全国各地的投票站将会熙熙攘攘成群的选民在11月8日选举日。人们很容易在狂热中困惑或迷失。
这是什么选民应该知道帮助你顺利度过一天。
如何投票
建议选民查看当地的选举网站，或从州议会全国会议，了解他们所在州和地区的选举日规则是什么。
首先，联邦调查局警告可能的骗局和恶意行为者，他们可能会以不准确的选举日期、虚假的投票资格和方法等来瞄准选民。
选举日总是11月1日后的第一个星期二，今年的日期是11月8日。
联邦调查局在其网站上证实，公众没有在线或短信投票的选择。
要在选举日投票，你必须去你指定的投票站。你可以在Vote.org、Google.com等网站或当地选举网站的投票定位器上输入你的家庭地址，找到你的投票地点。
根据美国选举援助委员会的说法，如果你需要为残疾人提供住宿，或者在投票站使用少数民族语言投票时需要帮助，你的投票站可能会提供特殊帮助。该机构建议联系您当地的选举办公室了解详情。
该机构称，“联系当地选举办公室，获得建议、特定语言的材料、投票设备的信息以及进入投票站的详细信息，包括停车”。
当地选民指南可以帮助选民了解谁在选票上，候选人主张什么，以及在选举时将采取什么投票措施。你可以在当地选举网站或VOTE411的个性化投票指南搜索中找到当地选民指南。选票样本也有助于了解选票上的人和内容。
USAGov，a管理政府信息的联邦机构，建议将笔记、选民指南或选票样本带进投票站——这是允许的，因此选民可以确定他们对候选人和投票倡议选项的选择。
然而，一些投票站可能会限制手机的使用，所以USAGov建议携带纸质副本，而不是使用手机上的笔记。
许多州不要求你带着你的选民登记卡去投票站，但是大多数州是这样做的期待某种形式的身份证明亲自投票。
法律可能在最近几年发生了变化，所以建议选民查看当地选举规则中的限制和身份证明。
不要忘记你的权利
美国公民自由联盟建议选民，如果投票结束时你还在排队，那就继续排队。
他们说，许多选举日的混乱应该很快得到纠正——如果你的选票出现错误，你可以要求重新投票，如果投票机在你所在的地方出现故障，你可以要求纸质选票。
如果投票工作人员说一个选民的名字不在登记选民的名单上，美国公民自由联盟建议选民要求投票工作人员仔细检查他们名字的拼写。该组织还建议再次检查选民是否在正确的投票地点。
An official ballot collector for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections gives a voter their "I Voted" sticker after depositing their mail-in ballots into a collection box in Cleveland, Nov. 6, 2022, ahead of the midterm elections.
达斯汀·弗朗兹/法新社
如果投票工作人员仍然找不到你的名字，或者如果你不能前往正确的投票地点，要求临时投票。美国公民自由联盟称，即使选民不在投票名册上，他们也有权进行临时投票。
选举官员将调查你是否有资格投票和登记-如果你是，你的临时选票将被计算在内。
如果你被拒绝或拒绝临时投票，美国公民自由联盟建议向当地选举官员报告这一情况，或拨打选举保护热线。
该热线由民权律师委员会依法运作，以防选民在选举日遇到任何问题。
该热线有几种不同的语言版本——英语，1-866-687-8683;西班牙语:1-888-839-8682;阿拉伯语:1-844-925-5287;孟加拉语、粤语、印地语、乌尔都语、韩语、普通话、他加禄语或越南语:1-888-274-8683。
选民恐吓是什么样子的
“另一方面，恐吓选民的目的是通过威胁剥夺选民已经拥有的东西，如工作、政府福利，或者在极端情况下，剥夺他们的人身安全，来阻止或影响投票活动，”国家美国司法部在2017年的一份报告中。
恐吓选民是对公民权利的侵犯这是违法的。
“选民恐吓可能会有所不同，因此联邦和州的保护措施很广泛，旨在保护选民免受各种不同方式的选民恐吓。”布伦南中心民主项目的研究员凯蒂·弗列尔说。"对几乎所有的选民来说，这将是一个平静而平淡的选举日。"
乔治敦法律的一份情况说明书指出，选民恐吓可能看起来像:投票站内或附近的暴力行为，口头或肢体暴力威胁，穿着官方制服与选民对抗，骚扰，传播关于投票要求或方法的虚假信息，等等。
如果你看到或经历了选民恐吓，美国公民自由联盟敦促选民通知当地选举官员，记录你的经历，并致电美国司法部投票权热线800-253-3931或选举保护热线。
联邦调查局要求选民“通过向当地联邦调查局办事处或tips.fbi.gov举报任何涉嫌压制选民的情况，帮助捍卫投票权”。
如果选民害怕迫在眉睫的暴力，美国公民自由联盟建议拨打9-1-1。
What to know for Election Day: Tips, helpful hotlines, what to do if you encounter voter intimidation and more
Polling places across the country will be bustling withcrowds of voterson Election Day, Nov. 8. It can be easy to get confused or lost in the frenzy.
Here’s whatvoters should knowto help get through the day smoothly.
How to vote
It’s recommended that voters check local election websites, or resources from theNational Conference of State Legislatures, to know what the rules of Election Day are for their state and region.
Firstly, the FBI warns of possible scams and bad faith actors that may target voters with inaccurate election dates, false voting qualifications and methods and more.
Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1, this year's date is November 8.
There is no option for the general public to vote online or by text, the FBI confirms on its website.
To vote on Election Day, you must go to your designated polling place. You can find where your polling place is located by putting in your home address in poll locators on websites including Vote.org, Google.com or on your local elections website.
If you’re in need of an accommodation for a disability or need help with voting using a minority language at your polling site, your polling place will likely offer special assistance, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The agency recommends contacting your local elections office for details.
“Contact your local elections office for advice, materials in a specific language, information about voting equipment, and details on access to the polling place, including parking,” the agency states.
Local voter guides can help voters stay informed on who is on the ballot, what the candidates are advocating for and what ballot measures will be up for vote at election time. Your local voters guide can likely be found on your local election's website or at VOTE411's Personalized Ballot guide search. Sample ballots are also handy for knowing who and what is on the ballot.
USAGov, afederal service that curates government information, recommends bringing notes, a voter’s guide or a sample ballot with you into the voting booth – this is allowed, so voters can be sure of their choices for candidates and ballot initiative options.
However, some polling places may restrict the use of cellphones, so USAGov recommends bringing paper copies instead of using notes on your phone.
Many states won’t require you to bring your voter registration card to the polls, however the majority of them doexpect some form of identificationto vote in person.
The laws may have changed in recent years, so it's recommended that voters check local elections rules on restrictions and identification.
Don’t forget your rights
The American Civil Liberties Union advises voters that if the polls close while you’re still in line, stay in line.
They say that many Election Day snafus should be remedied quickly – if a mistake is made on your ballot, you can ask for a new one and if the voting machines are down at your location, you are allowed to ask for a paper ballot.
If a poll worker says that a voter’s name is not on the list of registered voters, the ACLU recommends that voters ask the poll worker to double check the spelling of their name. The organization also recommends double checking that the voter is at the correct polling place.
If a poll worker still cannot find your name or if you cannot travel to the correct polling place, ask for a provisional ballot. Voters are entitled to a provisional ballot even if they aren’t in the poll book, ACLU states.
Election officials will investigate whether you are qualified to vote and registered – if you are, your provisional ballot will be counted.
If you are turned away or denied a provisional ballot, the ACLU recommends reporting the experience to local election officials or calling the Election Protection Hotline.
The hotline is run by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in case voters run into any issues on Election Day.
The hotline is available in several different languages – English, 1-866-687-8683; Spanish: 1-888-839-8682; Arabic: 1-844-925-5287; For Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, or Vietnamese: 1-888-274-8683.
What voter intimidation looks like
“The goal of voter intimidation, on the other hand, is to deter or influence voting activity through threats to deprive voters of something they already have, such as jobs, government benefits, or, in extreme cases, their personal safety,” states theU.S. Department of Justicein a 2017 report.
Voter intimidation is a civil rights violation andit is illegal.
"Voter intimidation can vary and the federal and state protections are broad for that reason, seeking to protect voters against a number of different ways that voter intimidation could arise." said Katie Friel, a fellow in the Brennan Center's Democracy program. "For nearly all voters, it will be a calm and uneventful Election Day."
A Georgetown Law fact sheet states that voter intimidate can look like: violent behavior in or near a polling site, verbal or physical threats of violence, confrontations with voters while wearing official-looking uniforms, harassment, spreading false information about voting requirements or methods, and more.
If you see or experience voter intimidation, the ACLU urges voters to notify local election officials, document what you experienced, and call the U.S. Department of Justice Voting Rights Hotline at 800-253-3931 or the Election Protection Hotline.
The FBI asks that voters “help defend the right to vote by reporting any suspected instances of voter suppression” to a local FBI field office or at tips.fbi.gov.
If voters fear imminent violence, the ACLU recommends calling 9-1-1.
