CAUTIONS! "Don't Let Them Steal Your Vote!"

[KoKo]

Don't Let Them Steal Your Vote


Melissa Harris-Perry devoted nearly the entire second hour of her show Saturday to the virulent voter suppression sweeping the nation just 11 weeks before the presidential election. Here's the first and best segment:

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But you don't have to let them win. Greg Palast gave us Seven Ways to Beat the Ballot Bandits; here are the first four:

Don’t wait until Election Day to find out you have the wrong ID, your registration’s “inactive,” (9.9 million of you) or you’re on some creep’s challenge list.

1. Don’t Don’t DON’T Mail In Your Ballot
For those of you who mailed in your ballot, please tell me, what happened to it? You don’t know, do you? I can tell you that in the last election, half a million absentee ballots were never counted, on the flimsiest of technical excuses. And when they don’t count, you don’t even know it. Worse: Tens of thousands of ballots are not mailed out to voters in time to return them - in which case you’re out of luck. Most states won’t let you vote in-precinct once you’ve applied to vote absentee. Every time I hear of a voter going “absentee” to avoid computer screens, I want to “go postal.”
2. Vote Early – Before the Ballot Bandits Wake Up
Every state now lets voters cast ballots in designated polling stations and at county offices in the weeks before Election Day. Do it. Don’t wait until Election Day to find out you have the wrong ID, your registration’s “inactive,” (9.9 million of you) or you’re on some creep’s challenge list. By Election Day, if your name is gone or tagged, there’s little you can do but hold up the line.
3. Register and Register, then Register Again
Think you’re registered to vote? Think again, Jack. With all this purg’n going on (13 million and counting), you could be x’d out and you don’t know it. So check online with your Secretary of State’s office or call your County Board of Elections. Then register your girlfriend, your wife, your mailman, and your mommy. Then contact the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the League of Women Voters, and Rock the Vote and commit to a couple of days of door-to-door registration, especially at social service agency offices. In Florida, that means you’ll get arrested. I’ll send a file in a cake.
4. Vote Unconditionally, Not Provisionally
In 2012, they’ll be handing out provisional ballots like candy, a couple million to Hispanic voters alone. If your right to vote is challenged, don’t accept a provisional ballot that likely won’t get counted no matter what the sweet little lady at the table tells you. She won’t decide; partisan sharks will. Demand adjudication on the spot of your right to a real no-BS from poll judges. Or demand a call to the supervisor of elections; or return with acceptable ID if that’s the problem. And be a champ: defend the rights of others. If you’ve taken Step 1 above and voted early, you have Election Day free to be a poll watcher. You’ll need training and credentials, either from a voter group or, in some states, a designation from a political party. Then challenge the challengers, the weird guys with BlackBerrys containing lists of “suspect” voters. Be firm, but no biting.

And from Think Progress:

The Obama campaign has also released an app, which contains information of how and where to vote, along with a rundown of voter ID laws in the user’s state.

http://blueinthebluegrass.blogspot.com/2012/08/dont-let-them-steal-your-vote.html

[liberal N proud]

1. Excellent advice

Thanks

[NightWatcher]

2. I poll watched last time and it was a blast. Do It!

I highly rec getting the training and getting on the list to do this in battleground states. It's great to help people's vote count. If you register with the Dem party, they'll prob put you in a Dem area to help protect a majority of democratic voters or in areas where they are expecting monkey business.

Like they said, Vote early, if there's a problem, Election Day is often too late to remedy it.

[KoKo]

6. My other half was out there tonight for Early Vote Poll Watch

for Non-Partisan "Common Cause" and came home with some interesting encounters here in North Carolina.

I never thought he'd end up with the subtle voter intimidation encountered ....but, believe me the Karl Rove tactics are out there and more subtle. Guy in Texas Rangers hat with five young African-American Students, (who couldn't vote) but were obviously supposed to look like they were following this guy. A female Black candidate for NC Congress being intimidated for crossing "Poll Line" and almost refused her vote...(she caught them out and gave them an earfull) and other stuff I won't go into because this is an open board and open to folks cataloging and unfortunately...spying.

There's more going out there than even the Machines who might Switch the Vote. It's "subtle voter intimidation" and you've got to be politically savvy and have a good eye. Thanks to our "Older Dem" volunteers who know this stuff for years...who can spot.

But, more folks ...especially the young needed to be out there. I think they ARE there in Certain areas but, this intimidation is taking place in areas that aren't "low income" in places you would never expect to see it...

[HockeyMom]

3. I am retuning 2 days before the election

Unfortunately, not in time for early voting, but I will bring my Absentee Ballot to the Florida polls (not mailing it) , with TWO Photo ID's (drivers license AND Passport). Enough ID for ya, Republicans? I will also sign my ballot IN PERSON. So you will have in person and two other signatures to compare.

Trust Florida? Hello, no. I learned that lesson the first time I voted here 4 years ago.

[kimbutgar]

4. If anyone came up to me and questioned my right to vote

I would say get the f&$k out of my face. This is my right.

[KoKo]

7. In some places in the USA today that would get you in handcuff's though...

Just saying....Be careful.

[WinkyDink]

5. PA. poll-workers are going to REQUEST ID, EVEN THOUGH such ID is not required. I called the state

elections office today and asked what is that purpose other than to confuse and intimidate.

The answer? "To prepare voters for when they WILL need ID."

THAT is what we get with a Republican Governor.

[Qutzupalotl]

8. Disagree on point 1

Oregon is all vote-by-mail, we typically get 80-85% turnout, it's convenient to vote in your living room, there are drop boxes if you can't afford a stamp, etc.

But yes I do know where my vote goes, there is a transparent process where you can observe the sorting of the envelopes by precinct. They can verify the signatures before the envelopes are opened, and there's an inner envelope to keep your votes confidential. It's a good system. So far, no real problems. Washington is following suit.

But the larger point is that TAMPERING WITH THE DELIVERY OF MAIL IS A FELONY. And since you don't always know whether the votes you're destroying are for or against your preferred candidate, why would you risk imprisonment?

[Snarkoleptic]

9. Kickski