Voter Fraud: 4 Tips to Make Sure Your Ballot Gets Counted on Election Day

Impact

If you missed out on the opportunity to vote by mail or at an early voting site, chances are you are planning to cast your ballot on a lunch break or immediately after work on election night. If you are exercising your right to vote, no matter how long the wait, you should be protected from fraud and have that vote counted. 

Here are some tips:

1) Pay attention to who sponsored your voter information.

Be leery of items of mail or phone messages coming from a specific candidate or party. In Pennsylvania, voters received an erroneous mailer which advised them to bring ID to the polls though that requirement was overturned. In Arizona, Sen. Jeff Flake has been accused of robo-calling voters with the wrong polling location. These attempts to create hurdles were quickly exposed in local media.

2) Refer to the guidelines outlined for your state.

Your local Secretary of State’s website will be up-to-date on voting locations, polling hours and contact information to report fraud or errors with voting machines.

3) Check and double-check technology.

Computers fail; it’s a fact of high-wired life. However, if you feel that your technological issue interferes with your voting preferences or there is a greater conspiracy at work, alert election staff.

4) Exercise common sense.

While Arizona came under fire when ballots printed in Spanish reflected incorrect dates, every American regardless of native tongue should know that Election Day is always that first Tuesday in November.