Voting facts: Dispelling myths & misconceptions
People with disabilities, including autism, are less likely to turn out to vote on Election Day. The fact that about one in seven voters with disabilities encountered difficulties voting in 2022 is one reason why. But just as harmful are myths and misconceptions around voting that swirl around online unchecked, particularly through social media, and take on a life of their own among disenfranchised voters.
So here we set fact from fiction in U.S. voting in hopes of encouraging you to exercise your right to vote.
Myth: My vote doesn’t matter.
Fact: Your vote matters. Every single vote matters.
Over 35 million people with disabilities, including those with autism, are eligible to vote according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Yet only 17.7 million or half of them voted in the 2020 Presidential election. Imagine if they all did?
Specifically, the number of eligible disabled voters, including the estimated 100,000 people with autism who turn 18 every year and become eligible to vote, are enough to help decide an election.
More proof: In 2017, voting for Virginia’s 94th District seat in the House of Delegates ended in a tie and was decided by a name being picked out of a bowl at random.
Myth: I cannot bring anyone into the voting booth to help me on Election Day.
Fact: When you vote in person, you have the right to bring someone with you.
Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act gives every voter the right to bring someone of their choice to their polling location and into the voting booth if they need help voting. This person can be a friend, relative or anyone you trust. You just cannot bring your boss or a representative of your labor union.
If you bring a person to assist you, it is a good idea to let the poll worker know that when you check-in. They may ask you to sign a form or swear under oath that you have a disability and that you have asked that person to help you. Your helper may also be required to sign a form swearing that they did not tell you how to vote.
Additional helpful information:
- Find out what’s on your ballot and what it looks like with Ballotpedia’s Sample Ballot Lookup Tool.
- If you make a mistake on your ballot, ask for a new one.
- Under federal law, all polling places for federal elections must be fully accessible to older adults and voters with disabilities. Simply allowing curbside voting is not enough to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements.
- In federal elections, every polling place must have at least one voting system that allows voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently. Usually, this is a machine that can read the ballot to you (for people with vision disabilities or dyslexia), and let you vote by pushing buttons (for people with mobility disabilities).
Myth: I cannot bring my service animal with me on Election Day.
Fact: You have the right to bring your service animal with you to your polling location.
You have a right to bring a service animal into the polling place even if the location has a no-pets policy. This right is guaranteed under Title II of the American Disabilities Act, which states public entities must make reasonable modifications to policies in order to grant equal access to its programs, services, and activities for individuals with disabilities. This applies to voting sites, even if the facility is not operated by the local Board of Elections. To be clear, it does not matter if the polling place is a facility that typically has a no-pets policy. You have the right to bring your service animal in it to vote.
Myth: I have to register to vote well in advance of an election.
Fact: The rules for registering to vote vary from state to state.
Learn more about what your state’s registration requirements and deadline to do so here. Many states allow you to register online. North Dakota does not require voter registration at all, but you do need to have a valid form of identification to vote.
Myth: If I do not turn my ballot in by the time your polling station closes, I cannot vote.
Fact: As long as you are in line before your polling station closes, you must be allowed to vote.
Many voters work and can only get to the polls at the end of their workday. Sometimes this can lead to long lines in the last hours of voting. If the polls close while you’re still in line, stay in line. As long as you are standing in line at a polling place by the time the polls close in your state, you have the right to vote. For example, if the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day and you are in line at 7:55pm at the back of a long line, do not walk away once the clock hits 8 p.m. and do not let anyone tell you that you have to leave.
Myth: Absentee ballots are only counted in close races.
Fact: All valid absentee ballots that meet their state's deadline are counted.
Mail-in or absentee ballots are counted on Election Day with the rest of the Election Day ballots. All votes are counted regardless of how they are cast and regardless of how close an election is.
Myth: I need to vote for every candidate race and ballot measure for my vote to count.
Fact: You can cast your vote for just one candidate race or ballot measure, and it will count.
Voting for just one or a few issues is allowed. Whatever you vote for will be properly counted in that category. So if you are uncomfortable casting a vote for a particular candidate race or ballot measure, you can elect not to vote for it and submit a partially completed ballot.
However, if you would like to learn more about specific candidates you should check with your local Board of Elections. You can also check out a sample ballot with Ballotpedia’s Sample Ballot Lookup Tool which will provide you with all candidates and measures being considered and links to find out more from their offices.
Myth: I can only vote for candidates from the political party I registered to affiliate myself with.
Fact: In a general election, you are eligible to vote for any candidate from any party.
During a federal, state or local general election, from the U.S. Presidential candidate to a local school board election, you can vote for whomever you want. You do not have to vote for the candidate(s) from the political party you selected to be affiliated with when you registered to vote. It does not matter if you are registered with a political party or who you voted for in the past. Additionally, you can vote in the general election even if you did not vote in your state's primary or caucus.
But depending on your state’s rules, you may only be allowed to vote for the political party with which you are registered when you vote in:
- A presidential primary or caucus
- Congressional or local office primaries.
