Vote!

[lizzielou742]

Yesterday, my boyfriend Steve found out his name has been removed from the voter list in Kentucky. He voted in the November 2003 elections, and has not moved, changed his name or marital status since then, but somehow his registration just magically disappeared. He was registered as an Independent, but is actively involved with the Democratic party and several liberal organizations. Steve's the kind of person who e-mails his senators, who calls up CNN/FOX when he doesn't agree with what they're broadcasting, etc. He has resubmitted his voter registration, but what is scary about this is that if it weren't for one of the many political websites he belongs to checking it out for him, he never would have known until he showed up at the booths on Election Day. PLEASE make sure your voter registration is complete and accurate. Call your local County Clerk's office, or just resubmit an application to vote, just to be sure. I honestly don't care what you believe in or who you vote for, PLEASE make sure you're registered to vote and go out there and DO IT. No American should be denied their right to vote.

[lizzielou742]

I'm researching and getting even more upset about this.

There's outrageous stuff going on.

Ohio's Secretary of State (Ken Blackwell) has denied thousands of new voter registrations turned in by Deomcrats because they weren't on 80 lb. card stock paper. In Montgomery County, Ohio (where I grew up) there is a backlog of 4,000 of these voter registrations - the Board of Elections has to try to get all those people to re-register, this time on card stock, by Oct. 4th or else these people will not be allowed to vote in the November election. And that's just in one county.

Ohio was refusing to count provisional votes (the special ballots given to voters who go to the wrong polling places on Election Day), so basically if you accidentally go to the wrong polling place, your vote wouldn't even be OPENED. Thousands of provisional votes were cast in the 2000 elections, which keep in mind were only decided by 537 votes. I think the Ohio board of elections has ruled that they must be counted... but who knows what willhappen on Nov. 2nd.

In 37 states including Ohio, Florida, and Texas, electronic voting machines made by Diebold (whose current CEO is on record stating that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the President" this year) will be used on November 2nd even though there is NO paper trail. Any programmer can write code that displays one thing on a screen, records something else, and prints yet another result. There is no known way to ensure that this is not happening inside of an electronic voting machine.

I can't believe what is going on in this country. I can't believe Americans aren't demanding more, from their candidates and from each other. It's disgusting.

[lizzielou742]

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaind...3888102440.xml

Dems sue Blackwell to block poll rule
Party pushes to allow provisional ballots
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Scott Hiaasen and Julie Carr Smyth
Plain Dealer Reporters

Ohio Democrats sued Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell on Monday, saying his rules on provisional ballots make a "mockery" of federal election-reform efforts and jeopardize thousands of votes.

The lawsuit - filed in federal court the same day Blackwell rolled out a statewide voter-education campaign - seeks to block Blackwell's Sept. 16 instruction that provisional ballots will not be given to voters who appear at the wrong precinct on Election Day.

Provisional ballots are special ballots given to voters who say they are registered to vote but whose names don't appear on voter rolls on Election Day. The ballots are separated and reviewed so the registration can be confirmed.

Democratic officials say Blackwell's rule "turns on its head" a key provision of the Help America Vote Act, the 2002 law passed by Congress after the voting problems in the 2000 presidential election. HAVA encourages provisional ballots as a way to ensure voters aren't wrongly turned away at the polls because their registrations were misplaced or misfiled.

Voting-rights groups warn that Blackwell's order could disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters. In the last statewide election, the governor's race in 2002, about 54,000 voters in Ohio cast provisional ballots.

Elections officials expect more this year because of the high interest in the presidential race and intense voter-registration drives around the state, attracting many first-time voters.

In addition, many voting precincts were redrawn based on population shifts in the 2000 census, which could confuse some voters.

Instead of handing out provisional ballots, poll workers must help misdirected voters to find their correct polling location, said Carlo LoParo, a spokesman for Blackwell.

But local election officials worry that this puts added pressure on poll workers, and the Democrats warned that it could cause long lines and discourage some voters.

Democrats also accuse Blackwell, a Republican, of playing partisan politics. They say Blackwell's rule will more likely affect Democratic voters, since provisional voting is more common in poor neighborhoods that typically vote Democratic. Also, the bulk of new voter registrations have come from Democratic-leaning groups.

"In 2004, Ohio can become the Florida of 2000. Provisional voting can become the next 'chad,' " said Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, a Democrat. "We can't allow that in our state, and it's happening before our very eyes."

LoParo called the charges of partisanship "nonsense" and said state officials are merely complying with existing state law on provisional ballots, which have been used in Ohio since 1990. At a recent meeting with local election workers, an official from Blackwell's office said the office had also consulted the U.S. Justice Department to make sure the provisional ballot rules comply with HAVA.

But Democratic lawyers say HAVA expanded the use of provisional ballots - and requires poll workers to inform voters they can use them - making the state law outdated.

The lawsuit Monday came as Blackwell announced a long-planned statewide voter education campaign that has been dubbed "Your Vote Counts." Blackwell emphasized in a news release that his office wants every vote to be counted.

"Thanks to this effort and the procedures in place ensuring every vote - and every voter - gets the same consideration, Ohio voters can be confident every voice is indeed heard on Nov. 2," he said.

The campaign will encourage voter registration through the Monday deadline, then turn to educating voters on accurate use of punchcard ballots and other voting methods.

The campaign has a Web site, www.YourVoteCountsOhio.org, and plans to launch television and radio ads.

---------------------------------------

Has Blackwell never heard of the Voting Rights Act?????

[lizzielou742]

OMG I just got an email from another friend of mine in Ohio. Her voter registration was denied because she didn't turn her application on card stock. This is insane.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Something smells reeeeeeealllly funny. Glad Im not living where you are, although most people here are illiterate so none of this would affect them

[lovemyshiba]

I just recieved my updated voter registration card in the mail the other day--I'm set, as soon as I find the place where I have to go to vote

[lizzielou742]

Originally posted by lovemyshiba
I just recieved my updated voter registration card in the mail the other day--I'm set, as soon as I find the place where I have to go to vote

Good for you!
Do you live in Centre County? If so:

http://www.co.centre.pa.us/elections/locator.asp

Anyone else?

[lovemyshiba]

Yes, I do live in Centre County.
I know where I have to go, it's written on my card, I just have to find it

It's at a church, and I've been there before, I just need to make sure I remember how to get there!!!

This is the first time I've voted since moving here.

[lizzielou742]

Cool! This is the first time I've voted since moving to Louisville, and only the 2nd time I've voted in Kentucky.

[lizzielou742]

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaind...6843218230.xml

Blackwell has not cancelled the directive, but has publicly said he is no longer requiring the registrations to be on card stock. Which is great in theory, but there are still thousands of voters (including my friend) who have to try and re-register or make sure their original registration can be counted before the deadline on Monday.

It's really sad when an incumbent president is so completely desperate for votes, his administration and supporters will do anything to get people who don't support him not to vote. Scare them into staying home on Election Day by saying there's threat of a terrorist attack on that day...changing requirements to register to vote...not allowing provisional ballots...rejecting votes from voters with the same name as convicted felons... That's how bad of a president George W. Bush is.

[mugsy]

We don't even show our cards. We're in the registry book and we just sign our names. My signature is from 1980 when I was a senior in high school and they came to school and got us registered....it's amazing how different my signature is and they never say a word about it. I have my card, but, no one has ever asked to see it.

[lizzielou742]

* BUMP *

Today is the last day to register to vote in:
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Indiana
Kentucky
New Jersey
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas

Deadlines are coming up later this week in:
Illinois
Missouri
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Oklahoma

Only 5 states allow same-day registration (you can register to vote all the way up though Election Day):
Idaho
Maine
Minnesota
New Hampshire
North Dakota

And an update:
My boyfriend got re-registered last week. No one at the County Clerk's office was able to tell him why his registration would have disappeared.

Still don't know about my friend in Ohio. She re-sent in her registration and absentee ballot, and we can only hope it gets there on time and is counted. Don't let that happen to you. Make sure your name is on your states' voter list!

[heinz57_79]

We re-registered last month, just to be on the safe side. Also, we signed up to vote by mail so we don't have to worry about making the mistake of going to the wrong voting place.

[nibblets]

I voted in local primary elections a couple of months ago...if I go to vote next month and find out I'm not on the books I'm gonna pitch a hissy fit like they haven't seen before!