Making Your Voice Count: Alternative Voting Options

August 31, 2020

This November presents the most important election in memory—all while a pandemic continues to rage across our country, and as the Trump Administration is doing everything in its power to silence voters in an undemocratic act of desperation fueled by a dangerous need to retain power.

But we do not have to be suppressed. Each of us can still be heard, and if we choose to stay home on Election Day for our own health or safety reasons, we can still vote safely and ensure our voice counts.

Below, please find safe alternative options to voting in person on Election Day.

• Absentee Ballots

  If you choose to forgo traditional in-person voting, the first step is to request your absentee ballot. All states are required to mail absentee ballots to voters—with certain requirements necessary in some states. In two-thirds of the states, any qualified voter may vote absentee without offering an excuse, and in one-third of the states, an excuse—such as ailing health or being absent from your location—is required. Please check your state for its local rules.

   

  If you have received or plan to receive an absentee ballot ahead of Election Day, but would prefer to hand deliver it to ensure your vote is counted, there are other ways to cast your ballot.

   

  Mail in ballots are safe and less susceptible to voter fraud.

• Local Election Office or Polling Location

  Almost all states allow voters to drop off their ballots in person at their local election office. However, not everyone lives close to their local election office—nor may be able to return their own ballot—so states have made other locations and alternative solutions available for the secure drop-off absentee ballots.

   

  In the case that a voter may not be able to return their own ballot, some states have taken considerations and offered solutions.

  • 10 states permit an absentee ballot to be returned by the voter’s FAMILY MEMBER:
    • Arizona
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Missouri
    • Nevada
    • New Hampshire
    • New Mexico
    • North Carolina
    • Ohio
    • Oklahoma
  • 26 states and the District of Columbia allow a DESIGNATED AGENT to return ballots on behalf of voters.
    • A designated agent can be a family member, attorney, attendant care provider or anyone who has been officially sanctioned by the voter to collect their own—or the community’s or families’ ballots—ensuring safety of high-risk voters and lessening crowds.
    • Please keep in mind that 12 of these states limit the number of ballots a single designated agent can return. Click here for more details on collection by state.

   

  If you can’t make it to your appointed polling place by the deadline, or due to travel difficulties, some states have also provided alternatives.

   

  To date, 11 states and Washington, D.C. allow voters to drop off ballots at ANY in-person voting locations in the county:

  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Hawaii
  • Kansas
  • Montana
  • New Mexico
  • North Carolina
  • Oregon
  • Utah
  • Washington

   

  Two states—New Hampshire and Vermont—allow voters to return their ballots to a polling place, but it MUST be the voter’s assigned precinct polling place on Election Day.

   

  Please remember that your own state may interpret these distinctions and options differently. Be sure to contact your local polling place, Board of Elections or Secretary of State for updated, specific details for your state.

• Drop Boxes

  Drop boxesare containers that are specifically designated for voters to return their absentee ballots in sealed envelopes. In the last few election cycles, the popularity of drop boxes has risen, and due to COVID-19, this year, they are more popular than ever.

   

  To date, 11 states provide ballot drop boxes in some or all counties:

  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Hawaii
  • Kansas
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • Utah
  • Washington

   

  Many more states offer drop boxes to their voters, but the abundance of drop boxes varies pretty severely. For example, Michigan now has almost 1,000 drop boxes ready for receipt of ballots, while Ohio recently stated that they will not install any new drop boxes as it’s “too close to the election,” and back in June, Trump sued Pennsylvania in order to stop the state from using drop boxes entirely.

   

  Please note that the availability of drop off times will vary by location, with those monitored by surveillance cameras often being available 24/7, while others that are monitored by election workers having specifically designated timeframes.

• In-Person Early Voting

  As it currently stands, 40 states and the District of Columbia have some form of early voting—and some states have even extended their timeframe due to COVID-19 pressures. Early voting essentially emulates traditional in-person voting, but the important difference is that instead of queueing up for long lines, spreading voting across a span of less-busy days allows for voters to avoid the dangers of closely grouped crowds.

Regardless of whether you decide to mail in your absentee ballot, take it to your local polling place, or a designated drop off box, election officials must receive all ballots by the time polls close on Election Day—Tuesday, Nov. 3. If you decide to brave the lines on Election Day, please remember to locate your correct polling place, maintain your distance as much as possible, and above all—MASK UP!

Let’s make sure ALL voices are heard, safely.