Mashable: How to combat voter suppression before, during, and after voting

For some, the phrase “voter suppression” may invoke images of protesting crowds, like those at early voting sites in Virginia last month, or other forms of harassment. Indeed, Trump’s calls for supporters to watch over the voting process on Election Day have voting rights activists worried the groups’ actions could quickly turn to intimidation, according to the New York Times. But while voter suppression can include such overt forms of intimidation, in practice, it can also be a bit more nuanced and subtle.

Broadly, voter suppression is any hurdle that prevents an eligible citizen from casting their vote. Sylvia Albert is the director of voting and elections for Common Cause, a national nonpartisan group that runs the Election Protection initiative, which coordinates a coalition of more than 100 organizations to facilitate voting across the country. According to Albert, suppressive tactics can include (but aren’t limited to):

Misinformation

• Confusion about how to cast your ballot
• Incorrect or missing information about polling locations and ballot drop-off spots
• Vague or confusing deadlines
• Intentional disinformation spread in specific communities to discourage voting

Accessibility issues 

• A lack of voting locations in poor neighborhoods
• Outdated voting machines
• Long lines that discourage voters with disabilities from accessing polling locations
• Inaccessible polling location hours or the early closing of locations

Systemic barriers

• The purging of voter rolls without notice to voters
• Ex-felon disenfranchisement laws
• Voter ID requirements that may exclude some communities from voting

Voter intimidation

• The targeted harassment of voters based on their identity or (assumed) political party
• Threats of violence
• Physically blocking polling locations from voters
• Voter challenges, or when a fellow citizen (election administrator or fellow voter) questions the validity of your registration on Election Day in order to prevent you from voting …

Albert says the most important way voters can work against voter suppression is to learn to spot possible problems beforehand. “Your job is to vote and make sure your ballot is counted,” she said. “Have your ‘spidey senses’ up.”

1. Before voting

Make a voting plan

Voter suppression may involve misinformation and red tape, but planning ahead and voting early ensures you can spot and avoid this. “The number one thing that we always say is make a plan to vote,” Albert said.  …

Polling location changes — in hours of operation, disability accommodations for voters, or through the closure of whole sites — have long been a vehicle for voter suppression in underserved communities, Albert explained. Voters should have a cursory knowledge of their nearby polling locations and double check where and when they can vote each year.

“I would not presume that where you’ve always voted is where you’re always voting,” Pérez said similarly.

Voting plans should also include early voting if possible, Albert recommended. According to a 2013 report by the Brennan Center, early voting affords election administrators more time to correct mistakes that can invalidate ballots and helps limit long wait times, which, the center showed in another 2020 report, have a greater impact on communities of color. Black and Latino voters can have up to a 45% longer wait time than white voters on Election Day.

Learn how to spot disinformation

The final part of your plan, according to Albert, “is being properly informed. Get information from a trusted source… one that is not on the ballot.” Widespread disinformation campaigns — from QAnon conspiracies to misinformation about the vote-by-mail process — risk confusing voters about voting procedures and create unnecessary fear. According to Albert, these disinformation campaigns are “trying to suppress the vote by making people question the integrity of the election” and discourage them from voting.

2. While at the polls

Don’t engage with protesters

Albert says that forms of physical intimidation at the polls, including protesters or the illegal threat of violence, have long been used to suppress votes, since the passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments. Threats like these were most recently seen during the 2016 presidential and 2018 midterm elections. “We saw a few isolated incidents, but those isolated incidents were quick. We dealt with them and voters were allowed to vote,” Albert explained.

Neither Albert nor Pérez expect many protests at polling sites this year. But, if you do face physical intimidation or protesters while entering your polling location, they recommend not engaging. Pérez says voters should also avoid calling local law enforcement, as increased police presence can deter voters of color or exacerbate already over-policed communities. Pérez recommends that the best way to handle combative groups is to ignore them, or ask an election administrator (those physically handing out and counting ballots at your polling place) to assist you. Voting with friends or neighbors or packing a pair of earphones may also help. …

In states where election results are expected to be close — like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Florida — or counties where there is a history of systemic voter suppression, Election Protection will ensure poll monitors are on-site to watch for voter intimidation and provide resources for voters, Albert explained. …

A state’s failure to create clear voting guidelines can be a form of suppression, whether intentional or not, says Albert. “Not spending the time and energy to really get voters to understand… to know how they access the ballot, that is suppressive.” The voting system also carries the discriminatory legacy of Jim Crow era laws, which made ballots intentionally inaccessible to Black voters, voters with low literacy, or non-English speaking voters. …

Election Protection anticipates it’ll have around 10,000 volunteer poll monitors across the country this year. Some monitors will remain stationed on-site, while others will drive from location to location answering questions or connecting you to Election Protection advocates on the phone.

“They have a lot of information about the common issues that somebody might run into while voting. Things like ‘What ID do I need?’ or ‘Am I in the right polling location?’” Albert explained.

Election Protection also coordinates a range of legal volunteers, from pro-bono lawyers to advocates with expertise in voting rights. “If there’s anything more complex, [poll monitors] can call the lawyers and the advocates who have more information.”

3. After casting your ballot

Your job doesn’t necessarily end after you’ve placed your vote.

Reach out to your elections administrator if needed

With COVID-19 causing widespread changes to mail-in voting opportunities and voting deadlines,  many voters remain confused. “When a state or locality doesn’t do the work needed to inform the voters of what’s happening, that is suppression,” Albert said. If you send in your ballot by mail or visit the polls this year, and are still unsure if you did things correctly or if your ballot will be counted, don’t be afraid to reach out to your officials to confirm.