Best Results Organizing

WHAT DOES VOTING HAVE TO DO WITH ORGANIZING?

The word organize has three common meanings:

1. to arrange, assemble, or put in order your tangible stuff (or activities or thoughts) so you can access what you need when you want it, to be more productive
2. to coordinate, assemble, and unify a group, as when organizing a search party for a missing child or organizing in a union to collectively bargain
3. to mobilize in support of a cause or effort you value, like Save the Seals (remember that, GenX?) or “Fix the Pot Hole on Main Street!”, or to get a candidate elected or a ballot proposition approved or rejected

In the United States, National Voter Registration Day is September 17, 2024, and no matter what you believe regarding any given issue or candidate, it’s hard to make a difference if your resources and information are disorganized.

To that end, today’s non-partisan post includes everything you need to know to exercise your right to vote, no matter your opinion on candidates, propositions, or pot holes.

(Dear non-US readers; please feel free to post non-partisan links about organizing to vote in your countries in the comment section.)

KNOW YOUR “WHY”

We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.

~ Thomas Jefferson

No matter which candidates get your vote or what positions you take on any given issue, don’t let disorganization to be an obstacle to voting.

If you’re an American citizen over the age of 18, you have the right to cast votes regarding a wide variety of national issues and policies, including:

• The Economy
• The Environment and Energy policy
• Foreign policy
• Healthcare
• Immigration
• Reproductive and Family Issues
• Veterans’ Affairs

It’s not just federal policies and candidates. You never know when you’ll care about a school board vote that impacts your kids, a zoning issue, or a noise ordinance related to a neighbor’s teenage beau boosting Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes at maximum decibels in the wee hours.

Voting preserves your right to have a say in how your community (school district, town, city, state, and nation) will be governed. It also allows you to model community organization and civic responsibility for your children or grandchildren.

REGISTER TO VOTE

Let’s start with the basics of voter registration.

Know your state’s voting eligibility requirements.

You would think voting eligibility requirements would be uniform across all fifty states, but nope. (Note: residents of the United States’ territories can vote in presidential primaries, but not the presidential election, nor in Congressional or Senate races.)

Between 1812 and 1860, property ownership qualifications to vote were progressively abolished. In 1870, non-white men gained the right to vote. Until the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, only twenty states granted women the right to vote.

From Suffs: The Musical

Even then, in effect, only white women were guaranteed suffrage, as poll taxes and civic literacy tests disenfranchised the poor and people of color. (Poll taxes were stuck down by the 24th Amendment; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed discriminatory state voting practices.)

Native Americans weren’t granted the right to vote until 1924, and that right wasn’t guaranteed until 1948. And of course, the 26th Amendment lowered the minimum voting age requirement from 21 to 18 in 1971, when Paper Doll was only four years old, but already really wanted to vote.

Federal voting regulations aside, individual states have varying rules regarding voter eligibility. In order to vote in federal and state elections, you must be a citizen, of “sound mind,” and over the age of 18, but most states have residency requirements.

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down one-year residency requirements, ruling that anything in excess of 30 to 50 days violated equal protection of the Fourteenth Amendment.

And given that residency implies an address, the passage of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and 2002’s Help America Vote Act — in addition to modernizing voting technology — removed registration impediments and ruled unhoused people may not be denied the right to vote based on their lack of a permanent address.

Thirteen states (Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) and Puerto Rico do not require a mailing address, and in Arizona and Nebraska, homeless citizens may use county clerks’ offices and court houses as their mailing addresses.

Most states have regulations restricting the voting eligibility of convicted felons while in prison or on parole, while convicted felons in Kentucky and Virginia lose the right to vote in perpetuity. (Florida recently reversed its law in this regard, but … it’s complicated.)

Know your state’s voter registration deadline

As befits a nation that initially considered itself to be a collection of smaller nations, each state has its own voter registration deadlines.

Twenty-two states require registration between 16 and 30 days prior to Election Day (Tuesday, November 5th this year). Six states require registration from 1 to 15 days prior to election day, and twenty-two states and Washington, DC allow registration at your polling place on Election Day.

Fill out the “paperwork” to register to vote.

Your paperwork may not be on paper; forty-three states (plus DC and Guam) allow online voter registration, up from only fourteen in 2008 when I first wrote about organizing to vote. However, you must register to vote by mail or in person in Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. 

Notably, North Dakota does not require voters to register, having abolished advanced registration in 1951! As long as you’ve lived in the state for 30 days and have valid ID, you can vote.

To register:

• Check online, call, or drop by your Board of Elections to request a registration application.
• The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, also called the Motor Voter Act, made it possible to register when you apply for or renew a driver’s license or at government agencies when applying for public assistance and disability.
• Find your state election offices at USA.gov, or Google “board of elections” or “election commission” and your county name plus the state (because there are 31 Washington Counties, 26 Jefferson Counties, and 25 Franklin Counties).  
• Use the master voter registration document at Vote.org, or scroll down on that page to find your state’s voter registration site.

Review your voter registration card and keep it safe

Voter registration cards show your voting precinct (which determines where you vote) and districts (e.g., Congressional, State Senate and House, school district, county/city district, etc.) for individual campaigns, referenda, and ballot initiatives. 

File your card with your VIP papers, and make a notation on your calendar to bring your card to the polls on Election Day (or on early voting days, if applicable). You may only need your photo ID, but I recommend always taking your voter registration card with you to vote, especially if you registered recently.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES FOR REGISTERING AND VOTING

If you or someone you know needs assistance with registering to vote and securing a ballot, check the following resources.

College Students

Students should determine whether they will register to vote in their home states or at school. They are likely to be first-time voters and unfamiliar with residency requirements, party registration, absentee ballots, and the election process. These resources will help.

• Away at College: Where Do You Vote? (FindLaw)
• How to Vote in College: Know Your Rights (BestColleges)
• Out of State College Student Voting Guide (All-In Challenge) 
• Voting as a College Student (Vote.org)

Disabled Voters

• The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities (ADA.gov)
• Resources for Voters with Disabilities (US Election Assistance Commission)
• Voters with Disabilities Activated (National Disabilities Rights Network)
• Voting with a Disability (Vote.gov)
• Voting Accessibility (US Election Assistance Commission)

Members of the US Military

• Military and Overseas Voters UOCAVA (US Election Assistance Commission) 
• Military Voters (Federal Voting Assistance Program)
• Voting During Military Service (FindLaw)
• Voting While You’re Away From Home: The Absentee Voting Process (Military One Source)

Overseas and Expat Voters

Are you an American citizen reading Paper Doll from somewhere outside of the U.S.? Howdy! These non-partisan sites can help you register and vote from abroad:

• Election Assistance Commission 
• Federal Voting Assistance Program
• Overseas Vote Foundation
• Vote from Abroad 

Unhoused voters

• Every One Votes (National Alliances to End Homelessness) — including A Toolkit to Ensure People Experiencing Homelessness Can Exercise Their Right To Vote
• The Homeless Vote: Can You Legally Cast a Ballot? (FindLaw)
• Step-by-Step Voting Guide for People Experiencing Homelessness (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness)
• Voting for People with Nontraditional Residences (The National Conference of State Legislatures)
• You Don’t Need a Home to Vote (The National Coalition on the Homeless ) includes a voter information primer and a 2024 voting rights manual

CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION

Perhaps you registered to vote years or decades ago. Even if you wore an “I Like Ike” button, registering to vote once is not enough. Even after you register, there are multiple ways you can fall off the rolls, as Archie Bunker learned years ago!

If you haven’t voted in several election cycles — whether presidential or mid-term elections — your state may remove you from the rolls. 

If you move, even within a state, you have to register in your new location. Update your registration even if you move neighborhoods in the same town, as dividing lines for school and legislative districts are narrowly drawn.

You may be purged from the rolls by accident, such as if you share a name with someone who died, or intentionally as part of partisan disenfranchisement efforts.

Check your voter registration soon, before the deadline for registering in your locale, to ensure that you are able to vote on election day. Contact your local board of elections, or go to https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/ to use the state-by-state lookup.

LOCATE YOUR POLLING PLACE

Your voter registration card should specify your polling place. Alternatively, many boards of elections or election commissions let you safely log in to your registration with information like your name, birthdate, and part of your Social Security number (which they already have on record).

Or, use Vote.org’s Polling Place Locator.

Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

If you have early voting in your jurisdiction, it may be at a different polling place than the one listed on your registration card. My Election Day polling place is within walking distance of my home; however, to avoid inclement weather or having to rush on a client day, I vote at one of the four early voting locations in my city.

OR, ARRANGE TO VOTE BY MAIL

Voting by mail has become more popular, particularly since COVID, but as with other voting regulations, the rules vary by state. This method, usually referred to as an absentee ballot, reduces crowding at the polls, increases voter participation, and makes it easier for college students, people with disabilities, members of the armed services, travelers, and others to cast their votes.

In eight states (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington) and the District of Columbia every eligible voter can vote by mail. (And in Colorado and Oregon, all eligible voters are mailed a ballot without even having to request one.) 

Voters in those eight states and DC can generally return ballots through the USPS, in-person at election offices, or in secure drop-boxes. In states that have in-person voting, voters may still opt to vote at the polling place. 

Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 

But what if you live in the 42 states and 14 territories that don’t run all elections by mail? There, eligible voters must request a ballot.

Some have a “no-excuse” ballot system; request a ballot for any reason. Other states require you submit a “valid excuse,” which might be that you will be out of state for business or out of the country due to work or military service, that you will be hospitalized or otherwise too infirm to vote; some states let everyone over 65 vote by mail. 

The duration of absentee ballot status can vary. In some states, like New York or Georgia, once you request an absentee ballot, you’ll receive one for all elections, whether federal, state, or local, general elections or primaries. In others, voters must request absentee ballots for every single election in which they intend to vote.   

Scroll down on this FindLaw page for a comprehensive list of each state’s requirement for requesting an absentee ballot and voting by mail. Where applicable, it provides a link to each state’s absentee ballot application.

Make sure you’re registered to vote by the applicable deadline, then contact your county’s Board of Elections or your state’s Secretary of State for an absentee ballot.

SECURE THE RIGHT IDENTIFICATION

Your voter registration card proves you registered (at some point) but it can’t be used as ID to vote.

If you live somewhere like Dixville Notch, a tiny New Hampshire polling district of four registered voters, the poll worker is likely your daughter-in-law or third grade teacher who knows you. However, most jurisdictions require you to show some kind of government photo ID, like a driver’s license, state-issued ID card, military or tribal ID, or a passport, and even locations without strict voter ID laws require first-time voters who’ve registered online or by mail to show ID. 

Other states accept non-photo identification with proof of name and address. For example, in Arizona you can bring your Indian Census card; in Kansas, government-issued concealed carry handgun or weapon licenses and government-issued public assistance ID cards are acceptable ID; Virginia allows valid student IDs.

Even states that are strict regarding photo ID have exemptions, such as for those with a religious objection to being photographed, or have impediments to getting an ID (due to indigence or after a natural disaster). Wisconsin has confidential voting for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking.

Check your state’s voter ID laws at your board of elections website or this list from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Alternatively, use the map at VoterRiders.org and the cursor over your state to see what proof of identification your state requires. States are divided by strict and non-strict photo ID laws, strict and non-strict non-photo ID laws, and states with no specific ID required.

If you have none of the appropriate categories of identification required by your state, you’ll want to  get a state-issued photo ID card. In most cases, this will require presenting a copy of your birth certificate, as explained in How to Replace and Organize 7 Essential Government Documents.

All this aside, if you don’t have your ID, you can generally cast a provisional ballot by signing an affidavit, signing a poll book, and providing biographical information. (You may also cast a provisional ballot if your identity or right to vote is challenged by a poll worker or election official, or if your name is not on the poll or registration list on Election Day.)

MAKE A PLAN FOR WHEN AND HOW YOU WILL VOTE

Very little gets done unless you organize your schedule to do it. 

Think of voting the way you might think of leaving on a trip. Normally, you might get in your car, drive to the airport, park, and fly. Or perhaps you arrange to have a friend drive you. But if you wait until the last minute and you have a dead battery or flat tire, or your friend’s child has the flu but no baby sitter, you’d have to scramble to figure out whether you’d call another friend, get a rideshare, or find some other solution.

Voting is not time-specific, but it’s day-specific, and the lines in some precincts can be as long as those for TSA. And if you were planning to vote after work, but you got delayed by weather or traffic, you might be cutting it close. 

When and how will you vote?

Look at your schedule and figure out:

• Will you vote by mail? How will you remember to get your ballot in the mail or to a drop-box by deadline?
• Will you vote early? What day? How will you accommodate your schedule and remind yourself to go? At which early voting polling place can you vote?
• If you’re voting on Election Day, what time will you go and how will you get there? 

Borrow some accountability and vote with a friend. Arrange to vote together (early or on Election Day) or even drop your mail-in votes at a drop-box together, then celebrate your right to vote with an ice cream, adult beverage, or meal.

How will you get to the polls?

If you’re going to the polls in person, either on Election Day or when voting early, plan how you’ll get there, and create a backup plan in case something goes awry.

If you are able, offer rides to those who may lack transportation or the physical ability to get to the polls on their own.

If you need help getting to the polls: 

• Ask friends or neighbors how they are voting and see if you can ride with them.
• Ask if your house of worship is transporting congregants to the polls for early voting.
• Get free rides to vote early via Lime, as well as access to free scooters and e-bikes through Vote Early Day.
• Check to see if your locality offers free public transportation via bus or rail on Election Day.
• Call your public library or your state’s League of Women Voters to find out what assistance is available locally to help voters get to the polls.
• Ride Lyft, partnering with Levi Strauss & Co. and Showtime/MTV, to providing discounted rides to the polls.

RESEARCH THE BALLOT

Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

You may be able to log into your board of elections or election commission site to see a sample ballot prior to any local, primary, or general election. Alternatively, use:

• League of Women Voters‘ Vote 411 — Provide your state to get your voting information. Closer to the election, click on the Candidate and Ballot Measure Information tab.
• LWW’s 411 also offers a personalized ballot — Enter your address and view (or print) ballot guidance.
• Ballotpedia is a digital encyclopedia of elections. Pick federal, state, and local elections, as well as ballot measures, from the sidebar to aid your research, or look up your sample ballot.
• Vote.org has a See What’s On Your Ballot feature.

Then, evaluate candidate and party web sites, read news articles, and ask the opinion of people you respect.

PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS

We don’t want seven-year-olds or random Peruvians or visitors from Alpha Centauri to pick our city councilperson or mayor, but we do (or at least should) want everyone citizen to be able to exercise the right to vote without fear of threats or violence, or even ignorance on the part of un untrained person.

I mean, how often have we heard about the airport employee who insists that people with driver’s licenses from New Mexico or the District of Columbia need to show passports because they don’t know these places are in the United States?

If you are in line when the polling hours close, stay in line. By law, as long as you are in line, you are guaranteed the right to vote.

If you are threatened with violence or otherwise experience or observe intimidation:

• Report intimidation to the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. (Put the number in your phone.)
• Report threats to your state and local election officials.

If you are denied the right to vote:

• Give a sworn statement to a poll worker that you satisfy the qualifications to vote in your state, and then proceed to cast a ballot (or provisional ballot).

APPRECIATE HOW YOU GOT THE RIGHT TO VOTE

Over the centuries, many have fought to secure and protect your right to vote. The following three videos from U.S. Capitol Historical Society explain the evolution of the Constitutional amendments that secured that right. 

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Not only is Tuesday, September 17, 2024 National Voter Registration Day, but it’s also Constitution Day. What better way to celebrate than to make sure you’re organized and registered to vote.