Military voters, it is election crunch time. Election Day is technically November 8, but for our community voting day is actually weeks earlier. We have tips to help you make sure your vote counts and your voice is heard.
Voting absentee? Return your ballot ASAP.
If you are voting by absentee ballot, we urge you to return it as soon as possible. Whether by mail, email or ballot drop box, do not delay returning your ballot.
What if I don’t have my ballot yet?
If you requested to receive your ballot via email, check your spam / junk folder. We’ve heard many anecdotes of ballots ending up in the spam folder and going unnoticed for days.
If you requested to receive your ballot by postal mail, please reach out to your local Election Official to inquire about the status. Many county election offices have tools on their websites that allow you to lookup and track your ballot. If that doesn’t work, you need to call and ask about the status (look up their phone number here).
We’ve spent the last couple of weeks speaking with many election officials on the phone and can attest that they are very kind. It’s literally their job to administer a successful election — they’ll be happy to help you!
Still no ballot? Time for a backup!
With election deadlines looming, we recommend completing the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) now. The FWAB is a special backup ballot that military voters who live away from their voting district get to access.
If your regular ballot won’t get there in time to send it back by your state’s deadline, use this failsafe. Even if your official absentee ballot does arrive after you send in the FWAB, then you can fill out and send that one as well. Your state will count only one, so no need to worry about doing something sketchy.
Voting in person? Make a plan.
If you are voting in person this election, now is the time to make your plan to vote. What day will you vote: early or on November 3? Where is your polling location? (Look up your polling place here.) How will you get there? What time of day will you vote? What ID or documentation do you need?
Thinking through these details about how and when you vote will help you avoid any last minute stress or mistakes that can trip you up on voting day.
Follow instructions carefully.
No matter how you plan to vote, make sure you follow the instructions closely! Read and re-read before you do anything. Everything from the color of ink to privacy envelopes can invalidate your ballot. And voting in person can present road blocks, too: Make sure you find the most up to date polling locations and ID requirements for your locality.
Know the issues.
Your vote is your voice, and it’s important to understand what is on your ballot. We recommend two nonpartisan resources for ballot information: BallotReady.org and Vote411.org. Both sites provide a ballot guide based on your voting address with candidate positions and descriptions of issues, initiatives, and amendments that may be on your ballot.
If you’re voting from home, take your time to research as you vote. If you are voting in person, spend some researching before you go so you know what you’ll be voting on before you leave.