How to vote by mail (get on it asap!)
If voters can’t get to the polls, they have the right to vote by mail. And a lot of data tells us that we can trust voting by mail. It’s not new, it's not easy to misrepresent identities, and ballots are specially transported by officials to avoid tampering.
But to successfully vote by mail, you have to jump through a few hoops. Follow the steps below to request and complete an absentee or mail in ballot!
Steps
Visit 411 in September to find out what your mail in options are and make the request asap. Select your state. The screen that pops up will show you how you request your ballot. Some states require you to explain why you can’t make it to the polls. For others, all you need to do is request it — aside from identity, no questions asked.
When you get the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions. This is a hard one. A shocking number of ballots will get tossed because of user error. Here are common errors:
Double check that you've signed it: A huge number of people forget to sign their ballots.
Has your signature changed? Checkers compare your signature with your past signature. This is especially harder on young people, whose signatures are still changing.
(If applicable) did you include witness or notarized signatures? Some states require witness or notarize signatures to verify the ballot. The instructions will tell you.
Did you send it by (preferably before) the deadline? They will throw out ballots that miss the deadline! Check the postmark deadline required in your state and send it earlier. (Read on for why.)
Track your ballot and find out if you can fix a mistake. Some states do allow you to fix errors in your ballot. If the option is available, folks say it's less likely to be possible if you send your ballot too close to election day.
