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Dear John,

Five days. That’s all that’s left between today and Election Day. But this year, “Election Day” has been much more than one day—already more than 70 million votes have been cast through early and mail-in voting.

It’s been amazing and inspiring to watch the vote tallies rocket upward, to see the excitement of early voting and scroll through selfies next to drop-off ballot boxes across the country. Voters are showing up, and those votes—ALL of those votes—need to be counted.

Holding free and fair elections is a fundamental American ideal, and the millions of people finding ways to safely vote during a pandemic make that crystal clear. While I know there’s a lot we can’t know about what will happen after November 3, here’s a few things I do know for sure:


Dropping off your mail-in ballot in a drop box is safe and secure. While mail-in voting is new for many voters, it’s a safe and reliable method that millions of people use in every election. But many states have special requirements and exceptions for mail-in ballots this year, which can make the process a bit confusing. Make sure you know the rules where you live, especially if you requested a mail-in ballot and haven’t returned it or may opt to vote in person instead. And at this point, so close to the election, it’s best if you drop your mail-in ballot at a secure box as soon as possible, if your county offers them.
The presidential race probably won’t be called on election night. A record number of early ballots have been cast, but most states won’t have a complete vote count by election night. Combined with high in-person turn-out, it’s likely that it won’t be possible to declare a winner on November 3. Which brings us to...
Counting all the votes might take a while, and that’s ok. Getting through all those ballots could take days, or even weeks—and that’s a sign that the system is working. It’s important to be patient and keep speaking out to ensure that every vote is counted, no matter what—and getting our friends, family, and neighbors on board too.

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With so much at stake this year, I know it’s incredibly difficult to imagine waiting another week or month or more to know who the next president will be. But John, we owe it to ourselves, to each other, and to the future of this country to honor our voting process and make sure every vote truly does count.

I hope you’ll share this with your friends and family so they know what to expect too. Voting is at the heart of our democracy. Let’s keep fighting for it.

Sincerely,

Anna Chu
(she/her/hers)
Vice President for Strategy & Policy
National Women's Law Center

P.S. If you haven’t already, sign on to our Count Every Vote pledge [[link removed]] —and if you have, make sure your friends and family join you.

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