With elections just five days away, it is essential that older adults and people with disabilities, who have so much at stake yet may face barriers to voting, have their votes counted.
· For those who haven’t voted early in person or by mail yet, it’s important to have a plan. The USPS slowdown has put the timely delivery of mail-in ballots in question, if they are mailed too late. For voters who are voting through absentee ballots, voters should not mail their ballots at this point, but should instead drop their ballots off at an official ballot dropbox location or at a polling place. Find a dropbox location in your area.<https://default.salsalabs.org/T4befd4b4-3bdf-4c50-8348-1b78b05e3955/8ce887dc-17ea-4428-9272-6a3aebdac728>
· If voters have already voted by mail and want to ensure their ballot was received and counted, eighteen states have “notice and cure” processes that require a voter to be notified if there is a mistake with their ballot. Learn more about “notice and cure” and how it works to ensure every vote is counted.<https://default.salsalabs.org/Te653e24d-7ada-48c2-a12b-89a6300dbd88/8ce887dc-17ea-4428-9272-6a3aebdac728>
· Older adults can also make a plan to vote in person safely. One tip is to go during less busy times, such as during the middle of the day, to minimize contact with others. Here are some resources on voting safely.<https://default.salsalabs.org/Td19ebe78-c0f6-42bd-97e5-277131a536ec/8ce887dc-17ea-4428-9272-6a3aebdac728>
· Voters may still be able to vote in person early in some states. This article includes the dates that early voting starts and ends in each state. <https://default.salsalabs.org/Te69a3396-a9a2-4b8b-9cf2-7a3f5de4a7c6/8ce887dc-17ea-4428-9272-6a3aebdac728>
· The national, nonpartisan Election Protection program<https://default.salsalabs.org/T760ae2ee-c8a9-4ff1-9c50-8e068d39a231/8ce887dc-17ea-4428-9272-6a3aebdac728> is available to all voters who need information or assistance at all stages of voting, and has helplines in multiple languages<https://default.salsalabs.org/T8337c38b-c364-423a-9652-0208ddbd1190/8ce887dc-17ea-4428-9272-6a3aebdac728> to assist voters who encounter problems.

For this election and every election, it’s important that everyone is able to vote, and that we count every vote—because every one of us counts.

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