Several nonpartisan groups provide unvarnished voter information, too. Ballotpedia, a nonprofit encyclopedia written by a staff of researchers and writers, contains a wealth of information and maintains a sample ballot lookup. Similar tools are available through other organizations, including Vote411.org, Vote USA and BallotReady, to name a few. ProPublica, the nonprofit newsroom, maintains tools such as ElectionBot and Represent to help readers find information and articles on local issues and candidates.

Voters can also seek out endorsements from sources they trust, such as local newspapers, special interest groups and professional organizations.

At the polling place

Don’t be intimidated. The federal government and many states ban voter intimidation, which can take many forms. Examples include aggressively questioning an individual’s citizenship or qualifications to vote, falsely claiming to be an election official and spreading false information about voting requirements, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

To report intimidation, voters can notify local and state officials and call or text the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE or 888-VE-Y-VOTA in Spanish, or the Justice Department at 800-253-3931 and TTY line 877-267-8971.

[Read more about voter intimidation and what you can do about it.]

Many states do allow certified poll monitors to observe the voting process, though. The monitors, who are trained, may have the authority to challenge a person’s voting qualifications, though they are not typically allowed to interact with individuals directly. A voter whose qualifications are challenged may still be allowed to vote after giving a sworn affidavit that they satisfy said qualifications.

Ask for help. Generally, election officials are prepared to accommodate the needs of all voters, including those with disabilities and those who need language assistance.

Voters with disabilities, for example, have the right to accessible polling places and voting booths; to bring a service animal into the polling place; to seek assistance from polling place workers; and to bring someone with them to vote, as long as that person is not an employer or union representative.