Will Dress Code Affect Your Right To Vote?

Battles Over Voter Signups, Residency And Polling Place Etiquette May Block Your Ballot

(CBS/AP)  In Pennsylvania, two Pittsburgh-area elections officials are suing to permit a dress code at polling places, after a Pennsylvania Department of State memo advised counties last month that voters' attire doesn't matter.

In Virginia, where backers of both Barack Obama and John McCain are pushing for registration of college students in this battleground state, many students were wrongly advised by officials that registering could adversely affect their parents' taxes.

In Michigan, campaign officials are suing to prevent lists of foreclosed homes being used to prevent voters from voting at their local precinct.

And in Ohio, a legal skirmish over same-day registration and voting has not prevented thousands from casting absentee ballots a month before Election Day, even though they do not plan on being out of state come November 4.

Across the country, voter registration leading up to a highly-anticipated presidential election has been up, but so are concerns that bureaucracy, misreadings of election law, or just plain stupid mistakes may cost many Americans their right to exercise their vote.


No Shirt, No Shoes, No Vote?

Pennsylvanian Sue Nace thought election volunteers were joking last spring when they told her she would have to remove her T-shirt to vote in the U.S. presidential primary.

But it was no laughing matter to the poll workers-turned-fashion police, who said Nace's Barack Obama shirt was inappropriate electioneering - and made her cover the writing before casting a ballot.

Now, a political fight over what voters can wear to the polls is headed to court in Pennsylvania - with the Republican Party favoring a dress code and Democrats opposed.

Last month the state's highest election office issued a memo advising counties that voters' attire doesn't matter as long as the "voter takes no additional action to attempt to influence other voters."

In their lawsuit, two election officials warn that, if the memo stands, "nothing would prevent a partisan group from synchronizing a battalion of like-minded individuals ... to descend on a polling place, presenting a domineering, united front, certain to dissuade the average citizen who may privately hold different beliefs."

But because the memo is not legally binding, some counties have kept past restrictions on clothing and political buttons.

Wearing a Palin or Obama T-shirt? You may be sent home.

State Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney said GOP support for the dress code is a partisan effort to scare away new voters.

"To go (to the polls) and engage in an expression of democracy and then be accosted by the fashion police is a form of voter intimidation," he said.

The state Republican Party says Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell's administration crafted a partisan memo that would open the door to abuses.

"The first thing would be a button or a shirt, and maybe the next thing would be a musical hat," said GOP chairman Robert Gleason, who called a news conference in support of dress codes.

Douglas Hill, head of Pennsylvania's association of county commissioners, believes the state's 67 counties are now evenly split on the question. Before the memo, counties leaned toward banning politically polarizing clothing and buttons because "they didn't want to get into fine-line disputes," he said.

At least four states - Maine, Montana, Vermont and Kansas- explicitly prohibit wearing campaign buttons, stickers and badges inside polling places, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and state officials.

In Kentucky, elections officials last month told poll workers they should admit voters decked out in campaign apparel, after e-mails circulated warning that Obama supporters would be turned away if they wore shirts and pins.


Sorry, You've Been De-Registered

With memories of past election hassles, many are opting to vote by absentee ballot, to avoid long lines or questionable electronic voting machines. However, the process to obtain and submit an absentee ballot, while easier in some states, also has pitfalls.

To obtain an absentee ballot, an absentee application form may be submitted. Because of a printing error on an application form sent out by the McCain campaign in several states, thousands of voters who requested absentees were rejected if the voter failed to check a box that needn't have been on the form in the first place.

More stringent rules about checking the eligibility of voters means also that many registrations are rejected because the name or address on the form may not EXACTLY match the information on a person's driver's license or in another official database.

If you registered as John Q. Public but your license reads JONATHAN Q. Public, you may be challenged at the polls - turned away or asked to fill out a provisional ballot that can be counted (or not) once the information can be verified.

To check whether you are registered, there are online links to Web sites and phone numbers of local elections offices at CanIVote.org.

There is also an online calendar of voter registration deadlines, state-by-state, at VotersUnite.org.


Lost Your House, Lost Your Vote?

Michigan election officials say they will remind local clerks that home foreclosure lists are not sufficient to challenge voting status.

State elections director Chris Thomas said foreclosure lists alone aren't enough to contest a voter's residence. A person whose home is in the foreclosure process still could be living at the address on the foreclosure list.

The notice could ease an ongoing flap about disputed allegations of possible challenges to Michigan voters in Macomb County, considered a possible key area in the presidential contest between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

The Obama campaign filed a lawsuit to prevent the Michigan GOP from using foreclosure lists as a residency challenge.

Marion County GOP Chairman Tom John told the Indianapolis Star that while his party has no plans to pursue such challenges, he wouldn't rule it out.

"I think it would be a solid basis for asking someone to vote provisionally," John said.


Old Enough To Vote, But Not Here?

In late August, a notice by a Montgomery County election official aimed at clarifying the voter registration process for Virginia Tech students actually mislead potential voters, creating a firestorm. It read in part,

“The Code of Virginia states that a student must declare a legal residence in order to register. A legal residence can be either a student’s permanent address from home or their current college residence. By making Montgomery County your permanent residence, you have declared your independence from your parents and can no longer be claimed as a dependent on their income tax filings.”

The statement also warned that students could lose their scholarships as the result of an address change.

After the IRS disputed the tax claims, the official released another notice which clarified some aspects but still caused concern that students would not be allowed to vote, in part because of the vagaries of declaring an "abode" and a "domicile."

[tallyman2008]

dicktracy200


''Fox'' and ''journalism'' in the same sentence ?


Only if trying to create an oxymoron ;-)



The ''stand'' you or anyone can take against them, and what they symbolize, is simple.

Was a great book about it many years ago.

''All We Need to Know We Learned in Kindergarten''

The trick is DOING it ;-)

And encourage others to do the same.

Oh, and change the TV channel.

[dicktracy200]

The fact that Fox News Network is taking the position of launching a series of all out assaults against senator Obama%u2019s character is a sad day in journalism. They should be ashamed of the immoral and unethical standards that their network displays on a continual basis. What they must be made to understand is that as citizens we rely upon networks for their fair and accurate reporting of events and we will not tolerate anything less, especially when its over the top or maybe I should say as far right as Fox News Network is. If your views are the same share this message with others. It is time to take a stand against Fox and look to other networks for fair and accurate news coverage.

[harbinger09]

There is a new Poll on PBS about Palin being qualified for VP. The RNC got word of it and has had supporters inundate the site with yes votes for Palin. This poll is to be broadcast on the major networks later. it is not a scientific poll but an electronic poll--if you have an opinion about whether Palin is fit to be President or not--go to this link, also email this link to anyone who you think has an opinion on Palin.

1) Click on link and vote yourself. Here''''''''s the link:
http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll

-435.html

and cast your vote

[mccainisevil]

MY HOLIDAY WITH JOHN McCAIN

http://myblogthebword.blogspot
.com/2008/09/my-holiday-with-john-mccain
-it-was-just.html

A MUST READ - THIS GUY IS AS SICK AND CREEPY AS IT GETS!!!!

"McCain''s appreciation of the beauty of Asian women was so great that David the American economist had to move his Thai wife to the other side of the table from McCain as McCain kept aggressively flirting with and touching her. Needless to say I was irritated at his large ego and his rude behavior towards his wife and other women, but decided he must have some redeeming qualities as he had adopted a handicapped child from Bangladesh. I asked him about this one day, and his response was shocking: "Oh, that was Cindy''s idea - I didn''t have anything to do with it. She just went and adopted this thing without even asking me. You can''t imagine how people stare when I wheel this ugly, black thing around in a shopping cart in Arizona .

[nottellin1]

In 2000 my polling place was the lifegaurd tower so I voted on rollerbldes!!!

[erasmus81]

oops, did the "posted thing" twice.:)

[erasmus81]

Well, then you would fit right in with American voters!!!Posted by tuckerndfw at 06:07 AM : Oct 05, 2008

Posted by tuckerndfw at 06:07 AM : Oct 05, 2008

I''m not that bad!

You need your mouth washed out with soap!

[babooph]

Wow -the rich have their tuxes& the whaco Christians all have suits to wear once a week when they take off their bib ovralls-the dems are in trouble !!

[goyeau]

If they make an issue about clothing, TURN SHIRIT INSIDE out and vote. The point is not to give them a reason to deny you the vote. The point is to have your vote count. VOTE!

[owlwomanxxxx]

Gee, and I was going to the polls naked

[obbcbs]

vote absentee. use your same signature as on your driver''s license, which you should use on your application to vote.

No computer fraud. no harassment. and you dont have to worry about weather or traffic or long lines or running out of ballots.

[tallyman2008]

Impeach_W wrote:

''Correction: No concealed carry is allowed in Polling places in FL.''



Good Correction :-)

Plus, even if not concealed is not allowed.

And, in case you did not read below that for many years I was a Poll Deputy in Florida, here is another part that Law.

A Law Enforcement Officer in Uniform - Police, Deputy Sheriff, etc - may not wear their weapon in the Polling Area.

''Sorry Sir, you have to leave you gun in your car.''


But, again, that is just in Florida.

Your State, and milage, may vary.

[lochlan-2009]

So what''s the penalty for trying to manipulate, deny and lie to the voters? Maybe we should start there, extensive prison time for misleading information should help these people who have such difficulty looking a little more closely at the definition of ethics.

[tbuckl]

WOW, how many liberties will the citizens of the United States lose each time a elected agent open their mouth. I have lost count, or perhaps they canceled out our liberties without telling the population. I will wear where ever I choose and no lawless member of congress is going to violate my liberty. If these congress agent would do their job for the people instead of having their head up their you know what.

[jjp735i]

If the GOP had it''s way, the only ones that may vote are members of it''s own broken party.

[michael0004]

Setting aside the merits or lack of merits to wearing an Obama or McCain T-shirt to the polling stations, why is it when it comes to all voting questions that the Republicans ALWAYS come down on the side of not allowing the vote?

[slim1h2o]

A dress code?

I think it should be called a clothes code.

And everbody over the age of thirty, should wear them.

Optional for anyone younger.

(sarcasm)

[erasmus81]

Tucker

"I should pay more attention." Posted by ME

I do pay attention to the candidates that are running.

We are also having an election now. We vote on Oct. 14. Our Prime Minister called the election.

[erasmus81]

So it''''s already begun--efforts by every local yahoo to make sure that likely Obama voters are intimidated into not voting. If you don''''t think that telling students that registration will affect their parents'''' taxes is not an attempt to supress the Obama vote, you''''re living in la-la land.

Posted by tucson23 at 05:38 AM : Oct 05, 2008

It does sound like they are trying to manipulate things. After I read the article, I thought with all this bullcr*p going on, who the heck would want to be bothered to vote.

[tucson23]

So it''s already begun--efforts by every local yahoo to make sure that likely Obama voters are intimidated into not voting. If you don''t think that telling students that registration will affect their parents'' taxes is not an attempt to supress the Obama vote, you''re living in la-la land.