With the overall election drawing close, it’s crucial to recognize your rights if your vote is challenged.

The first-class manner to make sure that your vote is counted is to suggest for yourself. I’m a civil rights lawyer and lecturer for the University of Southern California’s undergraduate civil rights advocacy initiative, Agents of Change. Here are numerous honest methods to make sure your vote is counted and realistic treatments so that you will don’t forget in case your vote stays challenged.

A principal part of making sure that you are capable of the vote is doing the important instruction earlier than you even get to the polling region
Are you registered to vote? Check it out
Before you vote, you want to make sure that you’re registered to vote. You can confirm your registration fame for the usage of this device. If you may use an internet device, then name your nearby election workplace or a voter assist line just like the ones indexed withinside the hotline segment below.

If you discover you’re now no longer registered, you may use this device from the National Conference of State Legislatures to discover your country’s online registration application. If you want to try this individual, then name your nearby election workplace for instructions.

At this point, you can have ignored your country’s closing date for voter registration. But it can now no longer be too past due to check-in.

Many states permit same-day registration on the polling web web page. You can discover your country’s same-day voter legal guidelines particularly here. Ask the ballot employee, at the precise polling area, for a same-day registration form; enter the form, after which ask for a “conditional ballot .” A conditional ballot permits election officers to remember your vote after verifying your voter eligibility. If you may’t studies online, you may name your nearby election workplace to discover if you may check in on Election Day.

-Gather files to confirm your identification:

Voter ID legal guidelines usually cowl in-individual vote casting, now no longer absentee ballots or mailed ballots.

If you stay in a country that calls for identification verification to vote in individually, acquire the desired files – which may also vary from driver’s licenses to financial institution statements with figuring out facts – earlier than visiting the precise polling region. You can discover your county election workplace’s touch facts here. This website consists of a desk list of every country’s suited ID files and viable exceptions for a few folks. You can also name your nearby election workplace to discover what’s required.

-Find the precise polling area:

You can make sure that you’re headed to the proper polling region with this device. Or name your county election workplace to discover your polling region and its hours of operation; you may appear up your county’s election workplace touch facts here.

Once you already know your polling region and its hours, you may cross there and test in. In maximum cases, you’ll be surpassed a ballot, proven in which to vote, and requested to place your ballot in a system or a box, after which you may cross merrily alongside your manner.

But the instant of test-in is in which matters may cross wrong.

-Problems at your polling region:

Here are capability vote-demanding situations and methods to conquer them.

Possibility #1: Out-of-order polling machines:

If you’re requested to go away due to malfunctioning machines, don’t. Instead, ask for a paper ballot.

Possibility #2: You’re in line and officers announce the polls have closed:

If you’re in line at the polling area earlier than it closes, don’t allow them to flip you away at last time in case you haven’t voted. You have the felony proper to vote below the one’s circumstances, so live in line and wait to solid your ballot.

Possibility #3: You’re now no longer at the registered citizens listing:

If you’re informed you may vote due to the fact your call isn’t always at the voter roster, ask the ballot web web page employee to test once more and to test what’s referred to as the listing of supplemental citizens. If they nevertheless can’t discover your call, ask the ballot employee to confirm that you’re in the proper area.

Possibility #4: Someone claims you shouldn’t be allowed to vote:

If your vote-casting eligibility stays challenged after making sure you’re in the proper polling area, ask to solidify a provisional ballot, that is to be had in each country besides Idaho and Minnesota. You can discover information about your specific country’s provisional ballot policies here.

Track your provisional ballot here:

-Call a hotline:
If you aren’t given a provisional ballot, name an election hotline for assistance. Here are 4 hotlines, run with the aid of using individuals of the nonpartisan Election Protection coalition, that may assist you:

-English: 866-OUR-VOTE/866-687-8683, The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

-Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA/888-839-8682, The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education Fund

-Asian Languages: 888-API-VOTE/888-274-8683, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote

-Arabic: 844-YALLA-US/844-925-5287, Arab American Institute

-Report voter intimidation:

If a person attempts to scare you into vote casting or now no longer vote casting for a candidate, stand your floor and call for a ballot from the ballot web web page, name a hotline above to record the intimidation, and record a declaration with the FBI later with the aid of using telecellsmartphone at 800-CALL-FBI – 800-225-5324 – or on-line at tips.fbi.gov.

File a lawsuit
If you’re nevertheless blocked from vote casting, don’t forget felony action – however, get a recommendation for your genuine scenario from one of the hotlines, that have unfastened legal professionals on hand. It’s a great concept to write down the names of folks who avoided you from vote casting and to invite folks who witnessed the incident for or their touch facts.