Can You Really Change Your Voice?
Some people have known how they will vote in next week’s election – and in particular the presidential race – since Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Others, for some reason, are still undecided, even less than a week before election day. And there are those who have already voted by mail, but have since changed their minds.
Of course, it’s not just a presidential race that can cause a change in voting views – people can also have doubts about voting for a state or local office. But this is what the president wrote about yesterday , complete with his signature mix of disinformation and rogue capitalization:
But is it really so? Do the majority (or any?) States allow voters to change their minds after they have already voted? Here’s what you need to know.
What you need to know about changing your voice
No, in most states this is not an option. But, some variations of changing your voice are allowed in several states. Again, this boils down to studying your state’s electoral laws – although we admit that this is easier said than done in this case.
States do not use standard language when discussing your ability to change your voice – sometimes this “spoils” the newsletter; in other cases it is a “fix”, and so on, so searching for the text of the rules themselves may not be as useful as usual. And if you are not familiar with the term, “spoiling” your vote means requiring election officials to invalidate your ballot so that you can receive a new one. But, as you might have guessed, the specific tampering provisions also vary from state to state.
If you are unsure about your state’s voting postponement rules (or lack thereof), you can always contact your local electoral bureau or the head of state of your voting rights organization. In the meantime, here are the rules in several states, in which there is even an opportunity to change your vote:
Connecticut
Connecticut doesn’t have a law to change your vote , but that’s what some cities and towns are proposing. Check with your local electoral commission to see if this is possible.
Michigan
If a voter has already voted in absentia and wants to change his vote (because the candidate dropped out of the race or for any other reason), the voter can spoil his ballot by submitting a written request to the clerk of his city or town.
Minnesota
The state also allows you to rewrite your ballot – they call it a rollback – but the last day a new ballot was requested was October 20th , so the ship sailed.
New Hampshire
The New Hampshire secretary of state’s office told CBS Boston that voters who have already applied for absentee ballots can show up on Election Day, and if their ballot is not yet processed, they can use in-person voting instead. If you are going to do this , come to the polls as early as possible .
New York
Voters can go to polling stations and request a new ballot (which will be the one to be counted) to repeat their vote, even if they have already voted by mail.
Pennsylvania
This one is tricky because, technically, Pennsylvania does allow voters to spoil the ballots , but in order to do so, they must bring their unfinished, as-yet-spoken mail to vote with them. So if you’ve already submitted your newsletter, this is not an option.
Washington
Washington State allows voters to request “spare ballots” to spoil their vote. To do this, contact the electoral department of your local district .
Wisconsin
Voters have the opportunity to “correct” already submitted absentee ballots . To receive a new bulletin, contact your municipal official as soon as possible. If you have enough time, your clerk can cancel your original ballot and give you a new one. Tomorrow (October 29) is the legal deadline for requesting absentee ballots by mail, so you’d better get your new ballot in person.
Several other states, including Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, and New Mexico, also allow voters to spoil ballots, but only when the original ballot has not yet been returned and processed. This article from ABC News provides some additional information and context.