ELECTION Today's The Day

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Tue, 02 Nov 2004 02:07:09 -0800

Progress Report: Today's The Day

" American Progress Action Fund "

<progress

 

 

November 2, 2004

 

by Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and Jonathan Baskin

 

 

ELECTION

Today's The Day

 

The 2000 election taught Americans voting can be more complicated than

it looks. Long lines at the polls, inaccurate voter rolls and the

challenges of political operatives are just some of the hurdles you

may have to clear on your way to the ballot box. Luckily, American

Progress and other progressive sites are ready to provide pointers to

make sure your voting process goes smoothly.

 

KNOW THE CANDIDATES: Time is up! It's time to make your final voting

decisions. The League of Women Voters can help with its interactive

election map. Enter your zip code and find out all the information you

need on elections and issues in your district. The site, designed to

" create a more educated and engaged electorate, " provides information

for presidential, congressional and local elections in individual

districts.

 

KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING: The next step is, of course, knowing where to

go. The website www.mypollingplace.com has a polling place locator to

help you find your voting booth. If that site is busy, call your

state's elections officials; the group New Voters' Project provides a

handy list of phone numbers for each state.

 

BRING I.D.: Avoid problems – bring your I.D. The rules vary in

different states. Also, poll workers are often confused about the law

and may turn away voters by mistake. The the Center for American

Progress, in a joint statement with other progressive groups,

recommends, " The most preferable form is a current government-issued

photo ID such as a driver's license or a passport. Voters who do not

have this should bring other types of valid photo ID, or other

documentation showing the voter's name and address, such as a bank

statement or utility bill. Additionally, several states may require

proof of citizenship in the form of a voter's naturalization certificate. "

 

KNOW WHO TO CALL FOR HELP: The Election Protection Coalition is ready

to provide help to voters on Election Day. Voters needing assistance

can call the toll-free number 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Multi-lingual

assistance, including Spanish, will be available to callers. The

hotlines will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST.

 

READ YOUR RIGHTS: Want to know your rights? People For The American

Way has a list of states with Voters Bills of Rights. Voters can find

their state and click either on a short version, which explains their

rights in clear and simple language, or the longer version, which

provides all of the state laws backing up each of those rights.

 

WHAT'S A PROVISIONAL BALLOT?: The New York Times explains, " No voter

can be turned away in any state this year without being allowed to

vote. If there is a question about your eligibility, you must be

allowed to vote on a provisional ballot, the validity of which will be

determined later. But if you are entitled to vote on a regular ballot,

you should insist on doing so, since a provisional ballot may be

disqualified later on a technicality. "

 

BRING A BOOK: Be prepared – the line may be long at your polling

place. To keep yourself occupied, bring along a book or a magazine. Or

you could print out old Progress Reports and read them to your

neighbors in line.