How To Make Sure Your Vote Counts

Tips On How To Handle Problems At The Polls

(AP)  Are you ready for Election Day 2006?

Election Day, this year, is also the deadline for nearly all of the reforms mandated by the Help America Vote Act, the sweeping overhaul of the nation's antiquated voting machinery that was enacted after the ballot breakdown of 2000.

Some voter groups predict chaos. Others foresee long lines and vote counts stretching beyond midnight. Election officials have called for calm and for patience at the voting booth.

Voters can do a number of things to prepare themselves for all the changes — which include new state lists for verifying registration; new electronic machines that will be used by 1 in 3 Americans, and changes in state laws about what kind of identification voters must present at the precinct.

According to voter rights groups and nonpartisan election organizations, these are the best guidelines for protecting your right to vote and for getting help at the polls:

Know Your Precinct, Your Ballot And Your Machine

One of the easiest ways to be turned away on Election Day is to show up at the wrong precinct. Many local election administrators have Web sites on which polling places can be found. Independent Web sites such as canivote.org have state-by-state interactives linking a voter's address and polling site. Often, county Web sites also post ballots online, along with instructions for using the kind of voting machine in your precinct.

Bring More Than One Kind Of Identification

In recent weeks, a confusing array of court decisions has struck down or let stand strict rules for voter ID. In Missouri, for example, a judge overturned a government-issued photo identification requirement, prompting some election officials to worry about confusion among poll workers about what is required to vote. If you don't have a driver's license or passport, bringing recent utility bills showing your name and address, as well as a voter registration card, may help streamline ID questions.

WAIT! Don’t Push That Button!

If you're using a touch screen machine, make sure you take extra time to thoroughly review your choices. "When you get to the point where you're ready to cast your ballot, make sure you read the review screen slowly," says Doug Lewis, executive director of The Election Center, a national association of election officials. "Because once you press that 'cast ballot' button, there's not a human being on the planet who can help you get that back." In the 2004 election, some voters claimed touch-screen machines converted their choice to the wrong candidate. Without a paper receipt, such claims are difficult to prove. Less than 50 percent of states have paper-receipt equipment.

You Have The Right To A Provisional Ballot

If your name does not appear on the polling site's registration list, or there are other questions about the validity of your registration, you have the right to cast a so-called provisional ballot. Introduced nationwide in the 2004 election, provisional ballots are designed to prevent wrongful disenfranchisement. In 2000, at least 1.5 million voters were turned away because of questions about their registration, according to estimates from civil rights groups.

To cast a provisional ballot, you must fill out a form at the polling site, listing your name, address and party affiliation. Your sealed ballot is placed inside the form. If officials find you are indeed registered to vote, your sealed ballot goes into the voting box. If you're not registered, election officials use your information to register you for the next election.

If In Doubt, Ask A Poll Worker

Having a problem with a machine? Don't understand the ballot? Need help in pulling a cumbersome lever? Ask a poll worker. They are ostensibly trained to operate all equipment, and to help a citizen vote. That means pulling the lever, or marking the ballot of anyone too frail or in need of assistance.

But sometimes even the poll workers don't know how to operate the newest machines, and sometimes they don't show up to work on time, as was seen Baltimore in the September primary. Still, it is best to ask a poll worker rather than one of the partisan poll watchers who have descended on precincts in recent elections to monitor voters — sometimes injecting themselves into questions that arise at polling places, according to election officials.

"In a lot of cases, they're interpreting it the way they want to interpret it," Lewis said. "And they're wrong." Also, voters sometimes are just too shy about holding up the line, or appearing uneducated, to ask a poll worker for help.

"People get there, and they think 'I'm a bad citizen. I shouldn't ask a question, I should know this,"' said Doug Chapin of the nonpartisan group electionline.org. "It's not unusual for things not to go 100 percent right during an election, and it's perfectly OK to ask for help. That's what poll workers are there for."

[olebd]

I just heard the FBI is looking into a republican scam in Virginia. Some phone calls went out in certain counties telling people their voting location had changed.

Regardless of this......change is a comin'

[usawatchman]

If there was VOTING MACHINE problem in you area

chances are they are tampering with your VOTE


We need to make it a CAPITAL CRIME
to Conspire ,Tamper, or manipulate voting BALLOTS

[usawatchman]

I hearing that voting machines are failing
in close races

I guess that is how they (Republicans) steal election now

remember what I said the other day

======================

WATCH OUT FOR REPUBLICANS
ATTEMPTING TO STEAL VOTES

The republicans tell us ALL DAY
they are catching up in the polls
they are going to pull it out of the fire..
==========
I was watching NASCAR yesterday (Sunday)
Guess who was there to tell the drivers to start their engines

It was the Texas Republican Senator Kay Baily Hutchinson

Talk about a SAMPLE of the REPUBLICAN Party
of ALL the NASCAR fans in the stands in Ft. Worth, Tx

1) A MAJORITY did NOT CHEER for her.
2) those who were vocal, BOO-ED her.

It had to be embarrassing for her, and of coarse Wednesday Morning
we will hear how she just skimmed by and got elected again..

The republicans tell us they are catching up in the polls
it is A LIE...!

We need to make it a CAPITAL CRIME
to Conspire ,Tamper, or manipulate voting BALLOTS

If we catch these people, get a SPEEDY TRIAL
they are to lined up against the wall
and SHOT as TRAITORS...!

WATCH OUT FOR REPUBLICANS
ATTEMPTING TO STEAL VOTES

[gunnerv1]

You are wrong jh6379 It's a fact that the The Honorable (and I use the term loosly) Sen. John Kerry Had a lower GPA than President Bush (1 & 2). And after Kerry's last gaff about the Military, he was told in not so many words, to go home and shut the F*** up, you've done enough damage to the Party for one day. And don't start about the military. As a fact, Top Enlisted's are required to have post secondary degrees to advance. Also did you know that Top Enlisted's
earn close to $100,000.00 including Combat and deployment/sea pay. Now just who is stupid. Since I retired, I have gotten over $300,000.00 in retirement and 30% of that is tax free. Just call me an old stupid sailor. I think I know who getting the last laugh.

[random_radar]

Want to make your vote count? Donate $1000 to every candidate in both parties. I guarantee they will pay attention to you instead of listening to the suckers who use the booths on election day. When money talks, politicians listen.

[sim828524s]

WRONG;

It's time for everyone to understand one thing.

Bush will go down as the worst president in USA history. Bush SR. second to bottom last.

Oh, here is the last laugh.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

[shingles1]

Hey Fartknocker2 - where's your link to the 6 dead folks story?

[shingles1]

Also - if you have a problem w/voting, email a letter to the newsmedia. They may ignore the story - but you can at least make them aware that they are ignoring the story.

There are already all kinds of problems popping up - voting machines not working, voter databases have been "cleaned" and legit voters are finding out that their names have vanished from the rolls, etc.

Be prepared and document everything.

Hi President Bush the worst president ,WRONG PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY!JUST THOUGHT I WOULD LET YOU KNOW

[nadeau4201]

Watch the HBO special "Hacking Democracy".

[raffaviv]

If you're aware of any shenanigans call the Democratic Party's voter protection team: 888-DEM-VOTE. They have a 50-state protection program in place.

[gslinger3]

You Liberals are so delusional its hilarious!!!!!

[observantx]

The latest Republican National Campaign Committee dirty trick:

ROBOCALLING

Your phone rings and you hear %u201C(Insert Democratic candidate name here) has some information for you.%u201D A spiel ensues that plays up the exaggerated ultra liberal positions of candidate X. This includes outright lies and distortions of the candidates voting record, stated platform, etc. Suppose you hang up because you are not interested, or in the middle of dinner or whatever; the phone rings again with the bogus message. This may be repeated 6, 7, 8, a dozen times or more. By now you are livid, and pretty well convinced to punish candidate X by voting for his Republican opponent or not voting at all.

The problem is the Candidate X had nothing to do with the calls. They come from the Republican election machine. That is the object of these calls: to make potential nonGOP voters angry at the Democratic candidate that has been targeted by the RNCC.

These calls are happening all over the United States. If you hang on through the call you can get to the disclaimer that names the actual source of the message. Now you can forward the source of the call to your state attorney general%u2019s office or whoever oversees election conduct in your state.

Don%u2019t fall for this sneaky underhanded desperate tactic. It just shows how low they will go to stay in power.

VOTE these cheaters out!

[olebd]

How to Avoid Trouble on Election Day? Don't vote for anyone that is endorsed by Bush or any of his cronies.

[bluestardad]

Be Ever Vigilant. Bush and Rove will do anything to stay in power up to an including flooding key districts with fake absentee ballots tampering with electronic voting machines, and bussing in voters who are not from the districts to vote, or even starting another war with and suspending civil liberties postponing the mid term vote. There is a great possibility for this administration to tamper with the electronic voting machines to the point that very subtle differences will take place in Key races just enough to tip the vote in their favor but not enough to cause a full scale American Revolution leaving some doubt, but just enough to throw key races in the Republican Favor. Watch out for this election coup.

[mrlib]

We have to make sure the EVIL Republicans dont steal your votE!!!

[newsthought1]

The Democrats WANT a paper trail so votes can be recounted with a hard copy. The Republicans do not. Why do you think that is? So there are no traces of Diebold vote tampering, perhaps?

www.electoral-vote.com is an interesting site that has been combining polls of all sorts to see how Congressional candidates are doing in each state. This weekend it shows the Democrats with a slight edge in taking BOTH the House and Senate. If the results in your state are dramatically different, suspect tampering.

[newsthought1]

If you see voting irregularities at your local polling place- like malfunctions, people turned away, not enough ballots or machines, huge lines, or voter intimidation- GRAB A CAMERA AND RECORD THE PROBLEM. The following website will be collecting and reporting the problems:

http://videothevote.org/

Their promo video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaEECHjWptU


HERE IS THE REAL STORY ON THE DIEBOLD MACHINES-
Princeton University Security Analysis of the Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting Machine- How it could be used to steal votes!!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGQPxsigQIM

The republicans are historically FAMOUS for dirty tricks- and they are desperate. Expect trouble, and be vigilant and strong.

[ddikha]

I'M in Australia so I don't vote in the American Poll but I would like to say I love USA President George Bush and congratulate him on all the work he did through the years.
I stand in Salute to the American Flag and all the soldiers who sacrificed and still sacrificing their lives to protect people all over the world from another september 11.
I just saw Flags of Our Fathers in the Austalian Cinema and would like to congratulate Clint Eastwood and Stephen Spielberg for bringing such glorious film that made love the Aliah soldiers USA,England and Australia all over the world even more.

[pendragon679]

abbe7, I couldn't agree more. Here in Ohio, 77 of 88 counties are using new voting machines manufactured by Diebold. What's truly frightening about this is that our Republican gubernatorial candidate made most of his considerable fortune through investments in Diebold. My wife & I both voted absentee this time around; we're hoping this election doesn't get high-jacked, but we're not holding our breath.