Start Here
Donate

Step 4 of 7

Make Your Plan

Five steps to get ready for the next election.

Ready to use Actual Vote? Follow these steps to make your plan for the next election.

Before you get started

Three things worth knowing before you download the app and make your plan:

It’s legal. Recording poll tapes is legal in every state where we operate. Poll tapes contain public information, and observing or video-recording them in public is a protected activity. For a detailed state-by-state breakdown, see Using Actual Vote Is Legal (technical-manual section).

Your safety matters. Most Actual Vote recording happens in public spaces during or shortly after normal polling hours, and thousands of people have done it without incident. That said, we take safety seriously and have put together practical guidance for staying safe while recording — including tips on going with a partner, planning your route, and what to do if you’re questioned. See the Health, Safety, and Practicality Statement.

Your privacy is protected. The Actual Vote app collects only what’s needed to make the Actual Vote system work: your recordings and basic location data so we can match tapes to precincts. We don’t sell your data, we don’t track you beyond what the app requires, and you can review our full policies before you sign up. See our Privacy Policy and User Agreement.

Step 1: Get set up with the app

  • Get the Actual Vote app on your mobile device
  • Go through the iOS or Android instructions to get set up
  • Take a practice recording of our practice poll tape, a grocery receipt, or your wall to make sure you can record and upload properly

Great recordings are in focus, well-aligned, legible, and well-lit:

Example of a good poll tape recording — sharp focus, properly aligned, well-lit

Bad recordings are blurry, crooked, hard to read, and poorly lit:

Example of a bad poll tape recording — blurry, crooked, hard to read

Step 2: Learn the five ways to access poll tapes

There are five basic methods for accessing poll tapes to record with the Actual Vote app. Each method has different trade-offs in terms of availability, time commitment, evidence strength, and accessibility. Here’s a quick comparison:

MethodAvailable WhereTime CommitmentEvidence StrengthBest For
Election night at polling placesStates that require public posting (FL, GA, NC, OH, PA, and others)1–3 hours on election nightStrongest (earliest chain of custody)Most volunteers — most accessible and impactful
Poll observer/watcherAny state (requires observer status)Full election dayStrongest (tapes recorded as printed)People already serving as poll observers
Elections office appointmentAny stateA few hours, on your scheduleStrongGetting many or all tapes from a county at once
FOIA requestAny stateVariable (weeks of waiting, then a visit or scanning)Moderate (later chain of custody)People who want comprehensive coverage and have patience
Central tabulation observationAreas with centralized tabulationVariesStrongAreas where votes are tabulated centrally rather than at polling places

A note on what to expect. The information on this page and throughout our site reflects our best understanding of poll tape access in each state, based on research into state law and direct conversations with election officials. We completed a comprehensive, primary-source review of all 50 states and DC in June 2026 — but laws, procedures, and local practices can change, sometimes at the last minute.

In some states, accessing poll tapes is straightforward. In others, it takes more effort and creativity. That’s natural variation, not a barrier — it just means your decision process will look different depending on where you are.

The information here will be right much of the time, but we can’t guarantee it reflects exactly what will happen in practice at your specific polling place or elections office in the next election. Procedures can also vary at a more local level than what we’ve been able to check. The best way to confirm what to expect is to contact your local elections office directly.

Think of the information below as a well-researched starting point. Confirming the details with your local officials is the final step in making a solid plan.

Here’s more detail on each method:

1. Election night at polling places

In some states, the law requires poll workers to post poll tapes on the outside wall of the polling place after the polls close. It is legal for the general public to view, photograph, or video-record these poll tapes.

On election night, you visit one or more polling places after closing time to video-record the posted tapes. These videos are particularly strong evidence about vote reporting because they are taken shortly after the poll tapes are printed — early in the chain of custody.

This method is usually limited to poll tapes corresponding to election day voting. For other voting methods (absentee, early voting), you’ll need one of the methods below.

Poll tapes posted in public view on the wall of a polling place on election night

Poll tapes posted in public view on the wall of a polling place on election night after closing time.

See a detailed example of how to make a plan to visit polling places on election night based in Broward County, Florida.

2. Poll observer or poll watcher

If you’re serving as a poll observer or watcher, you’ll have greater access at your polling place. In many cases you’ll be able to observe poll tapes inside the polling place as they are being printed during the closing procedure, or shortly after. This usually extends to taking Actual Vote videos.

Poll tapes being printed by a tabulator

Poll tapes being printed.

See more details about Actual Vote for poll workers or observers.

3. Elections office appointment

You can contact your county elections office to schedule an appointment to view poll tapes and record them with Actual Vote. The advantage of this method is that they will often provide you with many or all of the poll tapes from each precinct in the county — giving you far greater coverage than a single night of polling place visits.

You can use this method in any state.

Actual Vote users video-recording poll tapes in the Broward County Board of Elections office in 2020

Actual Vote users video-recording poll tapes in the Broward County, Florida Board of Elections office in 2020.

See a detailed example of how to do this.

4. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request

You can file a FOIA request with your local board of elections for scanned PDFs or physical copies of poll tapes from precincts in your county. This method is available in any state and can cover any county — even outside your home county.

The trade-off is time: FOIA requests require patience and follow-up, and the chain of custody is longer since you’re receiving copies rather than recording originals shortly after printing.

FOIA documents arriving in a stack

See a detailed example of how to do this.

5. Central tabulation observation

In some areas, votes are tabulated at a central location like the county Board of Elections office rather than at individual polling places. The public can sometimes observe this process, including viewing and video-recording the poll tapes. In other cases, poll tapes aren’t printed, but tabulated totals are called out verbally and can be recorded.

Step 3: Check your state

Laws and policies around posting poll tapes vary by state. The map below is live — select your state for its full Actual Vote page, including what the law says, when polls close, and your county’s election website:

Alabama — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Alaska — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Arizona — Access poll tapes after election night Colorado — Observe the count Florida — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Georgia — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Indiana — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Kansas — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Maine — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Massachusetts — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Minnesota — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only New Jersey — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night North Carolina — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only North Dakota — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Oklahoma — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Pennsylvania — Poll tapes posted outside, in public South Dakota — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Texas — Access poll tapes after election night Wyoming — Access poll tapes after election night Connecticut — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Missouri — Access poll tapes after election night West Virginia — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Illinois — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night New Mexico — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Arkansas — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only California — Varies by county Delaware — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night District of Columbia — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Hawaii — Observe the count Iowa — Access poll tapes after election night Kentucky — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Maryland — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Michigan — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Mississippi — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Montana — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only New Hampshire — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only New York — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Ohio — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Oregon — Observe the count Tennessee — Varies by county Utah — Observe the count Virginia — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Washington — Observe the count Wisconsin — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Nebraska — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night South Carolina — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Idaho — Access poll tapes after election night Nevada — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Vermont — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Louisiana — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Rhode Island — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only NH New Hampshire — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only VT Vermont — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only MA Massachusetts — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only RI Rhode Island — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only CT Connecticut — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only NJ New Jersey — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night DE Delaware — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night MD Maryland — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only DC District of Columbia — Poll tapes posted outside, in public
  • 1. Poll tapes posted outside, in public (12)
  • 2. Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only (18)
  • 3. Access poll tapes after election night (6)
  • 4. Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night (8)
  • 5. Observe the count (5)
  • 6. Varies by county (2)

If your state is in Group 1 — poll tapes posted outside, in public (dark green), you’re especially encouraged to visit polling places on election night and record the posted tapes; you can often cover several in one evening. Group 2 — posted inside, or at closing time only states can also work if you’re there at the close. The legend on the map explains each group.

The other methods of poll tape access (elections office appointment, public records request, observing the count) are possible in most states. Full state-by-state details: Actual Vote in Your State.

Step 4: Make your plan

Don’t want to read all the details? Answer three quick questions and we’ll suggest a plan that fits your state, your device, and how much time you have:

1. What will you record with?
2. Which state do you vote in?
3. How much time and energy do you have?

Prefer to dig in yourself? Put together a plan appropriate for your location — usually your home county, though some people travel to other counties. Find your state-specific details, relevant state law, and county elections-office contacts on the Actual Vote in Your State pages.

Then use one of these detailed examples as a template for your own plan:

Step 5: Let America Counts know

Send us an email at info@democracycounts.org to let us know you’re using Actual Vote. We can help in a lot of ways:

  • Assist you in making a realistic Actual Vote plan for your area
  • Connect you to other Actual Vote users in your area, including coordinators who can slot you into their existing plans
  • Invite you to our next Actual Vote video training session
  • Place the poll tape videos you plan to take in our analysis queue
  • Add you to our mailing list

A note on interacting with election offices. Several of the methods above involve contacting your local elections office — to confirm poll tape policy, schedule an appointment, or file a public records request. When you do, please be respectful of their time. Election administrators are public servants doing difficult, often thankless work under enormous pressure, especially around election time. Make your requests specific, professional, and reasonable. Follow proper channels. Don’t call repeatedly if you don’t get an immediate response. America Counts is committed to maintaining a respectful relationship with election offices, and we ask the same of all Actual Vote users.

When you become an Actual Vote user, you join a nationwide community of people ready to strengthen democracy by independently auditing vote reporting.