6 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE ON TUESDAY!

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M

Sun, 31 Oct 2004 23:15:04 -0500

Subject:6 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE ON TUESDAY!

 

 

 

6 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE ON TUESDAY!

 

Even as you read this, Republicans are waging an all-out attack on your

rights as a voter. This makes it more important than ever that you get

out and vote! To ensure that your voice is heard, you need to understand

the " rules of the road " for casting a ballot.

 

Here are 6 key things to do and keep in mind when you go to vote

Tuesday:

 

1. LEARN YOUR VOTING RIGHTS. You can get the facts about voting in key

states by going to http://www.ourvote.com/. It sets out detailed

information on voting rights for each of 19 states - including Ohio,

Pennsylvania and Florida, the states where problems and abuses may be

most prevalent. You can get more information (such as information in

other languages) at

http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics/politics/myvotemyright.cfm.

 

2. FIND THE RIGHT PLACE TO VOTE. Don't be denied your right to vote just

because you are at the wrong polling place! Go online to

http://www.mypollingplace.com/find.php to find out where exactly you

should go to vote.

 

3. TAKE I.D. TO THE POLLS. Different states have different laws on who

needs to show ID and what type of ID is acceptable. To be safe, take ID

to the polls with you. Take your driver's license, or a paycheck,

utility bill or government document that includes your name and street

address.

 

4. WHAT IF YOUR NAME ISN'T ON THE LIST? Don't panic if you registered to

vote but your name is not on the list. Get help from a poll worker to

make sure your vote is counted. You should do the following: (1) check

to see if you should be at another polling place; (2) as a last resort,

you can fill out a provisional ballot at your polling location.

 

What is a " provisional ballot " ?

 

These ballots are intended to make sure that voters whose eligibility is

in question on Election Day can still cast a vote and have their vote be

counted. You would use a provisional ballot if you're having I.D.

problems and/or appear to have been purged incorrectly. The Help America

Vote Act (HAVA) requires that provisional ballots be counted if the

voter is eligible to vote by state law, but some election officials have

applied standards for counting provisional ballots that are unrelated to

voter eligibility. Voting by provisional ballot should be your last

resort. The state must notify you as to whether your ballot was counted.

 

5. ONCE YOU'RE IN LINE, YOU'RE GOOD. Once you are in line, you will get

to vote - even if you show up just before the polls close. Just make

sure you are actually standing in line before your polling place closes.

To find the polling hours for your state, go online to

http://www.newvotersproject.org/polling_times. You probably won't have

to wait too long. Even if the line is long, don't leave without voting.

If you are worried about long lines, try go to the polls during off

hours: 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.

 

6. IF YOU THINK YOU'VE BEEN CHEATED OUT OF YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE, SPEAK UP!

Print out the wallet card at

http://cdn.moveonpac.org/content/pdfs/ep_card.pdf and take it with you

to your polling place. It contains national contact numbers to report

voting problems and to get help. If you need immediate legal assistance,

call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

 

 

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