10 Tips To Make Sure Your Vote Will Count

If you know that you are registered to vote, follow the steps below to ensure that you will be able to vote and your vote will count. If you need to check on your registration status, call your local election office.

1. The map below shows which states allow early voting. If you can vote early, do it. If you live in a state that only allows early voting with an excuse, click on the map to get the info on early voting.
   
   
2. Know what to bring and where to go: use GoVote.org to find out your early voting location. GoVote.org also tells you what you need to bring to the polls in your state.
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   Not Voting Early?
3. Be prepared: download and “read” this comic book by Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The last few pages provide advice for people who are sure they’re registered and are being told they’re not. Please consider donating to the creators of this book.
4. In most states it is illegal to campaign (i.e. wear buttons, shirts, stickers, hats, etc) near a polling station. The McCain camp is counting on Obama supporters showing up with their t-shirts, getting turned away and not bothering to come back to vote. This is one of many tactics that will be used to suppress the vote – keeping lines long, not enough ballots, malfunctioning voting machines, people saying that you will be arrested if you show up to vote when you have outstanding parking tickets, etc. In some states, such as Texas, it is forbidden to use a list to vote, presumably to to keep employers from giving employees voting instructions. If you have a list, keep it in your pocket until you are in the polling booth and out of sight. Remember that if you are in line at the polls and it is closing time, you still can vote. Lastly, know what time your local polls open and close.
   
5. Find out what documents you will need to vote in your state, and bring a cell phone, camera and/or video camera when you go to your polling place. If you have problems at the polling station, you can later upload your video to VideoTheVote.org.
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   Problems at the polling station?
   
6. There have been a lot of reports of “poorly calibrated” voting machines which don’t register your choice properly. Tell a poll worker about the broken machine and ask them to take it out of service. If they won’t, tell all the voters waiting in line exactly which machine flipped your vote (third machine from the left, etc), then ask for a paper ballot. If no paper ballots are available, ask to use a working machine to vote.
7. Insist that the polling center supervisor immediately call the head of elections for your county/parish and find out what’s going on. Don’t let them talk you into or “force” you into voting by provisional ballot.
8. Supervisor couldn’t help you? Do not leave your polling station. Call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). This hotline will be staffed with legal experts who can help you determine your voting rights. The Election Protection group running the hotline will also have legal experts in the field monitoring the polls. If you don’t have a legal question and just want to report a problem you’ve encountered, call a separate hotline, 866-MYVOTE1 (866-698-6831), and leave a message. Please be sure to leave your name and phone number on the message if you want someone to investigate your problem and get back to you.
9. Vote using a provisional ballot ONLY if all other options have been exhausted.
10. When you get home, call 888-VOTE TIP to report your voting issue. You should also report it online and, if it’s your cupcake, report it via Twitter.
    

Don’t forget to STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS AND THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS IN YOUR POLLING STATION. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T MAKE A SCENE AND GET THROWN OUT: BE CIVIC !

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