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It’s 12:17 P.M. Thursday The 23rd—Do You Know Where Your Presidential Vote Is?

eyes-looking

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) is a nonpartisan organization who recently teamed with state election officials to create a website dedicated to helping voters be more prepared for potential voting day theft issues.

This year it’s more critical than ever to become aware of changes in your state’s voting policy. For instance, some states now require photo identification, while some states now require that you re-register if you didn’t vote in the last general election, while some states now require that you vote for McCain provide additional proof of residence.

Take a minute to go here and select your state and county to find out if you are registered, and to find out if your voter registration name matches the name on your photo identification, and to find out what kind of identification is permissible, and to find the location of your voting place.

And then go here to find out additional information collected state-by-state by the voters for the voters.

Other voting day tips: don’t wait for voting day. Check the above websites for information about early voting, especially if you are concerned about the status of your registration. Early voting is not the same as an absentee ballot, and takes place in county offices and polling stations.

Even more voting day tips: if your right to vote is challenged, do not accept a provisional ballot which deposits your name at the bottom of a very long list of problem ballots. Instead, demand adjudication from the poll judges, who are always present in each voting location.

adjudication

This means you have the right to stand there until a decision is made about your status—but it also wouldn’t hurt to carry this phone number to help yourself or others around you: 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Who needs a drink? Or a prescription for a twelve-day sedative?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Thanks, Bossy for posting this. I am an attorney poll watcher this year in one of most important elections and in our state which possibly could go either way. I will take my responsibilities very seriously and hope no shenanigans take place.

  3. Thanks for posting all this info, Bossy. Here’s hoping that the snafu’s of previous elections won’t be so bad this time. Ten hours in line to vote: honestly…
    My ballot is already sitting on the kitchen counter ready to fill out — I love voting in my state.

    Counting down the days til no more political ads on TV… can’t wait.

  5. Even though I know I’ll be good to go come Nov. 4th, I checked my status anyway. Because Bossy made me all kinds of paranoid. Will definitely share this with family and friends!

  6. Why is California’s system so HARD to navigate, or is it just me? After about three different web pages, it still came down to a phone call, and I can’t hang out on hold from my work phone. Although I CAN leave you blithering comments from my work computer. Ain’t life grand?

    Good on you, Miss Bossy, for posting these links! ; )

  8. Thanks for the information! I registered to vote when I got my new Indiana driver’s license in June and just double checked that everything went through. My husband on the other hand didn’t sign the simple little form when getting his license and isn’t registered to vote now (I checked his info on the website). So my vote counts for both of us. Kinda pre-1920 in reverse.

  9. Thanks for the great info! I vote by mail in WA so I’ve already filled out my ballot and sent it in. I can’t imagine McCain being able to do or say ANYTHING in the next 12 days to possibly make me want to vote for him and, even scarier, Palin. (sorry- political rant there)

  10. Holy crap, it says I’m not registered! But I thought I was! Must have expired. Thanks for the info… I wouldn’t have known until it was too late. Eep – I hope it’s not too late already!

  12. I’m with Chris (commenter no. 9)–Washington State is all vote-by-mail. So our two household votes for Obama are already signed, sealed and delivered.

    Just wish I could vote No on 8…

  14. The bit about adjudication is very helpful. I was a provisional ballot (only because I had recently moved and they hadn’t filed the proper paperwork yet) in the primary election and I was never sure if my vote counted. I’m glad I can share this tidbit of information with my friends now if they ever find themselves in this position in the future.

  15. I, like JennC, went and double-checked. I make it a point to hit the polls EVERY voting Tuesday but ya never know when a sanfu will happen. Luckily, I get the “Yes, you are registered!” message. Whew!

    (My vote for Barack O’Boyfriend will directly offset my real boyfriend’s vote for the other guy. (I can’t even say his name!) )

  17. TWELVE DAYS!!!!! SO EXCITED!!!! (and nervous and anxious and giddy and etc.) Almost as if I were getting married in 12 days or something.

  20. Right on, Bossy. I’m ready, card in hand, and early voting takes place right in my building at work!

    Oh, if any of your readers are in Texas, and happen to want to vote straight Dem ticket…beware!! Some people I know have done it and then went back up to check their choices…and found McCain’s name had been checked off at the top by the computer!! Aaaaaaaa! Double check, please, people!

  21. THANK YOU BOSSY!
    I am so happy you posted this because I didn’t know where my polling place was. THIS HELPED SO MUCH!

    I will also be voting for Barack o’ Boyfriend, but my DH will be voting for the Bush a like and the Canadian Alaska Hockey Mom. UGH. We don’t talk politics in our home.

  23. wish WE could vote early in PA, but NOOOOOOO…we are such tards!

    I checked both mine and the DH status; we are A-OK. DH switched this year from NP to D.

    barack has both votes in my house; if my 2 cats could vote, barack would be their choice too!

  25. Is it really only twelve more days? I’ve got an intravenous news feed going and I’m really looking forward to having it removed.

  26. THE funniest election endorsements I have ever read:

    “Are you a fucking idiot? No, you’re not.
    Are you an idiot? Yes, but we all are now and then.
    Are you fucking? We hope so—frequently, safely, and responsibly.
    But you are not a fucking idiot. Which is why you’re voting for Barack Obama—because only a fucking idiot would vote for Grandpa Munster.”

    http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the_stranger_election_control_board_endorsements/Content?oid=698013

    If you’re not in Seattle, most of this will be booooring, but I’m not in Seattle and I read more of it than I thought I would, but I’m kinda mental.

  27. This is one thing I like about living in Oregon – you get your ballot in the mail and drop it in a drop box. We are voting this weekend with our turning-eighteen son!

  28. Gaaah! How can I not be registered?
    Oh, wait. US elections.
    Carry on.
    One more thing – if you want to see how a Republican/Conservative ambitious woman might handle the reins of government, think “Margaret Thatcher”. Do you REALLY want to inflict THAT on yourselves?

  29. I’m so glad voting is compulsory in Australia for everyone over the age of 18… makes it easy. It all happens rather automatically.

  30. Thanks for the tutorial. Since we are going to be out of our county on election day, we are going to vote sometime in the next week. In our county we can vote at the county libraries.

    Also, thanks for introducing us to Rachel Maddow. I now also have a girl-crush on the smart,funny woman.

  32. I’m an election judge in MN and while we don’t have early voting, we do allow registration on Election Day! You can even register on Election Day just by having another voter who is already registered at the same precinct vouch for you! Because Midwesterners are trusting like that, and assume that people actually know their neighbors. Quaint, ain’t it?

  34. Awesome and informative and you rescued many a VOTER period!

    I don’t even think the majority of people know that there is a way they can potentially check online (In Maine you can’t, you have to call) if your voter registration information is correct!

  35. thanks, cause i just went back to my birth name and in the back of my mind was scared they did have it changed… I am all set and ready for Michelle, Barack and the kids!

  38. May I ask a question? I have the Remember Me box checked and yet it is not remembering me. I have a very long website name and I hope I don’t have to keep typing it. Just wondered if you knew the answer?

  39. Excellent post, bossy, It’s really important that people know what’s going on and can verify their registrations prior to voting.

    I can’t help but feel that all the noise about ACORN is really just setting up all the lawsuits that will happen after 11/4. After all, the election isn’t officially certified until about 60 days (I might be wrong on the number) after the election; plenty of time for lawsuit mischief-making.

  40. Gah. I haven’t even gotten past step one of the whole voting process which is deciding WHO THE HECK AM I GONNA VOTE FOR – I don’t like either one!

  42. Humm, me thinks someone should have given the rules to ACORN…..Will we ever even know the true winner since
    well over 150,000 voters registrations have been already either illegally cast, or illegally registered. Ugh.

  43. Thankfully I vote for the dogcatcher and the school board, so I know I’m registered. I even double checked after the primary election in September. But this info is sure to be super useful for lots of people, so hats off to you for researching it and making it available.

  44. Bossy: Entertaining AND educational! (I have never been educational even once on my blog.) (Actually, whether I’ve ever been entertaining is also up for debate.)

  45. Good advice, but as a long time elections moderator (called a magistrate/judge/officer in other states), there are ways to prevent any confusion.

    First, you have to be sure you are voting at the correct polling station. Believe it or not, even in a small town like ours (7400 population) with two polling stations, people don’t know where to vote. That eliminates a lot of confusion believe me.

    Second, always make sure you are registered to vote. If you are not entitled to vote for local elections, you still have the right to vote in Federal elections – you can ask for a seperate ballot that does not have local issues/elections on it. Just make sure you are a local resident and can prove it.

    Third, have a state issued photo ID that clearly indicates your residence. If you are really worried about your vote being counted, mail a certified/return receipt letter to yourself at your permanent address and take that, unopened, with you. That, plus an photo ID is proof enough for local/state/federal elections.

    As long as you are a citizen, can prove that fact, you have the right to vote in an election. And please remember that the officials overseeing the election, for the most part, are there to help you cast your vote – they have to be neutral and make neutral decisions. This isn’t always true and if indeed you feel that your right is being removed for a technicality, assuming you have all your ID proof in place, then call for assistance which usually comes in the form of an advocate. Both major parties have local advocates available at polling places for major elections.

    Finally, please do vote. I don’t care who for – I’m miles to the right of most of your readers here (large grin), but I’ll stand behind anybody who feels disenfranchised – that’s really what it’s all about and we are truly all in this together.

    Good advice from Bossy.

  46. Thank you for doing a post that provided the link for the state info. I meant to look it up and have not done so yet – keep putting it off. This post brought it to my attention and got me to research the list of options of who will be on the ballot this time around – other than the 2 main Presidential candidates. So, again…thanks. btw, know any ungoverned, unoccupied, safe tropical islands I can move to if this election goes the wrong way?

  47. Bossy –
    Thanks for the tip! I was out of the country for a while and was nervous that I wouldn’t be properly registered to vote. I needed a reminder to check on my status.
    🙂