Stop, Drop, & Poll: What to Do if You Have Problems Voting

Anecdotal evidence is coming in fast and furious of early-voting incidences including voting machine malfunctions in Ohio, Putnam, and Jackson Counties in West Virginia and Davidson and Decatur Counties in Tennessee, as well as hidden problems with "straight ticket" voting (confirmed by Snopes) in Texas and West Virginia. A more complete list of the problems so far can be found at VotersUnite.org.

It CAN happen to you. If it does, here are a few suggestions on what to do:

1) Video Your Vote.
Use video, audio, or photgraphs, and if you encounter a problem, try to record or write down the evidence, such as the names and phone numbers of witnesses, as well as voting machine serial numbers, names of poll workers, and the time of day. And if you do record or encounter a problem, get the word out about it.

2) At the First Sign of a Problem*, Stop.
At the first sign of a problem with your machine or if you have any other problem listed below, stop what you're doing and ask to speak to the polling place supervisor (skip the poll worker). Explain your problem. If they try to wave you off, call your main election commission number and ask to speak to the election commissioner until your problem is satisfactorily addressed. Poll workers/supervisors may try to blame you -- "operator error." Remain calm and courteous, but do not leave your polling place until your problem is well-documented and addressed to your complete satisfaction and, if the problem is with the machine, the machine is quarantined. Oh, and you've gotten to vote.

3) File reports wherever possible.
Your local polling place should have incident reports available to you. If they do not, call the main election commission for your county and ask for someone to bring one to you. Make sure that both you and the supervisor sign it. An example of a report is here. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission also lists on their website where you can find out how to file a report in your state.

Also report your incident to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-Our-Vote, especially if you feel you are being bullied or your incident is not being taken seriously. The ACLU also has a hotline at 1-877-523-2792. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Greg Palast offer suggestions as well in their comic StealYourVoteBack.org.

4) Call the Election Protection Hotline.
Report your incident to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-Our-Vote, especially if you feel you are being bullied or your incident is not being taken seriously. The ACLU also has a hotline at 1-877-523-2792. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Greg Palast offer suggestions as well in their comic StealYourVoteBack.org.

5) Pledge to Stand Up to Stolen Elections.
Go to NoMoreStolenElections.org and pledge to not concede until every vote is counted -- and counted as cast.

*Problems can include: machine problems, polling place problems (machines not set up on time), switching or closing of your polling place, voters forced to vote on a provisional ballot, long lines/waits, intimidation, unusual ID demands, poll workers asking inappropriate questions, etc.

(Thanks, Uncounted Mary!)

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