I have been getting a ton of emails in the past few days about protecting the right to vote and preventing voter suppression. So I’ve compiled all that information below. Please read the whole post and do everything in it that you are able to do.
1. Know your stuff. Find your polling location here. Demand a provisional ballot if you’re refused the right to vote for any reason, but only do so as a last resort — provisional ballots are less likely to be counted than others. Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE if you have or witness any problems.
2. Go here to find out if you can vote early. If you can, do. This will make the lines shorter on Election Day, thus allowing more access to people who don’t have the time to wait for long periods.
3. Color of Change offers some great advice in an email — please read it all carefully and do as it says. Particularly, the suggestion about bringing extra tee-shirts for people who might be prevented from voting due to political clothing is a great one.
Two numbers you should have in your phone.
Put these numbers in your phone so you’re prepared to report problems and help other voters find their polling place:
866-OUR-VOTE
It’s a hotline that’s been set up to collect information about problems on election day–lawyers and election protection advocates are ready to respond. It’s the best way to make sure someone addresses any problems you see.
The number for your local election board
Have it in case you need to tell someone where they can vote. Enter your zip code at govote.org, then look for “Contact [your county] election officials” on the right.
Beware of lies, misinformation and dirty tricks; spread the truth.
Republican operatives are spreading plain lies to frighten new voters. In Philadelphia, anonymous flyers in Black neighborhoods have falsely claimed that voters with unpaid traffic tickets or outstanding warrants will be arrested at the polls. If you hear a scary rumor, it’s probably a lie. Call your local election officials to check it out–and make sure your friends and neighbors know the truth.
Leave the Obama gear at home.
In some places, you won’t be allowed into the polling place if you’re wearing clothes and pins that support a given candidate. This isn’t true everywhere, but it’s best to play it safe. You can contact your local board of elections to find out if it’s a problem in your area. If it is, bring some extra plain T-shirts or sweaters to loan neighbors who show up unaware of the rule.
Read the ballot carefully, and ask questions!
Some ballots can be confusing even for smart and informed voters. Read instructions on the ballot carefully, and if you’re not sure you understand something, ask a poll worker to explain. Remember what happened in 2000 in Florida–a confusing ballot caused thousands of people to mistakenly vote for the wrong Presidential candidate. Don’t let that happen to you!
4. Sign up with CREDO Action to join the Immediate Response Network for Election Day. What does that mean? From their email:
Here’s how the program works:
- Here at CREDO headquarters, we hear about an election protection emergency in [Your] County — say college students are being forced to wait in line for hours to vote, or pollworkers are requiring voters to present photo ID even though your state’s laws allow non-photo ID, like utility bills.
- We’re concerned about these reports, but we want to make sure they’re true. So we vet and verify them through the media and our sources on the ground.
- We send you a text message — a quick summary of the problem and an easy way that you can take action and make a difference. “Students waiting for hours at City Hall — bring pizza!” Or maybe, “Pollworkers illegally requiring photo ID — call Board of Elections!”
We’ll give you all the information you need to ensure your time is well used — for example, if we ask you to call your Board of Elections, we’ll text you the number to call. If you need to hurry to a hotspot to protest voter intimidation, we’ll text you the address. Chances are that we may not text you at all, but if we do, it will be because you have a real opportunity to protect voters in your county and in your state.
If you don’t have or prefer not to use text-messaging, you can also sign up for email alerts. This is something you most likely won’t be required to do, but could make a huge difference if necessary. Please sign up if you can!
5. Sign and spread the word about this petition to Attorney General Mukasey, demanding that he refuse to participate in voter suppression tactics.
This year, there are over 600,000 newly registered Ohio voters, but President Bush has asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate as many as 200,000 of them. Why? Because Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has refused to use an “exact match” standard before adding these voters to the rolls.
[. . .]
Secretary Brunner has refused to use this standard on the grounds that it would erroneously deprive tens or even hundreds of thousands of Ohioans of their right to vote. The Ohio GOP sued her a month ago to try and get the courts to compel her to use the “exact match” standard, but the Supreme Court ruled that they had no standing to make that case.
Now, President Bush is trying to run around the Supreme Court by getting the Department of Justice to intervene. On Friday, October 24th, Bush reportedly asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate whether as many as 200,000 voters need to reconfirm their registrations before November 4th.
Did I miss something? Let me know. Now get out there, and don’t let anyone stop you from voting.
UPDATE: The Department of Justice will NOT be forcing Ohio to suppress voting by using the “exact match” standard. Great news!