It’s hard to believe after this marathon campaign, but we’re now just seven days from Election Day 2024—and Common Cause is working hard to make sure every voter has a voice.  

Here’s your one-stop guide for what to expect on Election Day—how you can tune out the partisan noise and help your friends, family, and neighbors do their civic duty.

1. Everyone Needs A Plan To Vote

 The single most important thing you can do if you haven’t yet is to make your plan to vote—then ensure every eligible voter you know is doing the same. Use our free online voter tools to check your polling place, track your ballot, and more >> 

Even if you follow politics closely, you don’t want to find out on Election Day that there’s a problem with your registration, or that your polling place isn’t where it was last year—so double check now to be safe, not sorry! 

Then, if you already know when and where you’re going to vote (or if you already voted early or by absentee ballot) you can make sure others do as well by sharing this post on social media, or reposting Common Cause on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

2. Election Night Is Not Results Night 

Don’t expect to know who won the presidential election on Tuesday night. As in 2020, it will take days for many states to count every vote accurately. That’s why a delay in the results is a sign of a healthy democracy!   

Election workers need time to count every single vote—including in-person, mail, absentee, overseas, and military ballots. So once we as voters do our jobs, it’s time to let election workers do theirs. 

Here’s your guide to when we anticipate the most contested state results will come in—you can read the full breakdown here: 

• Arizona: 2-4 days after Election Day 

• Georgia: Election Night 

• Michigan: at most, 2-3 days after Election Day 

• Nevada: up to 4 days after Election Day 

• North Carolina: Election Night, or early morning the next day 

• Ohio: Election Night 

• Pennsylvania: by Friday, November 8 

• Wisconsin: Wednesday, November 6 

Don’t fall for it when politicians rush to claim victory early or the media demands instant results—the truth is, the officialwinner can’t be declared until vote counts are certified in the coming weeks. That’s because election results go through a rigorous system of checks and balances to confirm their accuracy. 

3. Every Vote Must, And Will, Count 

Elections are all about the will of the people—which is why Common Cause is working tirelessly to ensure every eligible American can cast their ballot and have it counted. 

Unfortunately, far too many “leaders” are spinning lies about our elections, intending to sow mistrust in our voting systems and cast doubt on our hardworking election officials. 

That strategy didn’t work in 2020. It won’t work in 2024 either. Once those votes are cast and counted, remember that certifying election results isn’t optional—it is a legal requirement in all 50 states.  

Most of our election officials are committed to getting the results right and respecting the will of the voters—and anyone who refuses to certify the vote is refusing to honor the will of the people and their legal obligation.

4. Our Volunteers Are Ready To Help 

Common Cause and our partners have spent the past few months recruiting, training, and placing thousands of nonpartisan Election Protection poll monitors at polling sites across the country. They’re there to help you and voters like you with any questions you might have about the voting process. 

If you’re asked to use a provisional ballot, remember that it is far better to try to fix the issue if possible. And ALWAYS call 866-OUR-VOTE before voting provisionally—just to double-check whether a provisional ballot is your only option. 

So if you see a volunteer at the polls—you can tell by their Election Protection shirts—say hi, and thank them for helping every voter be heard! And no matter where you are, if you run into trouble or see anything wrong, you can call these nonpartisan hotlines for immediate assistance: 

English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
Spanish/English: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)
Asian Languages/English: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)
Arabic/English: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) 

Help spread the word about these free voting resources by sharing our posts on social media.

5. Democracy Is On The Ballot 

Voters in these states will also get to cast their votes directly for a stronger democracy, by weighing in on these ballot measures: 

• California Common Cause is supporting a ballot measure in Los Angeles that would establish an independent redistricting commission—the best, proven way to STOP partisan and racial gerrymandering. 

• Connecticut voters will have the chance to establish no-excuse absentee voting—a proven reform that 28 states already use. This will give every eligible Connecticut resident the freedom to choose how they vote—either in person or by mail, whatever works best for them. 

• New York City residents will vote on Propositions 2 through 6, which would give the mayor even more unchecked power and reduce the city’s ability to address everyday issues. We’re urging a NO vote to keep decision-making transparent and protect New York’s democratic process. Statewide, Common Cause New York supports a YES vote on Proposition 1.

• Ohioans will vote on the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment, which would empower citizens to draw fair districts using an open and transparent process. Passing this amendment will finally deliver fair maps for the state—one of the most gerrymandered in the country.  

• Florida is facing a legislature-driven attempt to gut the state’s public financing program—and if it succeeds, wealthy donors will have even more of a say over state politics. We’re encouraging a NO vote on Amendment 6because voters should decide our elections—not big money donors. 

Plus, over 221 candidates on the ballot this year have already gone on the record about what they’ll do for our democracy—you can see what the people running to represent you have said at democracysurvey.cc >>