What happens if you're still in line to vote when the polls close?

Rebecca Harrington
Updated



So many people lined up to vote early on Friday, November 4 in Nevada that officials kept the polls open until 10 p.m. — three hours later than scheduled.

To open a rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Reno on Saturday, Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald accused workers of keeping the polling place open "so a certain group could vote." He was presumably referring to Latino voters, who came out in droves in the state's early voting, in support of the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

SEE MORE: In-depth coverage of the 2016 election

But as Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin told the AP, allowing everyone in line when the polls close to vote is the law.

"If there's a line when closing time comes, we just keep processing voters until there's no more line," he said. "We're flexible because we want people to vote."

Many (if not all — I couldn't find any that didn't follow this rule) stateshavelawson the books requiring every person in line when the polls close to be able to vote. If this happens to you, stay in line.

"It's one of the most basic principles of electoral democracy," Ned Foley, director of Ohio State University's Election Law @ Moritz, wrote for Medium. "If you go to the polls when they are open, and you are a registered and qualified voter, then as long as you wait in line, you are entitled to cast your ballot even if the line is so long that you must wait until after the scheduled time for the polls to close."

If you are in line to vote when your polling place closes, and anyone tries to keep you from voting, contact the Department of Justice Civil Rights Department by phone (1-800-253-3931), email (voting.section@usdoj.gov), or submit a complaint on their website.

You can also call the non-partisan voter protection hotline (from groups including the ACLU and Rock the Vote) at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) if your rights have been violated, or you saw someone else's were.

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SEE ALSO: Here's how to figure out who will be on your ballot

DON'T MISS: Here's what you need to bring with you to vote — and whether your state requires photo ID

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