Is it really this difficult to vote?

[aldona]

Found this in the Black SDA forum...

Quote:

Be sure you have a valid ID and Voter registration card with you when you go to vote. If you can't find it now, be sure to locate it or get another ID from DMV.

Be sure the location where you are supposed to vote has not changed. It can happen, even if it is not likely to happen. It can't hurt to check.

Share a ride or car pool with family, friends, neighbors. There may be elderly neighbors who could use a ride and some company. Ladies, remember there is safety in numbers.

BE SURE TO PUT the correct POSTAGE on your absentee ballot. The postage for a mailed in voting ballot is $.59, in some states, NOT $.42. Postage may be as much as $1.17 in some parts of Florida for example.

If there are early voting locations in your area Vote Now if you live in an area that allows it. Why? Because, there are record numbers of people registered to vote in this election. Many more then there have been in past years.

Do what you can to help avoid clogging lines at voting locations for those who are unable to vote early, for whatever reason. And especially to avoid Voter Surppression. Let's not give folks ANY reason to say that one person or another can vote.

Though it may not be "legal" simply avoid wearing anything that promotes either candidate. Don't give them any excuse to keep you from voting.

If you are unable to vote, before election day, be prepare to make your experience as comfortable and positive as possible just in case the lines are extremely long:

Take a snack(s) and something to drink, including water. If not for yourself then for someone who may be in line and has a need.

Wear something warm, or take something to keep warm if there is a chill in the air.

Take an umbrella and if you have a folding chair that doesn't take up a lot of space take it along. If you don't need it someone elderly may.

Take your camera or camera phone (charged.) In case something kicks off and you or someone else needs a witness of the event. I don't go anywhere without my phone or my camera, they both take video.

Is it really this much of an obstacle course to vote???

The most powerful and richest nation on earth, the shining beacon of democracy and the example to the rest of the world of how free and fair elections should be done...and the act of voting sounds like an ordeal halfway between fleeing to the mountains in the times of trouble, and lining up in communist Poland to get a loaf of bread.

Here (where voting is compulsory), Aussies would never stand for it. Our electoral officials seem to bend over backwards to make the whole procedure as painless and idiot-proof as possible.

A couple of months before the election: receive papers in the mail asking you to verify your name and address, sign and have it witnessed, and send it back to the electoral office.

Receive a notice telling you that you are registered on the electoral roll as a voter in ABCD district (county), and advising you where the polling places will be.

Because elections are held on Saturdays here, most Adventists will either (a) vote by post or ( vote early. I have done both at various times.

(a) Go to the post office and request a postal vote application. Fill it in and send it to the electoral office. Check the box that states "I cannot vote on election day because of my religious beliefs." Receive voting papers within a week or less. Fill them in, place them in the envelope provided, sign and have it witnessed, send it back.

( Go to polling place. Staff are standing around drinking coffee with nothing to do. No waiting. Show photo ID (driver's licence), get name marked off electoral roll. Friendly and helpful staff show you how to fill in the voting papers and answer any questions you may have. Fill in papers and drop them in the box. Get free cup of tea/coffee. Total time taken - 10-15 minutes on a slow day.

Why is the voting process so excruciating in the USA? The only thing I can think of is that the "powers that be" must be trying to discouraged as many people from voting as they can.

Any thoughts?

Maybe y'all need compulsory voting.

aldona

[Amelia]

Wow, I don't know what area that article is talking about but here in Oregon it has never been like that in my experience. And now that we are a vote by mail state, none of that would apply anyway.

But even back when we had to go out to vote, I never had to stand in line for any length of time. Our voting precincts were normally in school gyms or other large areas where several voting booths could be set up. So once I signed the book I could normally go right into a booth or wait just a few moments for one to become vacant. I never saw any ruckus of any sort at voting areas either.

Quote:

BE SURE TO PUT the correct POSTAGE on your absentee ballot. The postage for a mailed in voting ballot is $.59, in some states, NOT $.42. Postage may be as much as $1.17 in some parts of Florida for example.

Whoa, and here I thought first class postage was $.42 everywhere. The only reason someone would have to add postage would be if the first class envelope was heavier than the allowed 3.5oz. I put .42 on my ballot and it didn't come back to me.

[aldona]

Maybe the "conspiracy theories" are correct and people of color really do get treated differently when they vote???

aldona

[Amelia]

OK I went fishing for info and came across this article just posted on MSNBC

Quote:

Onslaught of dirty tricks as election day nears

In the final hours of the campaign, bogus fliers, e-mails and calls increase

associated press

In the hours before Election Day, as inevitable as winter, comes an onslaught of dirty tricks — confusing e-mails, disturbing phone calls and insinuating fliers left on doorsteps during the night.

The intent, almost always, is to keep folks from voting or to confuse them, usually through intimidation or misinformation. But in this presidential race, in which a black man leads most polls, some of the deceit has a decidedly racist bent.

Complaints have surfaced in predominantly African-American neighborhoods of Philadelphia where fliers have circulated, warning voters they could be arrested at the polls if they had unpaid parking tickets or if they had criminal convictions.

Over the weekend in Virginia, bogus fliers with an authentic-looking commonwealth seal said fears of high voter turnout had prompted election officials to hold two elections — one on Tuesday for Republicans and another on Wednesday for Democrats.

In New Mexico, two Hispanic women filed a lawsuit last week claiming they were harassed by a private investigator working for a Republican lawyer who came to their homes and threatened to call immigration authorities, even though they are U.S. citizens.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27508967/

This is all just sick. Unfortunately there are still people with a confederate mentality who feel the need to cause problems.

[carolaa]

Wow, I don't know what area that article is talking about but here in Oregon it has never been like that in my experience. And now that we are a vote by mail state, none of that would apply anyway.

But even back when we had to go out to vote, I never had to stand in line for any length of time. Our voting precincts were normally in school gyms or other large areas where several voting booths could be set up. So once I signed the book I could normally go right into a booth or wait just a few moments for one to become vacant. I never saw any ruckus of any sort at voting areas either.

Quote:

BE SURE TO PUT the correct POSTAGE on your absentee ballot. The postage for a mailed in voting ballot is $.59, in some states, NOT $.42. Postage may be as much as $1.17 in some parts of Florida for example.

Whoa, and here I thought first class postage was $.42 everywhere. The only reason someone would have to add postage would be if the first class envelope was heavier than the allowed 3.5oz. I put .42 on my ballot and it didn't come back to me.

Some election ballots are lengthier than others so they might weigh more in some areas than others. That's all. Postage rates are the same everywhere in the U.S.

This is from a Black forum, a there are larger Black populations in the more urban areas. Yes, some of those areas do have a history of long waits (hours) because only half the machines are working or whatever. And this year they are expecting record turnouts, so partly they are just trying to prepare everyone for what might happen.

[carolaa]

This is all just sick. Unfortunately there are still people with a confederate mentality who feel the need to cause problems.

Part of it is racism, but a lot of it is just ugly politics where they will do anything to keep the other side from being able to vote.

[Dr. Shane]

Maybe the "conspiracy theories" are correct and people of color really do get treated differently when they vote???

aldona

Elections are run, for the most part, by counties. For those unfamiliar, each state within the US is broken up into several counties. Poorer counties often have less tax revenue and thus they have less sophisticated equipment and less educated workers. It isn't that there is a "comspiracy" against "people of color" so much as many poor counties are populated with a lot of racial minorities. These same counties are the ones that tend to have the most problems during elections.

[carolaa]

Some interesting tidbits from today's edition of Democracy Now!"

"But there have also been, as usual, very long lines in Democratic precincts only. We’re talking about a calculated kind of shortage that magically does not afflict Republican precincts, only Democratic ones."

"...the [voting machine] shortages afflict basically one side. They happen in the inner cities. They happen in Hispanic neighborhoods. They happen in college towns. You see? So these people give up; they have to go to work, and so on, and they can’t vote."

[carolaa]

Here's what happened to Oprah:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman/oprahs-vote-lost-how-you_b_140026.html

[Amelia]

That article about Oprah reminds me of a commentator rant I saw on the news recently. I wish I could find it online but basically he was going on about all the devices used everyday without much problems like ATM's, gas pumps, cash register card swipes etc. These all collect our data and process it thousands of times daily with very little error. Why is it the government can't come up with a voting process that works the very first and every time?

[carolaa]

There is a video on MSNBC I saw this morning where they are telling you all the lies going around to keep people from voting. Telling them they will be arrested if they have outstanding tickets. Telling them that because of the expected record turnout, the Republicans are voting Tuesday and the Democrats on Wednesday. All kinds of lies and threats to keep people away from the polls. Yup, the Republicans are the "Christian" party. Too bad they just turn people off.

[cricket]

That article about Oprah reminds me of a commentator rant I saw on the news recently. I wish I could find it online but basically he was going on about all the devices used everyday without much problems like ATM's, gas pumps, cash register card swipes etc. These all collect our data and process it thousands of times daily with very little error. Why is it the government can't come up with a voting process that works the very first and every time?

Why? Because voters keep turning down the tax increments that would allow the government to develop and manufacture such reliable equipment. We get what we pay (vote) for!

[Woody]

Quote:

the Republicans are voting Tuesday and the Democrats on Wednesday.

Announcement:

Anyone SO stupid as to believe the above ... loses their right to vote.

[Doug]

Quote:

the Republicans are voting Tuesday and the Democrats on Wednesday.

Announcement:

Anyone SO stupid as to believe the above ... loses their right to vote.

I agree. I can;t believe anyone fell for that.

[Amelia]

Doug, what is that guy kicking? Reminds me of Monty Python. LOL

[Doug]

Doug, what is that guy kicking? Reminds me of Monty Python. LOL

It's from a statue in Oslo, Norway.

This is what happens when you don't feed your babies on time.

[Woody]

Was this where ye be born?