CAN SOMEONE
ELSE DROP
OFF MY BALLOT
FOR ME?
A: It depends on your state. Permanent laws in 26 states allow voters
to designate someone else—a spouse, neighbor, caregiver, etc.—to
return a ballot on their behalf, according to the National Conference of
State Legislatures (NCSL). Some states have stricter rules. In Arkansas,
for example, if you plan to return someone else’s ballot, you must
deliver it directly to a county clerk, sign an oath and show appropriate
identifi cation, per the NCSL. In Alabama, voters must mail or return
their own ballots, with only very narrow exceptions for medical
emergencies. Many states have laws designed to prevent mass ballot
collection, known pejoratively as “ballot harvesting,” which is when one
person collects and returns multiple ballots. —A. AbramsonWhat if something goes awry
at my polling place?A: NEWS COVERAGE TENDS TO FOCUS
on where things have gone wrong—long
lines, power outages, broken voting
machines. But election experts caution
against letting those reports scare you
away. In all likelihood, things will go
smoothly for you. And if they
don’t, election administrators
and volunteer groups are
prepared for any number
of problems— from
polls failing to open to
dysfunctional voting
machines. “State and
local election offi cials have
contingency plans,” says Sarah
Brannon, managing attorney for
the ACLU Voting Rights Project.
What specifi c preparations are
being made depends on your state and
region. In most parts of Florida, for
example, election offi cials are ready for
hurricanes. “We’re kind of already in
that mood of always having to prepare
for stuff ,” said Chris Anderson, the
Republican supervisor of elections in
Seminole County, Florida. In Northern
states, election offi cials keep an eye out
for blizzards and road closures, and
election administrators in various states
have prepared contingency plans
in case an election needs to be
conducted in the wake of a
terrorist attack.
This year, local offi cials
and attorneys general
are collaborating with
police on how to handle
large-scale protests or
gatherings of overzealous
supporters that threaten to
disrupt the polls. If you run into
problems at your own polling place,
reach out to your local elections offi ce,
which will direct voters to a backup
polling place or provide information
about alternative ways to cast a vote.
—LISSANDRA VILLA and W.J. HENNIGANIF I OPTED TO GET A MAIL BALLOT,
CAN I STILL VOTE IN PERSON?
A: Yes—anytime, on or before Election Day. Just
remember to bring your mail or absentee ballot
with you when you go to your polling place. That
gives election offi cials an opportunity to verify
that you haven’t voted already. Even if you forget
to bring your unused ballot, some states, including
California and Illinois, will still allow you to cast a
provisional vote.—S.M.WHAT IF I’D PLANNED TO
VOTE IN PERSON BUT I
GET SICK ON NOV. 3?
A:First things fi rst: if you
feel sick or have been
in close contact with
someone who may have
COVID-19, you should
stay home—even if you’d
planned to vote in person.
Medical experts say that’s
a hard-and-fast rule, and
it applies on Election
Day too. “The risk of you
infecting a poll volunteer
or somebody else who’s
out there voting is just not
worth it,” says Dr. Marybeth
Sexton, assistant professor
of infectious diseases at
Emory University School
of Medicine. If you’re
worried about falling ill on
Nov. 3, or if your job makes
it hard to avoid corona-
virus exposure, consider
casting a vote early or
requesting an absentee
or mail ballot. Some
jurisdictions are offering
curbside voting this year,
which can reduce contact
with others. (But remember
that if you’re genuinely ill,
you still pose a risk to poll
workers and anyone in your
car.) If the worst happens
and you’re hospitalized
or have another medical
crisis on Election Day,
at least 38 states allow
emergency absentee
voting. Some states,
such as Minnesota and
Georgia, will deliver ballots
to people in the hospital.
If you fi nd yourself in this
situation, contact your local
elections offi ce; they’ll do
everything they can to help
you vote.ÑA. Abrams