What Election Officials, Advocates Are Most Concerned About as Voters Head to the Polls

As millions of U.S. voters head to the polls, elections officials and voting rights advocates have a laundry list of concerns.

According to the U.S. Elections Project, more than 71 million ballots have already been cast in this year's election, already exceeding more than half the ballots cast in 2016.

But with just days to go until Election Day, fears are rising that millions of voters could be disenfranchised.

Among the concerns are that misinformation, voter intimidation or newly imposed rigid rules about mail-in voting could undermine the democratic process.

With in-person voting looking very different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Benjamin Hovland, the chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), said it is more important than ever for voters to be well-informed.

"We need to help eliminate mistrust and misinformation"

The spread of misinformation and disinformation is "a very real concern," Hovland told Newsweek in a phone interview.

"It's crucial that people get their information from their state or local election official," he said. "Some polling places will move this year, because maybe some traditional ones aren't available, like in a senior center. We've seen certain larger facilities be volunteered this year... that allow for additional social distancing."

"This year, the election looks a little different and it's important for people to get that trusted source information and make a plan to vote."

Carolyn DeWitt, the president of Rock the Vote, said the issue is particularly alarming "as we know that there are both domestic and foreign actors who are running disinformation campaigns targeted at voters of colour and young voters."

She added: "We have a not only a lack of leadership in our government, but we have we have individuals at the top levels of government, including our president, who are spreading disinformation and undermining the confidence and integrity of our elections."

DeWitt added that voters need to turn to organizations like Rock the Vote that focus on providing "relevant, vetted information."

Jasmine Burney-Clark, who founded the Equal Ground Education Fund to educate and and build Black political power in Florida, told Newsweek that the "level of disinformation" circulating in the state is also her biggest concern.

"Voters have been targeted with robocalls, mailers and text messages that lead to confusion ahead of Election Day. As organizers we find ourselves managing disinformation when we could be mobilizing more votes to the ballot box," Burney-Clark said.

"Don't necessarily trust something you read on social media. Get your information from the supervisor of election's office, a news outlet, or an organization you know you can trust," added Phillip Jerez, the campaign manager for the Coalition for Black and Brown Ballot Access, which focuses on increasing voter confidence and turnout in Florida.

"Worst case scenario, show up to your polling location and look for a poll monitor or a poll worker and ask them the questions you think you need answered."

He added: "We want to ensure that folks know exactly what they need to do to make sure their vote is counted... We need to help eliminate mistrust and misinformation surrounding the vote by mail process. For Black and brown voters, voting by mail or delivering votes to a drop box shouldn't be met with fear and skepticism. It's safe and can be tracked."

Another challenge is that elections in the U.S. are so decentralized, DeWitt noted. "So there are at least 50 different ways of doing things and 50 different deadlines and and requirements. In some states. It is even broken down to the county level.

"And so rockthevote.org simplifies that and puts it in a way that demystifies the process in addition to educating voters specifically about their rights when it comes to this election, whether they're casting an absentee ballot, or whether they're voting early in-person or on Election Day in person."

"Time's running out"

Another concern for Hovland is that those voting by mail ensure their ballots are received by election officials in time to be counted. "I think mail and absentee ballots are a great option. It's how I voted this year," he said.

"Particularly with a pandemic, it's a great way to engage in the process, but in a manner that's safer. One of the things we have seen is a record number of people request mail and absentee ballots... it's crucial that they get those back in. Time's running out on that."

Depending on the state, mail-in ballots need to be received by November 3, or be postmarked with that date if they arrive after.

"It varies, but certainly [if] people can get it in by Election Day, that'll count everywhere," Hovland added.

DeWitt noted that there are also concerns that mail-in ballots are not thrown out without the voter having a chance to rectify any issues.

"We know that the rate of of absentee voters has greatly increased for 2020 and we need to make sure that those votes are counted," she said. "If there is any question of eligibility or if the ballot is contested, those voters [need to be] notified in a timely manner so that they can resolve any questions."

DeWitt added that she is also concerned about people having their vote suppressed. Voter suppression "comes in many forms," she noted, citing Texas limiting mail-in ballot drop off locations to one per county and states like Wisconsin that have restrictive voter ID requirements.

"We have concerns about voters who have requested their absentee ballot, but have not received their ballots in the mail and concerns about voters who may not know their rights," she said.

"Stay vigilant"

Burney-Clark urged voters to "stay vigilant" even after casting their ballots by mail.

"My advice to voters is to stay vigilant, keep all official documents from their election officials. Voters should utilize online tools like ballot trackers that can be found on their election official websites."

Another concern for DeWitt, Burney-Clark is the possibility of voter intimidation, after President Donald Trump called on his supporters to keep tabs on polling places.

While DeWitt said she didn't want to overly concern voters, she wanted to "make sure that voters are aware of what voter intimidation is, and that it should not be tolerated."

Burney-Clark said there have already been a few cases of voter intimidation by groups targeting youth and people of color in Florida.

"We anticipate that there will be unlawful paramilitary and militia groups or individuals who show up unlawfully under the guise of protecting the vote" in some key battleground states, DeWitt added, citing Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida as places where it could occur.

A number of paramilitary group members have been charged over a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and concerns about voter intimidation in the state prompted Michigan's top election official, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, to recently issue a directive to state elections clerks that firearms cannot be openly carried within 100 feet of polling places on November 3—an order that was met with resistance by some law enforcement officers and ruled against by a judge this week.

The Associated Press reported earlier this month that federal and state law enforcement officials have begun expanded preparations for the possibility of widespread unrest at the polls on Election Day.

DeWitt advised any voters who feel threatened or unsafe to call 911 or the state police if they feel local law enforcement is not going to provide a sufficient response. She also urged them to call the Election Protection hotline.

"We want to make sure that no one is intimidated from voting because of any individuals or organizations at the polls, or given the wrong information when they show up," Jerez added.

"Polling places are going to look a little different this year"

Voting on Election Day will, of course, be different in 2020.

"It's important for people to know that the polling places are going to look a little different this year with social distancing with PPE," Hovland said.

"I expect that there will be very, very long lines and that is extremely concerning," DeWitt said. "Not everyone can wait in line for an hour, for four hours, for eight hours, as we expect may be the case on Election Day."

Hovland noted that the record number of people who have already cast their ballots will help limit congestion on November 3.

He urged anyone planning to vote early to go at off-peak hours to further ease the buren. "There's early voting happening in a lot of the country right now, being able to go in the middle of the week, mid- morning, or the early afternoon, those are usually off peak hours....a great time to vote."

Hovland also noted that due to the sheer numbers involved, there are likely to be mishaps in the days leading up to and including Election Day.

"First and foremost, every ballot, every vote matters and should be counted," he said. "Frankly, we're going to probably have more than 150 million Americans vote in this presidential election. When you're on that kind of scale, we're going to have a million poll workers be involved, 150 million voters, you have election workers in nearly 9,000 jurisdictions around the country.

"And when you have that kind of volume, people make mistakes and the important thing is that we're able to try to correct those mistakes and that people's votes are ultimately counted."

DeWitt says many poll workers working during this election are new and unfamiliar with how to resolve issues.

"In addition to the barriers and realities the coronavirus has caused, issues like poll worker shortages, which then have led to the closure of poll sites, we have seen a lot of poll workers who are new are may not have all the answers, and so are turning away voters who may not know all of their rights," she said.

"While election officials and poll workers have the best intentions, the reality is that there will almost certainly be glitches in the system. For instance, poll lists might be inaccurate."

Voters need to make sure they demand a provisional ballot if their eligibility to vote is questioned, she added.

Despite the concerns, Hovland said he is confident that election officials are doing a "fantastic job" amid "unprecedented challenges" presented by the pandemic. "I'm confident that the will of the voters will be reflected," he said.