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Today is Sunday, November 1, 2020. If you haven't voted yet in the
General Election, time is running out, but the good news is your
options aren't! So far, more than 242,000 DC voters have cast
their ballots - that's more than 75% of the vote total from 4
years ago! I'm really proud of everyone for Voting Safe and Voting
Early! We voted as a family a couple of days ago and it was easy and
fun! A big thank you to all our neighbors volunteering at the
polls!
If you haven't yet cast your ballot, make a plan with the
information below. My office is fielding a lot of questions from
constituents about voting, and here are answers to a few common
issues.
Can I still vote by mail??
Yes, you can still submit your ballot that was mailed to your home.
But at this point, I advise you not to mail it back, but rather,
submit it at one of the 55
Board of Elections drop boxes in the District or at an Early
Vote Center at this point. Given some of the challenges the US
Postal Service has been experiencing, that's the best way to ensure
your vote is counted this close to the Election.?
But if you did mail your ballot, don't worry! Earlier this year, I
passed legislation extending the time for mail-in ballots to be
counted up to 10 days after Election Day as long as it is submitted to
BOE or postmarked by Election Day!
How can I know if my ballot has been received and
counted?
The Board of Elections (BOE) is offering two ways to check on the
progress of your mail-in ballot. Every ballot's mailing envelope (not
the secrecy sleeve) has a unique code to track. That way BOE can track
your ballot without knowing what votes you have cast. Be sure to check
both. We have seen a lag of several days in the Board of Elections
updating some of the tracking links due to the volume of ballots
coming, but they recommend to check the links below regularly.
Board of Elections Ballot Tracker (previously used for absentee
ballots): https://www.dcboe.org/Voters/Absentee-Voting/Track-Absentee-Ballot
The Board of Elections has also contracted with a company to
assist with mail-in ballot tracking called BallotTrax:?https://ballottrax.net/voter/
Early Voting Hours are 8:30 am to 7 pm
Early Vote Centers will continue to be open Sunday, November 1, and
Monday, November 2. You can vote at any of them, any time between 8:30
am and 7 pm. I strongly, strongly encourage you to take
advantage of early voting. You can vote at any Early Vote
Center, not just the one closest to your home. Find the locations here
and even check how long the line is before you go:?https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org/
Please don't wait until Election Day if you can. Your vote counts
all the same and it helps us avoid long lines of voters on Election
Day, which could be a risk as we're seeing serious spikes in the
spread of the novel coronavirus across the US.
Election Day, Tuesday, November 3 - Polls Hours are 7 am to 8
pm?
If you need to vote in-person on Election Day, there are 95 Vote
Centers that will be open throughout all eight wards. Polls are open
from 7 am to 8 pm. This is your last and final opportunity to cast a
ballot! Even with the best of preparation and planning, we do
expect that there will be lines on Election Day. With so many
people choosing to vote early, vote by mail, or using secure drop
boxes, it should reduce lines like we saw during the primary, but
please don't wait until the last minute to head to the polls if you
can. Many people who have unique situations will likely be filing a
provisional or special ballot, which takes more time generally. So if
you're casting your normal ballot, try to take advantage of the many
opportunities to vote before Election Day. Just like with Early
Voting, you can head to any location to vote on Election Day. Find all
of the locations here:?https://www.dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Election-Day-Vote-Centers?
I'm out of town through Election Day and I never got my ballot.
Help!?
I've heard from a few Ward 6 residents who aren't in town and never
received an absentee ballot. First, if you requested a ballot be
mailed anywhere but your primary address, I recommend having someone
check to see if it was sent to your primary address by mistake. You'll
need to connect with the Board of Elections to see what options you
have: 202-727-2525. If you're having a hard time getting through
though, let me know and I'll reach out to the Board directly for
you.
Thanks again and remember, if you haven't voted yet, make a plan!
Don't wait until the last minute and be stuck in line waiting.
I hope you and your family are safe and well. Keep wearing your
mask!?
Charles
Allen
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