could increase youth turnout by as much as 14% in presidential election years.
Remember to Fill Out the Survey atAccessDemocracy.us/Indivisible with What You Learned
A friendly, knowledgeable poll worker can be the difference between a citizen successfully voting and a voter being inadvertently turned away from the polls. Poll workers are at the front lines of our democracy, ensuring that the process of voting is smooth, and that every eligible voter is able to cast a vote that counts. From checking in voters as they arrive at the polling place to triaging problems like voting machine breakdowns and long lines, poll workers play a critical role in ensuring a successful Election Day.
If you believe that every American has the right to vote, you should consider serving as a poll worker, especially because many areas find it challenging to recruit poll workers. This is particularly true if you are bilingual. Election officials sometimes face gaps in identifying poll workers who are fluent in languages commonly spoken in their communities.
Remember that being an official poll worker is different from being a poll observer, who is a volunteer with a campaign or other organization who monitors voting, and assists election officials and voters when problems arise.
You! Poll workers are an essential part of our election system. They staff polling places and help voters on voting days. Poll workers interact face-to-face with voters, and are often the first people to help troubleshoot if there are any issues. Election officials sometimes report that they don’t have enough poll workers to successfully run the election. You can change that!
Become a poll worker! Follow the instructions you collected from your local election official in Step 2, attend the training, and you are ready to serve as a poll worker!
You can also look up your state’s requirements for being a poll worker here.
Remember to Fill Out the Survey at AccessDemocracy.us/Indivisible with What You Learned
Voter registration is about ensuring that every American can be an active participant in our democracy. Unfortunately, limiting voter registration also has been used historically as a tool of voter suppression—from prohibiting African Americans and women from voting, to implementing rules that make it harder for people with criminal convictions to vote. To this day, people of color, lower income Americans, and young people continue to face institutional barriers to voting.
You can change that by registering every eligible person you know, everywhere you go.
You! You can increase voter participation in your community by helping your friends and neighbors register to vote.
It starts with you. Make sure your own voter registration is up-to-date! Go to indivisible.turbovote.org to check your registration status.
Check out Indivisible’s quick & easy voter registration guide. You can learn more about who is eligible to register to vote and about the rules for registering voters in your state.
Keep in mind any special restrictions or requirements your state may have about conducting a voter registration drive. You gathered this information during your call with the local elections administrator (Step 2).
Register every eligible person you know, everywhere you go.
Remember to Fill Out the Survey at AccessDemocracy.us/Indivisible with What You Learned
Access Democracy → Access Democracy fixes local election administration problems to ensure all eligible Americans can vote. Issues like long lines, broken voting machines, and poorly maintained voter rolls block access to the ballot for millions of Americans—and they’re solvable.
Access Democracy uses data to pinpoint a county or city’s specific voting problems, and identifies solutions that fit that community’s needs and its budget. We work with local officials who want to improve how they’re running elections—and shine a spotlight on those who don’t.
Being a strong advocate for the right to vote starts with getting educated! It will be helpful to read through this information about election administration and voting before speaking with election officials in your state. There are a number of references to recommendations made by the Presidential Commission on Election Administration (PCEA). Established by Executive Order by President Obama in 2013, the PCEA—comprised of a distinguished and bipartisan membership that included election officials, attorneys, and academics—made a series of recommendations for better-run elections that will improve the voter experience, and increase voter participation. We have incorporated the Commission’s key recommendations in this document.
Presidential Commission on Election Administration, The American Voting Experience: Report and Recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration (2014).
Liz Kennedy, Lew Daly, and Brenda Wright, Automatic Voter Registration: Finding America’s Missing Voters, Demos (2016).
National Conference of State Legislatures, Web Resources on Campaigns and Elections.
Washington Institute of the Study of Ethnicity and Race at the University of Washington, Seattle and the Election Administration Research Center (EARC) University of California, Berkeley, Online Voter Registration (OLVR) Systems In Arizona And Washington: Evaluating Usage, Public Confidence And Implementation Processes (2010).
U.S. Election Assistance Commission, The Election Administration and Voting Survey, A Report To The 115th Congress (2016).
Demos and Project Vote, What Is Same Day Registration? Where Is It Available? (2014).
John Wagner, Trump voter commission leader comes under fire as panel meets in New Hampshire, Washington Post (Sept. 12, 2017).
Christopher Famighetti, Amanda Melillo, Myrna Pérez, Election Day Long Lines: Resource Allocation, Brennan Center (Sept. 15, 2014).
NALEO Educational Fund, Latino Voters at Risk: Assessing the Impact of Restrictive Voting Changes In Election 2016 (May 2016).
Avery Davis-Roberts, Native American Voters Face Unique Obstacles, The Carter Center (July 6, 2017).
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, The Asian American Vote 2016 (April 18, 2017).
Greg Palast, The GOP’s Stealth War Against Voters, Rolling Stone (Aug. 24, 2016).
Liz Kennedy, Voter Suppression Laws Cost Americans Their Voices at the Polls, Center for American Progress (Nov. 11, 2016).
Brennan Center for Justice, Expand Early Voting (Fed. 4, 2016).
Justin Levitt, A Comprehensive Investigation Of Voter Impersonation Finds 31 Credible Incidents Out Of One Billion Ballots Cast, Washington Post (Aug. 6, 2014).
ACLU, Oppose Voter ID Legislation – Fact Sheet (May 2017).
Verified Voting, The Verifier – Polling Place Equipment (Nov. 2016).
Lawrence Norden and Christopher Famighetti, America’s Voting Machines at Risk, Brennan Center for Justice (Sept. 15, 2015).
Center for American Progress, Election Infrastructure: Vulnerabilities and Solutions (Sept. 11, 2017).
Christopher Famighetti, Long Voting Lines Explained, Brennan Center for Justice (Nov. 4, 2016).
Scott Powers and David Damron, Analysis: 201,000 in Florida Didn’t Vote Because of Long Lines, Orlando Sentinel (Jan. 29, 2013).
CalTech-MIT Voting Technology Project, Election Management Toolkit.
Renée Athay, Indivisible, Santa Fe, NM
Nani Coloretti, Advisory Board, Access Democracy
Dan Desai Martin
Christine Hanna, Indivisible Action, Tampa, FL
Justin Levitt, Advisory Board, Access Democracy
Jaime Mulligan, Indivisible, Berkeley, CA
Jen O’Malley Dillon, Advisory Board, Access Democracy
Estelle Rogers, Advisory Board, Access Democracy
Heather Samuelson
David Smith, Rogue Indivisible, Oregon
Caroline Stern, Indivisible, Westchester, NY
This guide could not have been produced without the contributions of Rachana Desai Martin
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