Count Every Vote

Voter suppression is any effort to discourage or prevent eligible voters from registering and casting their ballot. Unfortunately, voter suppression has always been a part of our country’s history and many of these efforts, legal and illegal, have targeted Black communities. Since the moment Black people could vote in this country, attempts to suppress our vote and keep us away from the ballot box have been relentless. Tactics used to suppress our vote have included, but are not limited to: relocating or closing polling places in our communities, placing restrictions on student voters, gerrymandering, implementing ID requirements, purging voter rolls, felony disenfranchisement, denying funding to the postal service, and misinformation campaigns.

• The poll worker says you’re not on their list: Even if you’re not in the poll book, which is a record that holds voter register information, you can still fill out a provisional ballot. Once election officials confirm you are eligible to vote, they will need to count your ballot. Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA to confirm your voter registration information.
• The poll worker says the signature doesn’t match the one on their record: Some states will send you a notice and allow you to correct any signature discrepancies on a mail-in ballot. If you’re not able to correct a perceived mismatch in signatures, request a provisional ballot from your polling place in the meantime.
• The polling place closes while you’re in line: Do not leave – you still have the right to vote if you are in line before closing time. If someone forces you to get out of line, report them immediately to the Election Protection Hotline 1-866-OUR-VOTE or notify the Department of Justice Voting Rights Hotline at 1-800-253-3931.
• If you need assistance filling out a ballot, you can bring a friend or family member. Both you and your companion will be required to swear under oath that you asked the person to help you vote and that your companion did not tell you how to vote.
• It’s never too late to make sure that your family, friends, and community members have a plan to get their ballot to the box. Visit: https://www.vote.org/ to check your registration status, find early voting locations, and election day locations.

The ‘red mirage’ refers to a scenario in which the Republican candidate is leading in the polls on Election night. This could happen because votes cast in person on Election day may be counted faster than mail in ballots, which in some cases, can not begin to be counted until polls close on Election nightMost Republican voters have said they will vote on Election Day, while the opposite is true for most Democratic voters. Because of the differences in voter preference the country may go to bed on Election night with the Republican candidate in the lead. However, it’s important to remember that not all ballots will have been counted.

Due to an influx in vote by mail ballots this election and rules in some states that prohibit mail in ballots from being counted until Election day, we can expect that it will take more time to count these ballots. The ‘blue shift’ refers to a scenario where in the days after the election, as mail-in-ballots are being counted, the Democratic candidate closes the gap and even overtakes the lead.

One thing must be made clear- elections do not end until every ballot has been counted because our democracy is worth the wait.

Absolutely.

Your vote is your power. In our fight for liberation, we must use every tool available to us and voting is one of our most powerful tools.

“Nobody else is affected by you not participating except for you. The people in power are not impacted by you not participating. In fact, they’re emboldened.”– Alicia Garza, Principal Black to the Future Action Fund