Election trouble is coming in Philadelphia. Here’s what to do.

Keep this comprehensive guide handy on Election Day.

There could be a lot of trouble in Philadelphia on Election Day when you’re choosing between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump and other candidates for office. (Photo illustration by Ticia Albano/Getty Images)

It’s finally here: Election Day 2024. Along with the important decisions we must make, come billions of complaints about election day problems in Philadelphia. Okay, maybe not billions complaints But a lot. Philadelphia, after all a place where bad things happenYes? So we’ve put together this handy guide to common complaints and potential problems on Election Day in Philadelphia — and what you can do about them.

There is a poll worker in a Kamala Harris T-shirt standing by my voting machine.

This is called campaigning and it is prohibited. It cannot be any campaign materials within 10 feet of the door of the room where the voting machines are located or in the room itself. One of the most notable violations of this rule occurred in 2012, thanks to a mural of Barack Obama at a polling place in Northeast Philadelphia. The workers of the station had to cover it up. You can report cases of campaigning to the District Attorney’s Task Force at 215-686-9641.

People try to hand me political leaflets near my polling station.

We always hear complaints about this. Some people mistakenly believe that it is illegal. But that’s fine — again, as long as those people aren’t within 10 feet of the door to the room where the voting machines are located, or in the room itself. The same goes for people holding billboards. As long as they are not in the voting room or within 10 feet of the voting room door, there is nothing illegal about it. Let’s say you vote in a classroom inside a school. People can distribute campaign materials and hold posters even inside the school — as long as they are not in a classroom or, yes, within 10 feet of a door to said classroom. THERE ARE many confusion on this point, so keep that in mind before you start making a stink.

I am being intimidated at the polling station!

Voter intimidation is something that worries us more and more over the years. And given recent history, concerns that voter intimidation will be an Election Day issue in Philadelphia in 2024 are more than reasonable. So let’s talk about voter intimidation.

A Philly Mag staffer once faced a series of strange questions about his ethnicity and views on immigration from a poll worker when he went to vote. He reported the incident to the city because he felt the precinct officer was trying to intimidate him and might intimidate others in the same way.

Problems of the primary election in Philadelphia

A Bible at a polling station during the previous election (photo courtesy of Jess Konda)

During one election in Philadelphia, some voters felt fear the presence of a Bible on the table at the polling station. And who can forget infamous case members of the New Black Panther Party standing outside a polling station in Philadelphia in 2008, one of them holding a baton?

Voter intimidation can be very subjective. If someone yells at you or physically threatens you at the polls, that’s a pretty obvious yes to voter intimidation. But other situations, like, say, a Bible on a table, may not be so clear. If in doubt, if you think someone is being bullied, report it. If you see any activity that you believe is dangerous, threatening or intimidating, officials say to call 911. Then call the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Special Task Force at 215-686-9641.

Someone is carrying an AR-15 over their shoulder at my polling place.

Based on the images we’ve seen on television since the 2020 election and the rhetoric leading up to it, there’s no doubt that armed citizens will show up across America at the polls on Election Day. Whether that will happen in Philadelphia remains to be seen, but don’t forget when armed men decided to “protect” the Christopher Columbus statue in South Philadelphia.

Here are the basics when it comes to carrying a gun on Election Day.

Pennsylvania has no law that specifically prohibits guns at the polls. However, Pennsylvania law expressly prohibits gun owners from carrying firearms (concealed or otherwise) in certain types of buildings, including schools. So, if your polling place is inside a school — as many polling places are — guns are prohibited. it is so within polling station.

Outside… Well, things get a little more complicated. There is nothing to prevent someone with a concealed carry permit from doing so outside of a polling place in Philadelphia or anywhere else in the state. AND outside In Philadelphia, anyone with a legal right to own a gun can openly carry (ie shoulder a rifle) in public, no permit required. However, within Philadelphia, only a person with a permit to carry may open a carry in Philadelphia, although this practice is generally discouraged. In other words, the guy standing outside your polling place with an AR-15 slung over his shoulder may not be breaking any gun laws, assuming he has a permit to carry.

All that said, if you feel intimidated by the presence of a gunman on election day, see the voter intimidation section above and do what you need to do.

It’s 7:15 and my precinct still not open Aren’t the polls in Philadelphia supposed to open at seven in the morning?

yes Polling stations must open at 7 am across the country. But sometimes this does not happen. In one election in Philadelphia, a polling station at a church in northwest Philadelphia did not open on time because the janitor who was supposed to open the building was late. The city actually got a court order to break into the church. If your polling place is not open on time, call the City Commission office at 215-686-1591.

I showed up at 7:55pm and the line was extremely long. Can I vote?

Yes! While you’re in line until 8 p.m., precinct workers should let you vote. If they try to lock those doors at 8pm when voters are still in line, raise holy hell. Of course, peacefully and respectfully. And call the city commissioners at 215-686-1591.

The precinct clerk just told me that my signature in the “book” doesn’t match what’s on file.

I sign my name in different ways. But when you go to vote, your “registered” signature is in the “book” (which is now electronic!). Election worker maybe challenge your signature. If so, there is a process that involves completing an affidavit confirming your identity. And remember: You can always vote a provisional ballot if they don’t want to let you use the car.

You must include your name, address and date of birth on the previous ballot. Later, the city authorities will determine the status of voter registration and, if necessary, count the votes. You can track your previous ballot online to see if it has been counted. Any person wishing to vote may request an advance ballot for any reason at any polling place at any time while the polls are open. If staff won’t give it to you or say they don’t have one, call the City Commission office at 215-686-1591.

My polling station has run out of “I VOTED” stickers!

There is no law that says the city has to give you an “I VOTED” sticker, but that doesn’t mean the city doesn’t hear complaints when the stickers aren’t there. (Because election workers clearly have nothing more pressing than getting your precious sticker to you.) The City Commission office workers do come out to restock when the polls run out. So don’t worry, such a politically engaged Instagrammer: you’ll get your sticker, now available in many languages. But if you feel the need to pick up the phone to complain to anyone about the lack of stickers, maybe you need to rethink your life.

They make me show my ID to vote. I thought it was illegal.

So here’s the voter ID deal. If you’ve never voted at your polling place before—perhaps you’ve just registered to vote for the first time, or perhaps you’ve moved from another county or state, or perhaps you’ve just moved a few blocks away and your polling place has changed—you must ‘show ID. Otherwise, you absolutely do not. And ID does not mean driver’s license. Your voter registration card matters. So is a utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck. If you can’t provide anything that the poll workers will accept as ID, insist on an early vote.

But now they say I need photo ID.

Hear me and hear me now: you do No you must present a photo ID. If a poll worker insists on showing a photo ID, call the city commission at 215-686-1591.

They let this guy vote for his wife who is sick at home with the flu. Is this legal?

No. Technically, this is voter fraud, and examples like this do happen. The guy has lived in the neighborhood for 60 years; all election workers know him and his wife. What’s the harm in letting him push the buttons for her while she’s home sick in bed? Well, it’s illegal. Of course, this is not the nefarious kind of voter fraud we usually hear about. But it is illegal. You can report allegations of election fraud to the District Attorney’s Task Force at 215-686-9641.

The machine I voted for was not working properly.

Over the years, there have been various reports of machines breaking down or simply failing. The city has technicians who will be sent to fix the voting machine or replace it if it cannot be repaired quickly. If your voting machine is not working properly, talk to a poll worker right away and call the City Commission at 215-686-1591.

However, it’s also important to remember that the many, many claims of voting machine malfunctions were dubious at best. I’ll never forget the time in 2016 when a voter tried to claim that the machine was making him vote for Hillary Clinton, when all he really wanted to do was vote for Donald Trump. His “proof” video went viral… and was quickly debunked. Don’t believe everything you see on the internet.

There are a few uniformed police officers hanging around my polling station. Is it strange?

Answer: maybe. In general, cops are not allowed to be at the polling stations unless they have come there to vote. The exception is when the police respond to a call. For example, if you call to report voter intimidation and the police show up to investigate, they’re allowed to be there to do that. If you’re not sure if the police should be there, call the District Attorney’s Task Force at 215-686-9641.

They tell me that I am not in the book.

Sometimes people are just in the wrong place. And sometimes there are people who have never actually been registered to vote. By means of this government site. If you can’t fix the problem on the spot, again, the previous bulletin is your friend. You do not need to be “in the book” to fill out the advance ballot.

I received my ballot in the mail but decided to vote in person. Can I do it?

100 percent yes. If you still have your mail-in ballot and return envelope, bring these items to your polling place and give them to the judge of elections. You have to sign the confirmation and once you do, you can vote on the machines. If you don’t have your ballot and return envelope, you can vote using an advance ballot.

If you have other questions that aren’t answered here, you can contact the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.