Know Your Rights: Tips to Ensure Your Voice is Heard and Your Vote is Counted

Voting

Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote. The ACLU of Pennsylvania is committed to ensuring that all citizens are able to cast their votes and have them accurately counted.

The ACLU has routinely represented voters and candidates in order to protect the right to vote and the right to participate in a fair election process. Below are important tips and information to ensure your voice is heard and your vote is counted.

The nonpartisan voter protection coalition Election Protection works to ensure that every eligible voter in Pennsylvania is able to cast a ballot that gets counted. The PA Election Protection Coalition is coordinated by the ACLU of Pennsylvania, Common Cause Pennsylvania, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania Voice.

Voters can call the following nonpartisan voter hotlines for basic information, such as the location of their polling place or how to obtain an absentee ballot, as well as report problems on Election Day:

  • 866-OUR-VOTE hotline (866-687-8683) for English
  • 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) for Spanish
  • 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) for a variety of Asian languages (The APIA vote hotline lists them here http://www.apiavote.org/hotline: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali)

The Election Protection coalition is prepared to assist voters with:

  • Questions about polling locations and registration status
  • Improper challenges at the polls
  • Voter intimidation
  • Polling places that are not open or that have very long lines
  • Poll workers improperly asking for photo ID from voters

The Election Protection coalition has recruited hundreds of trained legal and grassroots volunteers across the commonwealth to monitor key polling precincts and to respond to voter complaints to the hotlines on Election Day. The coalition will also have attorneys on call in every county who are prepared to go into court if needed.

Questions? Contact us at info@aclupa.org.

Click here for more essential voting information.