So, you figured out registering to vote, now HOW do you vote? With voting laws mainly being determined by state and local governments, understanding the voting process can be complicated. There are three main ways in which you may be asked to cast your vote: hand marked paper ballots, ballot marking devices, and direct recording electronic Systems. The most widely used method are hand marked paper ballots. The least common is the direct recording electronic system.
Hand marked ballots are paper ballots which the voter manually marks their selection. Even though a jurisdiction may primarily use hand marked ballots, ballot making devices or direct recording systems are required to be provided as an alternative for voters with disabilities. Ballot marking devices utilize an electronic medium to record votes onto a paper ballot. No record is kept on the electronic devices. Like the ballot marking devices, direct recording electronic systems use an electronic voting system, however they do keep an electronic record of votes cast. In some jurisdictions a paper ballot is created so that the voter can confirm their selections and the paper ballot be kept as a record in case there is an audit or recount. Once cast votes can be counted by hand, by optical scanner, or through the direct recording electronic systems.
The electoral college is a constitutional provision which served as a “compromise between a popular vote by citizens and a vote in Congress”. Each state has electors which is equal to the number of representatives they have in Congress and Washington D.C receives three electoral votes for a total of 538 electors. In Maine and Nebraska electoral votes are proportionally allocated, whereas every other state chooses a winner takes all method based on the states popular vote. The candidate who receives 270 votes in the electoral college wins the race.
Election recounts occur either automatically when the margin of victory is narrow, or in response to a request from someone (typically the party or the candidate). Washington D.C. and in 41 states requests for recounts are permitted. When the victory margin is narrow a recount is automatically triggered in Washington D.C. and 23 states. In the states that do not offer a process to request a recount, or in which one is automatically triggered, the only remedy for the defeated candidate is to challenge the election results in the court, and the court may then order a recount.
Your vote is a way to express your voice, sustain democracy, hold political actors accountable, spark societal shifts and drive policy change! Visit usa.gov to learn how you can vote in your jurisdiction!
Caption Ideas:
Voters under 30 have the lowest turnout rate in midterm and presidential elections, it’s time to change that narrative! Take action, be the difference, and vote in every election.
In the 2020 presidential election only 66% of eligible voters cast their ballots! Every vote counts, make sure yours is heard in the next and all elections!