Informed Voter: What You Need To Know This Year

From how to vote by mail to what the rules are in your state. Read our guide. [Hand casting a ballot]( Marcus Marritt for NPR Voting In 2020: What You Need To Know The 2020 election is set to present a host of new challenges for both voters and election officials. Folks are voting earlier and they’re voting differently, including a lot more by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic, bringing [new strain on the U.S. Postal Service](. What’s more, voting rules and deadlines vary by state — even by county. Not to mention that Election Day itself is quickly becoming [an outdated concept](. The truth is, the vote count always increases for days and weeks after Election Day. But this year, with questions from some corners about the legitimacy of the election already, as well as a surge in mail-in voting, the outcome of many races might not materialize on Nov. 3. We have been [diligently covering these important issues]( and will continue to, however long this election season stretches. But for today’s email, we thought we’d catch you up on some of the resources we’ve made available to help keep you informed. Read the list below. — Dana Farrington, NPR digital editor, Washington Desk --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [A ballot printing facility]( Ash Ponders for NPR Stories To Bookmark Voting rules map: [See what the voting laws are in your state]( regarding mail ballots, including whether you will automatically get one or an application for one, or whether you need an excuse beyond the pandemic to avoid the polls on Nov. 3. Mail voting fact check: President Trump has repeatedly claimed that increased voting by mail would be bad for election security, despite [assurances from the FBI]( and elections experts that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. [Here’s why the topic is suddenly controversial]( and what the facts are. Rejected ballots: Fraud aside, an NPR analysis found that [an extraordinarily high number]( of mail-in ballots have been rejected in this year’s presidential primaries. Usually the ballots aren’t counted because required signatures are missing or don't match the one on record, or because [the ballot arrives too late](. How to vote by mail: While certain voting laws have always varied by state, some rules are changing in 2020 — while others [are still being litigated](. We've broken down the logistics [here]( to make voting by mail a little less daunting. Spotting fake news: The problem of misinformation did not end with the 2016 presidential election. So how do you arm yourself against a barrage of fake news? [This guide has five tips](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Books on a book shelf] John Moore/Getty Images Book Club Rules: Who Brings The Wine? If we ever start a book club, I know who I'm inviting. Many of you had excellent insights to share in response to our question last week about tips for starting and maintaining book clubs. Here are some rules to keep in mind: - Get volunteers of 4 to 6 (depending on size of group) to choose books for six months to one year out. Rotate this group of volunteers so that all members have a chance to choose books. — Glenda - We all suggest books and then vote on the ones we want. If someone absolutely doesn’t want a book, we don’t choose it. — Susan - If you have not read the book, but choose to come to the discussion, you are required to bring a bottle of wine. — Sydnye And here's one reader who's taken a twist on the concept altogether: The un-book club: My book group — "not club"! — is made up of four dropouts from other book clubs. We found it irritating to read something we may not be interested in, let alone discuss it with the club. So we formed a "read what you’d like to" book group. Each of us reports on what we are reading. One of our group will sometimes report on what she is reading for her book club. :) And occasionally we will read the same book if all are interested, like Stamped From the Beginning. Or A Gentleman in Moscow. Book group for Mavericks. We are glad we found each other! — Helena --------------------------------------------------------------- Next up: Your homework for this week is to share this newsletter with someone you think would appreciate it! Is there a friend you'd like to reconnect with? Someone you know voting for the first time and could use some extra information? Forward this email to a friend. They can also [sign up here](. Extra brownie points if you then [tell us who you've included](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback%3A%20New%20Friend) in this "club" of ours (they might get a shout-out next week). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]