After nearly 18 months of endless campaigning, the voting process to elect the next US President is underway in few hours. However, the rules to exercise the franchise is a bit complicated process if you are not aware about it. In India, the US nationals too can exercise their right to vote through an absentee system wherein they must have applied for the same 90 days before the election. They receive the ballot a month before the polls. By the way, they are not allowed to vote at the embassies and consulates.
New York: Voting for US Presidential elections underway#USElections2016 pic.twitter.com/J6nHWx3Bxa
— ANI (@ANI_news) November 8, 2016
Usually, the voting rules in several states are different and might change over time. In most of the places, the process begins at around 6-7 am and then closes at 7-8 pm. There are websites like CanIVote.org and Vote411..org for the voters to find the nearest polling station. This initiative has been provided by Pew Charitable Trusts and some major internet service providers, New York Times reported.
Another important thing to note that the voters who are not yet registered can vote. But there are different deadlines for registrations in some states. Most of the states do not allow people with criminal charges to register themselves and vote.
To cast their votes, at least 32 states require the voters to furnish their identity cards. But in remaining 18 states, they can be allowed to vote by disclosing certain combinations of their name, address or date of birth.
At the polling stations, the election officials will be ready for any kind of help. According to the US laws, voters with disabilities can exercise their right to vote in private. There are hotlines for the voters who have certain confusion on the Election Day.
