There’s no way to sugar coat it. 2020 is a BIG election year. We’re not just voting for the next president, but we’re voting to fill congressional seats as well.
Whomever gets elected to Congress and the White House will shape the next 4 years of your life (if not decades to come). They have the power to shape our future: taxes, social policies, monetary policies and so much more. In short, your vote affects your financial bottom line so take it seriously.
Please take the time to get to know the candidates before you cast your ballot.
GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES
Want to know each candidate’s stance on the policies that are important to you? Ballotpedia.org is a non-profit covering everything, from the economy to trade, healthcare, environmental issues, education and so much more.
Take a dive into each candidate’s stance on policies to be sure you are voting for a candidate that supports you.
The best decision is an informed decision.
MAIL-IN AND ABSENTEE VOTING
Don’t let the pandemic prevent you from voting!
More states than previous elections have options to vote early by mail-in ballot.
Technically, every state allows absentee voting, although there are rules for each individual state on who can participate by mail-in ballot.
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Some states require an excuse to vote by mail
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Some states do not require an excuse but DO require you to request a mail-in ballot
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If you are a US citizen or military living out of country, you may fill out and mail in this request form.
*Military family members who are of age and living out of country can also request an absentee ballot using this form.
Find your state’s election office website for rules on mail-in and absentee voting HERE.
Below are states that automatically send mail-in ballots, established prior to 2020:
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Colorado
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Hawaii
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Oregon
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Utah
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Washington
Below are states with temporary authorization to automatically send mail-in ballots to residents, as a response to COVID-19:
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California
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Nevada
For a list of states that will receive mail-in ballot request forms automatically by mail, check out Ballotpedia.
CAN’T VOTE BY MAIL?
If you are unable to vote by mail, be sure to make the proper arrangements to go to your local voting center on or by Tuesday, November 3rd. You can also look into whether your state allows early in-person voting. There may be additional days you can vote in-person.
WHAT ABOUT VOTER FRAUD?
Though challenges of voting by mail revolve around the voter actually receiving their ballot and the central voting office receiving the completed ballot, ballot validity does not seem to be a valid obstacle.
Studies agree that impersonation fraud by voters very rarely happens. Studies have found that most of the reported incidents of voter fraud were traceably caused by other sources. Examples of such are clerical errors or bad data matching practices. Incidents of voter fraud were found to be between 0.0003% and 0.0025%. Certainly not enough to be a major concern.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Whether it’s who to vote for, how to vote or when, KNOW YOUR OPTIONS.
Not every state allows you to vote by mail. Check out your state’s election office website by searching for HERE.
If your state allows, request a mail-in ballot and be sure to mail it in early in case there are hold ups with the US Postal Service- better to be safe than sorry.
We realize not everyone has the privilege of taking time off work or always having reliable transportation, so the sooner you start creating a plan, the more likely you are to be able to exercise your right to vote in this year’s election.
Remember, voting is a privilege so use it to your advantage because it shapes your financial bottom line long-term.
