Thread by @therecount

Tonight’s the final debate before the ballots get counted. And turns out, getting your ballot counted is easier said than done.

It wouldn’t be an American election without voter disenfranchisement. Take a look around the country 👇

In 16 states, ballots must be enclosed by *two* envelopes. Ballots in only one are deemed “naked” and risk being thrown out.

This could imperil up to 100,000 ballots in swing state Pennsylvania — which Pres. Trump won by fewer than 50,000 votes in ‘16.

In Florida — the nation’s largest swing state — more than 11,500 ballots already need to be “cured.”

This means the ballot has small mistakes that must be fixed for it to count … but only if the voter knows about it.
npr.org/2020/10/19/924…

In Missouri, ballots need to be notarized — adding yet another step to the voting process.

But it’s not all doom and gloom: Organizations are working to ensure that anyone who needs access to a notary can get it.
kshb.com/news/election-…

Ballot curing isn’t the only issue: Some ballots come with mistakes pre-printed — in Brooklyn, for example.

Pres. Trump used the opportunity to justify his baseless “rigged election” claims.
nytimes.com/2020/09/29/nyr…

And some ballot boxes get … set on fire? Or at least that’s what happened in California, in a majority Latinx neighborhood.

This came shortly after the state’s GOP set up unauthorized, misleading drop boxes.
washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/10…

But you can’t talk about voter suppression without mentioning Georgia, where lines had eager voters waiting 11 hours.

After the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, Georgia slashed polling locations, mostly in young, nonwhite neighborhoods.
npr.org/2020/10/17/924…

This year, perhaps more than ever, people want to make their voices heard.

More than 44 million people have already voted — just take a look at these stats compiled by @ElectProject. Track your state … and don’t forget to vote.
electproject.github.io/Early-Vote-202…