Check: the status of your registration & when & where you can vote on or before Nov 8th  

I want to help my friends vote

You can text your friends and ask them if they’re planning to vote, and whether they’re doing it by mail or in person. Encourage them to vote early if it’s allowed in their state. If they have questions about how to vote you can find most answers at vote.org. You can also just message them and say: “Text 866-687-8683 to find out everything you need: are you registered? Is there early voting in your state? Can you get an absentee ballot? Where to drop your ballot, etc, I’m sending it to all my friends.” 

And, remember, helping your friends help their friends vote is much more effective overall than just helping your friends vote!!!

If you’d like to help someone request or turn in an absentee ballot, review your state’s specific laws, as some places have strict rules around who can help.

Can I help friends register? 

VoterPal is an app that enables you to help your friends and family register to vote.

Do I need an ID to vote?

Check out this state by state map from Vote Riders. Vote Riders also provides an amazing free service helping you get whatever paperwork/ID that might be necessary to vote in your state. 

Whom should I vote for, and what about ballot measures? 

If you live in AZ, CA, FL, GA, NV, NC, PA, TX, or WI, Blue Voter Guide is your ticket! It will help you fill in your ballot according to endorsements from groups you trust and also learn the details of why those groups take those positions.

Though not as thorough as Blue Voter Guide, Progressive Voters Guide has links to state-by-state Progressive Voter Guides, and covers a few states that Blue Voter Guide doesn’t. 

Includes: AZ, CA, CO, GA, MI, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI

I want to work at the polls or help monitor the polls, how can I do that? 

Power the Polls. Our democracy depends on ordinary people who make sure every election runs smoothly and everyone's vote is counted. You can make sure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections for all: step up and become a poll worker in your community this year. You might even get paid!

NAACP  is doing virtual poll monitoring training. You can register here.

Why both working and monitoring are needed. 

Can I volunteer for a race that isn’t in my state? 

Yes, you can phone bank or text bank for their campaigns! And even more effective than that, you can reach out to your friends who live in those areas and invite them to get involved. Here’s a spreadsheet we put together that shows the closest and most important races for congress, senate, governor, secretary of state and attorney general throughout the country.

How do I report a problem at the polls or get help if someone or something has prevented me from registering to vote or casting my ballot?? 

Call or text: 1-866-OUR VOTE (866-687-8683) to speak with a trained Election Protection volunteer.

Do I live in a “swing” district or state where the results are likely to be very close and very critical for the direction of the whole country?

We’ve put together a list of what are likely to be close races for the US House and Senate, as well as state governor, secretary of state and attorney general. The outcomes of these races are critical not just for the basic advancement of the country and where we live, but also for democracy itself. Use this tool to find out which congressional district you now live in (almost all of them changed this year).

I have a felony conviction. Can I vote?

Campaign Legal Center set up a free tool, Restore Your Vote, to see if you’re eligible to vote right now. If you run into trouble using this tool or have a question about your convictions, you can also call 1-888-306-8683 (toll-free) or email RestoreYourVote@campaignlegal.org.

My friends & I want to get more involved, what can we do? 

You can make a plan with them to vote together! You can make a day of it you will always remember. Or help register voters (if that is still possible in your area). Check VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES HERE.

You can also make a plan to drop off pizza or cookies or water at polling stations for people waiting in line or the poll workers (if that is allowed in your state—unless you’re in Georgia it’s probably fine, check here). 

I want to write letters to voters in important races, how can I get started? 

The effectiveness of handwritten communications like postcards and letters needs more research. There’s evidence that both have small effects on voter turnout. But, there’s strong research that supports a certain kind of writing technique called “social pressure.” Check out this list our friend Jessica Craven made of a bunch of targeted letter campaigns and an example of a highly effective social pressure message. If you’re going to write letters or postcards, make sure to include a message like that!

Who are all the election deniers running for office? 

Five Thirty Eight has a list, and it’s long

Can I help family, friends and neighbors vote if they have a disability or can’t read or write in English?

People who cannot read or write in English, or those with a disability, can select someone to help them vote, as long as it isn’t a representative from their employer or union. If you help someone vote in person, let an election worker know when you sign in. They may have the person you’re helping sign a form attesting to their need for assistance. Voting locations are also required to have accessible machines available for people with disabilities. And some jurisdictions are required to provide election materials in languages commonly spoken in the area.

If you help someone vote, remember: You can read the ballot to them or translate it. However, you are not allowed to tell them whom to vote for or to look at the ballot unless asked. If you’re not sure about the laws in your state, you can ask your local election officials or call the election protection hotlines

I have a disability and I want to make sure I can vote easily. Any suggestions?

Yes, so everything can go smoothly, the folks at Accessible Voting suggest making a plan. They also have a lot more helpful info. 

If you’re in California and have any questions, you can contact the county elections office, or you can call Disability Rights California Voting Hotline: (888) 569-7955.

What are the most effective ways to get out the vote?

Voter outreach has been the subject of quite a bit of research, and yet it’s still hard to be definitive about what works best in all cases. The data below come from research that we trust (but it doesn’t mean you can’t find different results elsewhere). Bottom line: Relational organizing—leveraging personal relationships with other people to promote candidates—is the most impactful tactic that individuals can use to influence elections. Highly effective relational organizing can be done by phone, in person, by text, by email, or through the mail.

1. Friend to friend

   1. 13% bump, 24 contacts per hour = 3 votes / hour

   2. Academic research suggests that we are more likely to be influenced by people we know, like, or find familiar compared to strangers.

   3. People are highly likely to have accurate contact information about people they personally know and have relationships with. 

   4. People are more likely to engage with and return communications from people they actually know (e.g., answer the phone, respond to a text).

2. Door to door

   1.  6-10 contacts per hour, 8% bump = 0.5–1 vote /  hour. (Canvassers travel in pairs but contact separate homes.)

3. Phone to phone (voice). ​​

   1. Best case, well executed phone campaign: 20 contacts per hour, 5% bump = 1 vote / hour. 

   2. Phone calls that are unhurried, personal, and allow room for a genuine dialogue with the voter (3-5% boost in turnout) are more effective than calls by hurried, poorly trained callers who were focused on call volume rather than quality (0.5% boost in turnout)

   3. In the above experiment, the local professional phone bank created one new vote for every 20 calls it completed

   4. According to the same research above, there is no mobilization effect from phone conversations conducted more than two weeks prior to Election Day (it can even hurt) and calls during the week preceding election day are 5x more effective than calls a week or more before it

   5. If the timing of phone calls matters a great deal, the content of the conversation appears to matter a great deal less.

4. Social pressure letter writing

   1. 2.5% turnout boost (or 4-8% in a low salience election, or 1% in a high salience election)

   2. Can also provoke backlash that eats up staff time