In a true democracy, every voter is respected, every vote is counted and every citizen has full confidence that their vote will matter. Would you like to make sure your vote counts, along with the votes of other eligible voters? Are you worried about the effect of voter suppression and rumors on election results? Check out this section for ways you can help protect the vote in your area.

 

Your #1 Weapon Against Suppression:

The best thing you can do to protect the vote is to vote early and encourage others to do the same. Here’s why:

• Long lines on Election Day discourage people from voting in the first place.

• Many issues cannot be resolved on Election Day without requiring you to go to another polling place or fill out a provisional ballot.

• Voting early at a One-Stop Early Voting site provides more time to resolve identification or address problems, allows people to register again, if need be (using Same Day Registration), and reduces the number of Provisional Ballots needed on Election Day – which can slow down the voting process for everyone.

• Early Voting is also more convenient: Click here for how to use Early Voting.

 

Early Voting also gives you time to contact our Voter Protection Hotline at 1-888-OUR-VOTE if you encounter any persistent problems at a polling place or if you believe people are being unfairly challenged on their right to vote.

 

Recognizing Problems

Voter suppression is not always obvious. Some examples of voting discrimination include the following:

1. Unnecessary difficulties or obstacles in registering to vote or voting.

2. Illogical placement and reassignments of voting locations.

3. Use of racial appeals in campaigns.

4. Unusual threats of voter fraud prosecutions.

5. Videotaping at polling places or issuing intimidating threats for voting.

6. Unjustified presence of law enforcement officers at voting sites.

7. Arbitrary municipal annexations, candidate residency requirements, or at-large elections that unfairly limit minority voters from electing representatives.

If you witness any of these things happening, call us at 1-888-OUR-VOTE and we will help you figure out what to do next. 

 

Other Ways to Help

• Know your rights. Review our North Carolina Voter Bill of Rights section. You may even want to distribute the Voter Bill of Rights or have it on display on Election Day if you are going to be working the polls.
• Check out our 20 Things to Know Before You Vote advice, which addresses some misperceptions about voting and provides you with tips on how to avoid problems at the polls.
• Encourage people to vote early so that confusion and lines can be minimized on Election Day. Early voting is good for many reasons! (See above for a few!)
• When election season rolls around, ask your local Board of Elections to issue a press release (or ask your local newspaper to run an article) on allowable conduct on Election Day, the purpose of the electioneering buffer around the polls and other rules that encourage an orderly voting process. You could also write a letter to the editor or an article for your local paper or ask a staff reporter to write a story on voter rights and Election Day tips using the information found on this website. You are welcome to use language from this website in your article, or you could send people to this website for more information as part of your article.
• Train all volunteers who will be at the polls on voter rights, whether they are working for a campaign or an organization. You can quickly assemble a training package by printing out sections of this website so they are fully informed about the voting process.
• Set up a Voter Rights table outside the polls on busy Early Voting days and on Election Day to offer voters information or hand-outs on their rights as voters. Frequently asked questions or information from this website can be printed out and displayed as well.
• Have a cell phone available at the table on Election Day to call your local Board of Elections or our Voter Protection Hotline, if need be at 1-888-OUR-VOTE.
• If you would like to help recycle poll hand-outs at your table, you can also offer space where people can put the candidate hand-outs after they vote, allowing campaigns to collect and recycle them. Doing this on a nonpartisan basis as a public service helps create a cooperative spirit that can make voting more pleasant for everyone.
• Thank everyone leaving the polls for voting and be sure to thank pollworkers for their public service. Voters are often inundated as they approach the polls, but seldom approached as they leave. Why not thank them for voting, regardless of who they voted for, as they leave? It's a great way to ease partisan tensions and focus people's attention on what's most important here: people exercising their right to take part in our democracy. 
• Long lines can fray tempers. One idea people have used in the past to keep the atmosphere fun while people wait is to recruit a local group of volunteer entertainers, such as clowns, guitar players, choral groups, jugglers, magicians, etc. to travel around town, checking on polling places and stopping to entertain people when a long line develops. It’s a great way for entertainers to advertise their services at the same time, so they have an incentive for participating. If you believe your area will see long lines on Election Day, consider organizing a troupe locally for your town.

 

Reporting Problems

If you see a problem on Election Day involving poll conduct — such as someone who repeatedly violates the no electioneering buffer zone or tries to unofficially challenge voters before they enter the polls — first go inside the polling area and alert the precinct's chief judge that this problem is occurring. If they do not take action, call your local board of elections and alert the director. If this does not work, please call the State Board of Elections (866-522-4723) or our Voter Protection Hotline at 1-888-687-8683 (888-OUR-VOTE) to report the problem.

 

The following behaviors are violations of specific laws. If you see anyone doing any of the following, contact local law enforcement or election officials immediately: 

1. Vandalizing the cars of voters,

• Putting up posters or flyers that contain false or misleading information about how or where to vote,
• Defacing or tearing down candidate or informational yard signs,
• Illegally posing as a pollworker and giving people false information,
• Going door-to-door with false information, or
• Attempting to suppress the vote or intimidate voters.

Steer clear of the perpetrators and do not confront them, but try to get identifying information, such as a license plate number, for law enforcement to use. If they refuse to take action, please call us at 1-888-OUR-VOTE and we will help you figure out what to do next.