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All Americans deserve fair access to cast their vote safely and securely even when facing an unprecedented combination of political polarization and a global coronavirus pandemic.

FairVote’s mission is grounded in ensuring that every voter matters in every election. The following is a resource for voters and those seeking to take actions on how to best ensure safe elections with high participation this fall. We wanted to lift up in particular that today is National Voter Registration Day.

Stay healthy, safe and engaged this election season.

Best,

Khalid Pitts
Executive VP, Policy and Programs
http://www.fairvote.org/

Featured Civic Events Backed by FairVote:

National Voter Registration Day on September 22
National Voter Education Week October 5-9
Vote Early Day on October 24th

2020 Voting Guides:

Vote.org lists each state’s election policies during the pandemic.
The Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project is an initiative aimed at addressing the challenge of holding elections in the midst of a global pandemic.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a report: Considerations for Election Polling Locations and Voters
The National Conference of State Legislators has a website tracking state legislative and executive action on elections responsive to the pandemic.
The Bipartisan Policy Center and Facebook have partnered to launch a Voting Information Center on Facebook and Instagram, which will serve as a one-stop-shop to give people in the US the tools and information they need to make their voices heard at the ballot box.”
The National Task Force on Election Crises issued an important resource: Lessons Learned from the Primaries: Recommendations for Avoiding a Crisis in November
The Brennan Center for Justice issued How to Protect the 2020 Vote from the Coronavirus
Ballotpedia is tracking election dates, measures, procedures and policies, including:
* Changes to primary election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020
* Changes to ballot measure campaigns, procedures, and policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020

Voter Registration:

The United States continues to lag other major democracies in efficient and inclusive voter registration. Here are resources involving registering to vote this year.

Vote.gov provides a landing page for information on how to register to vote in every state and territory.
40 states and Washington, DC currently offer online voter registration. The National Conference of State Legislatures explains that online registration is generally less expensive to states than paper registration; NCSL also details voter ID requirements (if applicable) in states.

Voter Information:

We know some partisans and foreign agents have sought to mislead voters, with new opportunities via social media and unregulated online content. Resources on how to combat voter disinformation campaigns include:

Ballot Ready prepares voters for their choices on the 2020 ballot, which includes more than 95,000 positions across the country.
Two resources on accurate information are Harvard University Defending Digital Democracy Project and FactCheck.org, a project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center
International Foundation for Electoral Systems issued a 2019 report: 'Social Media, Disinformation and Electoral Integrity'

Mail-in / Absentee Voting:

The New York Times reports that as of August 2020, a record 76% of Americans will be able to vote-by-mail without an excuse this year. Several states have expanded vote-by-mail options this year.

The National Conference of State Legislatures held a recorded series of webinars to discuss voting outside the polling places, including mail-in voting.
Vote.org lists each state’s rules regarding absentee voting on their Absentee Ballot Rules page
Brookings published How does vote-by-mail work and does it increase election fraud?
Vote at Home hosts Visit its Voter Center to learn more about mail-in ballots, how to vote from home in your district, and how to advocate for mail-in ballots.
Vote By Mail 2020 is a non-partisan initiative to help voters participate in the November 2020 elections

Voter Access and Poll Workers:

Providing in-person access to polling stations is critically important for those who cannot rely upon mail or have not received mail-in ballots.

USA.gov provides information on how to vote in your region, including what access you will have to in-person polling stations.
Workelections.com provides information about becoming a poll worker in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. It also has a page about the importance of poll workers during the pandemic.
Visit PowerThePolls.org to learn more about how to become a poll worker in 2020.
A Los Angeles Times Op-Ed by Maya Patel of the Campus Vote Project urges young people who have the time to sign up to be poll workers to ensure our election is conducted effectively.

Election Schedule and Post-Election Dispute Resolution:

In this polarized time, many Americans fear the "other side" winning. Here are resources on what's likely to happen after the election.

Article II, Section 1, Clause 4 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress sole power to determine the date of the presidential election. Read the clause here on constitution.congress.gov.
The Heritage Foundation has also covered the likelihood of a White House delay of elections: “Under our Constitution, the executive branch has no authority whatsoever to delay, reschedule or otherwise change the federal election in November.” The Cato Institute has also weighed in on this constitutional impossibility of the executive branch postponing Election Day.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that the new Congress be sworn in on January 3, and the new president inaugurated on January 21. Changes to these dates require a constitutional amendment to be changed.
Sen. Marco Rubio is the lead sponsor of congressional legislation backed by FairVote to allow for more time to resolve any disputes in presidential elections.