You don’t need another person telling you how to vote. I’m sure you know what you’re doing, and if you’ve read my column before, I’m sure you have a sense of what I’d suggest you do. You’ve thought all about it; you know who you’re voting for; all you have to do now is cast that ballot.
I mean, I hope that you won’t vote for the guy who literally comes with the baggage of widespread endorsement from white nationalists, but I digress. You know what you’re doing.
And of course it’s not just about the presidential candidates. There are the down-ballot races and a number of initiatives about weed, school funding, the minimum wage and how we cast our ballots. Again, I’m sure you know how you feel about all of that, too, or at least enough to feel as though you are voting with confidence.
What you should know, though, are what your rights are on Election Day, especially considering a number of existential threats that are flirting with the idea of manifesting when the majority of Americans head to the polls.
Knowing your rights is especially important when there has been violence tied to support for and opposition to the presidential candidates, and there exists a specter of violence from white nationalists who intend to monitor polls. This is an affront to democracy, and you are legally protected from intimidation.
Mainers are great at participating in the democratic process. We have some of the best voting laws in the nation and as a result, we have some of the best voter turnout. It is threats from outwardly partisan groups with reputations for embracing violence that are intended to undermine and undercut this progress and broad democratic access. These threats are meant to frighten people away from participation, making this sort of interference a fascistic act.
I checked in with the ACLU of Maine to find out what every Mainer should know when they go to the polls. Here are the essentials:
If you are registered to vote, you do not need to show identification to vote. If you are not registered, you can register at your polling place on Election Day. If you do need to register, be sure to bring ID and proof of address.
You cannot be turned away at your polling place. Even if there is a problem for whatever reason, you must be allowed to cast a challenged ballot.
If you make a mistake on your ballot — say, you mark the wrong name or you mark no when you meant to vote yes on a ballot initiative — this is no problem at all. Throw it out, ask for a new ballot, and start over.
If you need help reading or marking your ballot, you can bring a friend or relative to help you. You may also ask a polling official for help.
And this year, this is the most important one: No one may harass you at the polls or attempt to intimidate you into voting a certain way. If this happens, talk to a poll worker or call the ACLU. This is editorialization on my part, but even if you get help from the poll worker and the person is sticking around, call the ACLU anyway.
The ACLU has put together a website full of information about your voting rights: aclumaine.org/letmevote. If you have trouble voting on Election Day, the ACLU of Maine’s hotline is 774-5444.
If you have not voted already, go vote. Widespread voter engagement is essential to a healthy democracy. And with those who don’t respect this concept in mind, go in prepared with knowledge of your rights. Don’t let thugs with zero respect for our democratic tradition stand in your way.
Alex Steed has written about and engaged in politics since he was a teenager. He’s an owner-partner of a Portland-based content production company and lives with his family, dogs and garden in Cornish.