Editing:2020.08.27 GOTV 6 mail-in and drop-off

August 27, 2020 (New York, NY) -- Given the ongoing spread of misinformation around voting in the U.S. elections this November, the Sikh Coalition is offering additional resources beyond the ability to easily check your voter registration status for free.

First, it is important to restate that voting by mail is legal, safe, and widely practiced in the United States. There is no evidence that increased voting by mail will lead to fraud; indeed, the president himself routinely votes by mail, and it is dangerous for anyone to use false claims or assumptions about fraud to attempt to delegitimize past or future election results.

Please review our recently updated map to see each state’s deadlinefor requesting a mail-in ballot and information about whether or not each state requires an “excuse” to vote by mail. Because of pending legislation and lawsuits, many states’ rules are changing quickly; recent reforms, however, should make it easier for more Americans to vote by mail in states like New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Kentucky, and Nevada.

If you choose to vote by mail, it is recommended that you put your ballot in the mail more than two weeks in advance of the election on November 3. To ensure that your mail-in ballot is not rejected, you must also follow all instructions while filling it out, including signing it correctly.

Despite the fact that voting by mail is safe, many people were alarmed by President Trump’s remarks earlier this month about blocking funding for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in order to hamper mail-in voting. On August 18, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that he would postpone any changes to the USPS until after the election to “avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.” For those who remain concerned, however, most states allow for mail-in ballots to be dropped off at election offices, polling places, or official drop boxes.

Almost every state allows voters to return their mail in ballot in person to the office of their local election official; you can look up the office closest to you here. In addition, some states even allow voters to return their ballots to any polling place in their county. And finally, a number of states are considering the expanded use of secure ballot drop-boxes for collecting mail-in ballots.

To ensure that your vote counts, it is critically important for you to follow your state’s specific guidelines on ballot submissions. Be sure to use our free tool to check your voter registration in order to find your polling place and learn more about your state’s specific rules. You can also email gotv@sikhcoalition.org with any questions.

As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

Note: The Sikh Coalition is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. All Get Out The Vote (GOTV) work is being done in support of broader Sikh American civic engagement, and not for the benefit of any candidate, elected official, or political party.

[GOTV] Mail-In Voting and Ballot Drop-Off Options