There Are Systems in Place to Protect the Vote

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From the Desk of Trevor Potter

Dear John,
Today, I want to share some thoughts with you about how all of us will vote this year.

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COVID-19 has certainly caused problems for our election systems; we are all familiar with the issues by now, and I’ve written about them and the work Campaign Legal Center is doing to address them ([link removed]) throughout the spring and summer.
However, we and others have been successful in removing many of the barriers to safe voting this year, and election officials have been hard at work preparing.

Because of COVID-19, we need to approach voting differently this year.
Anybody who is concerned about their health must be able to request an absentee or mail ballot in order to keep themselves safe.

Thankfully, access to absentee voting has been greatly expanded. In most states, ([link removed]) voters can request a ballot this year without needing an excuse (a huge improvement from earlier in the year). The few remaining states that haven’t expanded access should do so, immediately.

Many Americans might be unfamiliar with voting by mail or may feel wary. But the process of absentee voting has been proven to be safe and secure in both red and blue states alike ([link removed]) . It has existed since the Civil War, and millions of Americans, including members of the military, vote by mail every year.

Importantly, overlapping security measures are in place to ensure the integrity of the election ([link removed]) . The only people who can vote by absentee or mail ballots are eligible citizens who have confirmed their eligibility and identity with election officials, such as by providing their Social Security number or a valid form of identification. Local election officials are confident in the security of mail voting ([link removed]) .

Absentee and mail voting includes a paper trail and strong security measures, such as unique barcodes, that ensure the authenticity of ballots and track them from the day they are printed to the day they are counted. Additionally, most states allow voters to track their ballot online or through text messaging. There is still time for the 11 states that do not provide this service to do so.

Voters who request (or are registered to automatically receive) their ballot in the mail have multiple options for submitting their vote ([link removed]) . Depending on the state where you live, you may be able to submit your ballot at a secure drop off location, take it to an early vote center, take it to a polling place on Election Day, or you can decide to vote in person instead. Or, you can simply fill out your ballot and mail it back. Be sure to check with your state or local election office ([link removed]) for the most up-to-date information about your options.

Even amid the recent chaos with the U.S. Postal Service, it is clear that dedicated postal workers will do everything they can to ensure ballots are delivered ([link removed]) . The key to a successful mail ballot is to vote early! Despite USPS’s recent issues with speed of delivery, if you make a plan now and submit your ballot early, you shouldn’t have a problem.

For voters who are planning to vote by mail, you should plan to request and return your mail ballot as soon as possible, in order to help “flatten the ballot request curve ([link removed]) .” Make a plan NOW for how you are going to vote.

For information about how to vote, go to the website of your state or local election office ([link removed]) , or visit our friends at vote.org ([link removed]) . CLC has also put together a very useful list ([link removed]) of websites you can go to for state-by-state voting rules, and a list of organizations that can help you volunteer on Election Day.

Because of the expected absentee voting surge, we likely won’t know the results of the presidential election the night of November 3, and that’s okay. The most important outcome of the election in November is not how quickly we know the winner, but that the votes are counted accurately, and the candidate chosen by the voters is elected. At Campaign Legal Center, we’re going to be working through the November election to defend democracy. We have a duty as Americans to ensure that every vote is counted.

We’ll keep watch on the November election. Your job, now, is to vote.

Sincerely,

Trevor Potter
President, Campaign Legal Center
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