How to defeat Trump’s intimidating election poll watchers

09/07/2020 9:23 am ET • Sabrina Matthews

Unsplash / Phillip Goldsberry

Whether you plan to vote early, vote by mail, or vote on Election Day, the president has targeted you with misinformation.

By making false claims about mail-in-voting or threatening intimidation by law enforcement, Trump makes voting sound like a dangerous and dishonest business. Even though the US has held secure elections for over two hundred years.

In recent mixed messaging, Trump took a break from riffing about rampant voter fraud to encourage rampant voter fraud among his followers. The president advised his North Carolina followers to vote twice. Now the North Carolina State Board of Elections has to remind people that voting twice is illegal. “Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law.”

While we await the president’s arrest for this particular solicitation, here are some facts about ballot security, and what to know if you plan to vote on Election Day.

How poll workers keep elections secure

A photograph of a voter polling station.

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Trump suggested to his followers that they cast their vote by mail and then, “check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way.” But ABC’s Eyewitness News showed how states keep ballots secure, count them correctly, and stop people from voting twice.

Which, by the way, are the same ways someone trying to vote twice will get caught.

You get ONE vote. Make it count

Hannah Edgman / Pixabay

If you plan to vote on Election Day, here are a few ways to be sure your vote is counted — even if things don’t go smoothly.

PLAN YOUR VOTE: A new guide from NBC News helps you know deadlines to vote, eligibility to vote by mail and more, based on the rules of your state. https://t.co/itVuQP56l8 #PlanYourVote

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 7, 2020

Bring your ID

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Find out what your state requires for identification, and have it with you when you go to vote on Election Day.

Don’t let complicated ID laws scare you from voting! If you need help navigating the voter ID laws in your state, affording a photo ID, or making a photocopy, nonprofit organizations like @VoteRiders can help — they are 100% focused on helping people with their IDs this fall

— Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) September 2, 2020

Stay in line

Screenshot / Charlotte Observer

Once you line up to vote on Election Day, keep your place in line. If you are in line before the polls close, you will be allowed to vote. There may be a long wait, but if you leave the line, you may not be allowed to vote.

While you are waiting:

Anthony Tran / Unsplash

Trump also threatened that everyone from sheriffs to Attorneys General would be waiting when people go to vote on Election Day. In a letter condemning the president’s attempts to undermine confidence in the election, Michigan law enforcement officials pointed out that Trump’s threat is a page right out of the Jim Crow South. “Law enforcement in the Jim Crow South blocked Black citizens from accessing the polls.”

“Recent threats and intimidation tactics, including deploying law enforcement to police the polls, raises the prospect of voter intimidation, damaging bonds of trust between law enforcement and communities they serve,” the statement read. “Fair elections must be free from even the hint of voter intimidation.”

Don’t be intimidated

Make sure your vote counts! How to vote on Election Day — even if Trump tries to stop you

Screenshot / Twitter

Call the Election Protection Hotline (866-687-8683) immediately if you are intimidated or harassed — including questions about your qualifications to vote — or if someone tries to give false information about voting requirements. Call this number if you see this happen to anyone else, or if you think someone is impersonating poll workers or election officials where you vote on Election Day.

If you ID is rejected

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If you are told you don’t have proper identification, ask a poll worker what your options are. Ask what forms of ID your state accepts: you may have something with you that qualifies, like a pay stub or utility bill.

Ask if you need to have ID to vote on election day. Some states may allow you to come back and show your ID following Election Day.

Ask if your state allows you to vote without ID by signing something under oath.

If you are told you are not on the list

Flickr / Democracy Chronicles

If you are told you are not on the voter roll at that location, be sure the poll worker is spelling your name correctly. Find out if they are looking everywhere that you could be listed. Some states keep a list of “inactive” or “suspended” voters; if you are on this list, you should still be allowed to cast a regular vote on Election Day.

Confirm that you are registered to vote and that you are at the right polling place. If you recently moved and did not update your registration, you may be on the roll at your previous polling place. Ask if you can update your registration and vote a regular ballot where you are, or if you need to go vote at your old polling location or at a central location.

If you registered and are not showing up on the voter roll, call the Election Protection Hotline (866-687-8683).

If all else fails…

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If you have tried everything and still cannot cast a regular vote on Election Day, ask for a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots should be used only if you have no other option.

“Provisional ballots ensure that voters are not excluded from the voting process due to an administrative error,” explains the National Conference of State Legislatures. “They provide a fail-safe mechanism for voters who arrive at the polls on Election Day and whose eligibility to vote is uncertain.”

These ballots are marked or placed in a special envelope to be checked for eligibility before being counted, but there are a lot of reasons they can still be disqualified. For instance, 27 states will not count a provisional ballot if it was submitted at the wrong polling location.

But a provisional ballot is better than none at all. Ask for written instructions about how to fill out the provisional ballot, and how to confirm that your vote was counted.