Infuriating update on my voter registration drama...

[markpkessinger]

The NYC Board of Elections is an incompetent mess. So, the other day I checked my voter registration status online, only to find I was listed as being "inactive." I called the Board of Elections, and was told that I should go to their office downtown, and would be permitted to vote there by absentee ballot, and that this would make my status active again. So today, I went down there to do just that, and was told that no, I would have to vote by affidavit at the polling place on Tuesday. When I tried to protest that I had been told to come to the office to vote, I was rudely cut-off as the clerk yelled, "Next!" By the time I had ridden the subway back home -- it's a half-hour trip each way -- I was fuming, so I again called the BoE office to find out why I was being given conflicting information. This time, after I presented the entire story, the person on the phone told me I would have to RE-REGISTER. WTF???? At that point, I demanded to speak to a supervisor. She was nice and accommodating, but could provide no satisfactory answer as to why I had been given THREE DIFFERENT stories as to what I needed to do to vote. So she asked me to come back tomorrow -- and to ask for her -- a Ms. Walker. But this entire episode has been infuriating!

[elleng]

1. I guess you want to vote TOO MUCH!

[geek tragedy]

2. very sorry you have to go through all of this just to exercise your right to vote

our voting records system is really atrocious and needs to be updated.

Hopefully enough outcry will be generated to get Albany to allocate the money to fix it (hey a fella can dream).

[markpkessinger]

4. Thanks, greek tragedy!

I agree our system is antiquated and badly in need of updating, but none of that excuses the rank incompetence of the office itself, which gave three entirely different answers to the same problem for the same voter!

[geek tragedy]

5. system upgrades should include removing the possibility

of human error.

it's very much hit or miss in this city for getting competent service at BOE, DMV, court clerks offices. And heaven help you if you get someone having a bad day.

[markpkessinger]

7. Good point! n/t

[HooptieWagon]

3. Tell them you want to vote for Clinton.

I'm sure you'll get an expedited ballot.

[Punkingal]

6. Sounds like you may not get to vote....that's a damn shame, whoever your choice is.

[dana_b]

8. such b.s.

you would expect a Democratic state to be encouraging to its citizens and want them to vote!
I'm so sorry that you are going through this. Keep us updated!

[MineralMan]

9. Have you skipped voting in past elections?

That's how registrations generally get marked as inactive. It used to be in California that if you missed a general election or two, you got removed from the voter rolls. It's one way to keep them up-to-date. I don't know if CA still does that, but maybe that's how NY does it, too.

I remember being told about that when I first registered.

Also, if you have moved, and didn't register in a new location, your registration may be invalid, since registrations are usually tied to your address.

So, I don't know what happened with your registration but those are a couple of possibilities.

[brooklynite]

10. It's important to know that the NYC BOE has been a CONSISTENTLY incompetent mess for decades

This isn't unique to Sanders running.

[djean111]

11. Looks like the fix is in, doesn't it? n/t

[bettyellen]

12. that sucks did you check the BOE website? hopefully you can get the straight story.