What to do if you're harassed at the polls
Election Day isn't a federal holiday yet, so the voting public needs to make sure to take time next Tuesday to head to the polls. While filling out ballots should be a straight-forward process, anything goes in this tumultuous campaign climate.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has threatened to send campaign monitors around the country and has repeatedly called the election (and many other things) rigged, putting some voters on edge.
So while exercising your right to vote, make sure you know how to protect yourself if you feel threatened, intimidated, harassed or in danger.
You May Also Like
Election Protection, a non-partisan coalition of more than 100 organizations led by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, is pushing out tips and resources for voters in the event voting doesn't go smoothly at some polling places.
The group laid out a three-step process if things start to feel off while casting a ballot or even just trying to enter a polling place.
First, do not engage. Second, continue inside and make sure you vote. Then notify a poll worker or official. Third, call the Election Protection hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). From there, concerned voters can pass along info and local polling officials will be notified and take the proper next steps.
Tweets with the #ProtectOurVote hashtag on social media provide more information on voter safety -- along with messages from Trump and Hillary Clinton supporters accusing the other side of stealing votes and inciting violence.
Election Protection spokeswoman Chris Melody Fields told Mashable, "We do not want people to be afraid to go vote," but she's aware there might be some fear accompanying this year's presidential election. "Certainly the rhetoric of this election has us concerned," she said.
She encouraged voters to ignore anyone trying anything funky at polling places. The hotline will be up and running with "sister" hotlines offering services in many languages including Chinese, Hindi, Tagalog, Urdu and Arabic.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
In addition to providing resources and the hotlines, the coalition has representatives on the ground in 28 states' polling places. "We're trying to defuse situations," Fields said.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission also supports state and county election officials and will be keeping an eye out for voter fraud and any other bad election behavior.
On its site, the federal commission posted about election security and said they are working to "provide an accessible and secure voting process."
Topics Elections Hillary Clinton
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
