Yes We Can (feel disenfranchised)

[oakenguy]

Deb and I rolled out of bed early in order to get to the voting station before the doors opened at 7 this morning. We thought that be doing this we'd avoid the line, ha ha--the rest of our neighborhood had the same idea, and we were numbers 67 and 68. But no worries--everyone was smiling, the weather was nice, and once the doors opened we moved along steadily.

We moved along...right up to the front desk where I was told that my name wasn't on the list of registered voters.

I was sent to the side where 6 or 7 other people (let's note, this is out of the 70 that had come in so far) in similar situations were talking to the Warden. Most of them had just moved to the area; they got orange forms. Two hadn't voted in the primary, which apparently meant something significant, and one poor sap had registered to vote at the DMV (which is apparently notorious for not passing this information along).

And then there was me.

I mentioned that I'd received the postcard in the mail telling me where to come and vote. This was a mistake, because the Warden immediately asked if there was any way I could go get it and I (in my uncaffeinated, sleep-deprived state) said yes. A postcard. That I'd received three weeks ago. Twenty minutes of wild goose chasing and recycling bin searching later, I decided to go back with other documents proving my residency (for whatever good they'd do) and try again.

This time I thought to stop and check the list of registered voters hanging OUTSIDE the voting station... and my name was there.

I went in and pointed this out to the Warden, who gave the sigh of someone who'd already had to deal with these flubs a lot in the past hour, and she quickly took my data and gave me a ballot.

So I DID get to vote. And all's well that ends well, I suppose. But still, this worries me.

Comments

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

"I was told that my name wasn't on the list of registered voters."

That is one of my persistent fears. Every time I go to vote, I'm afraid that will happen to me.
Even though I've voted in the same town for 15 years. (Although at 2 different polling places as they've reorganized the town.)

I'm sorry it happened to you. But, I'm glad it got fixed. Good thing that list was on the outside.

[bkdelong.livejournal.com]

Yeah....that is disturbing. I think there may be a place to post such voting irregularities in case it happens to someone else.

Ah, here it is. NPR via Vote Report and the subsequent map.

[bluestocking.livejournal.com]

"That is one of my persistent fears. Every time I go to vote, I'm afraid that will happen to me."

I'm completely with you there. It's one of my nightmares. I always bring mail and bank statements and things with me just in case.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

It's only accessible via TWITTER?

Ugh.

[rantarn.livejournal.com]

I asked once again this morning if they wanted to see my ID and again they didn't. Now, that is what scares me.

Glad you got to vote though.

[clionona.livejournal.com]

Not cool! Not cool at all...

It's stuff like this that is going to keep me biting my nails all day long. So sorry you had to deal with that. Awful.

Trying to remain optimistic, but I won't relax until I hear McCain's concession speech.

*crosses fingers*

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

I was very surprised not to need my ID either.

[themikado.livejournal.com]

Voter protection hotline: 1-877-523-2792. Call and report it.

[lixie.livejournal.com]

Really? I understand the concern but I like to think it's the most basic trust in the process. That may be naive of me, though.

The Supreme Court sided with Indiana requiring ID on this issue earlier this year. However, the ACLU (1 | 2) and the League of Women Voters still persist that these laws will disenfranchise poor, elderly and minority voters.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

I understand the point. But, along with my fear of being told "you're not registered" is also my fear of being told "you already voted"....

[qlewkr.livejournal.com]

I won't relax until I hear McCain's concession speech.

Oh, me too. But wow, that's going to be sweet.

[rantarn.livejournal.com]

What fbhjr said. I don't believe anyone should ever be disenfranchised from voting, but I fail to see how proving who you are and that you really are eliglible to vote would do that. I could have been anyone this morning and they would have never known. I don't ever want my right to vote taken from me because someone else posed as me before I got there.

[bkdelong.livejournal.com]

No...sorry about that. I'm asking NPR's Andy Carvin WHY we can't do it from the Web or email....but I did do a post of how one can SMS or call a phone number.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

I think the argument goes that some people don't have cars and therefore don't have licenses. And, are too poor to have passports and such.
I still think there would be some way around it.

[rantarn.livejournal.com]

I think there would be some way too. We're a resourceful people.

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

I didn't ask if they needed my ID, but they didn't ask me for it, either. A little disturbing, perhaps, but I suppose that it's not a broken system unless someone actually uses it wrong, right?

[lixie.livejournal.com]

Y'all are too fast for me! =)

That's the general argument. Some people might not want to take the time off work to go to the BMV/RMV to get an ID. Getting the documents (like an original birth certificate from the health department or the department of vital statistics from the county you were born in. One from the hospital won't be accepted in IN.) takes time and money. A small percentage of the nation has passports and passport processing times were and may still be problematic. I can't even imagine how a homeless person would even begin to start the process. I can see how a college student could have trouble in IN.

I get that in person voter fraud can happen, has happened and is scary as all hell. I get that there isn't a good recourse for it. I just don't think requiring photo ID is the best answer.

[malterre.livejournal.com]

I will repeat what i said in deb's Journal
*Fucking Cambridge*

[rantarn.livejournal.com]

How would you even know if it was broken though? Certainly if I got there and was told I'd already voted would be one way, but what about cases where someone does not regularly vote (though they should) and other people know this and pose as those people?

[lixie.livejournal.com]

Man, I just wanted to say that sucks and I got wrapped up in voter fraud instead.

I'm glad you were able to vote and you should totally report it.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

I'm just surprised they don't require anything.
To start a job these days I need to bring proof of citizenship. I have a passport, so use that. But, lots of people just use their social security card. And, most people should have that.

If you need to be a resident, do homeless people count? Are they official residents when they don't have a home?
Can you be a "voter at large"?

[lixie.livejournal.com]

Some parts of the internet tell me that the Social Security Number has basically morphed into our national ID number. I get the reasoning but I'd also be pretty jumpy about ID theft as well. That's more of an unintended consequence, though.

Re: the homeless, they can use a shelter as their residence.

[coscaram.livejournal.com]

Things went swimmingly, at my polling place.

Yay East Somerville! East-So...represent!

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

You really don't like Cambridge, do you?

Some day we'll have to explore this.

[malterre.livejournal.com]

My freak magnet calls forth the nutbags. As it is, going to Revels once a year is my annual "Test of Fortitude" Go ahead, ask Mythfish, as it was I was in the process of warning him about not making eye contact when "brain surgery talker" nailed me for 5 T stops

[sistahraven.livejournal.com]

Glad you got to vote in the end, but MEEEEEEEP.

I had the DMV lose my registration back in 2004. I was livid!