Is it legal to register at the polling station?

[pippin]

At the polling station this morning where I went to vote, precinct workers couldn't find the name and address of an elderly woman on the roster. Turns out the woman said she hadn't voted in several years. The precinct worker then gave her a form and then spent almost twenty minutes helping her fill the form so she could vote. In the mean time a long line snaking outside through the door had formed and people were getting more irritated by the minute. Looked around for a precinct monitor but there wasn't one any where in sight. Never seen anything like this.

Always thought you were supposed to be registered to vote before an election?

[neuvocat]

1. ???

I thought it had to be two months prior.

[FlashHarry]

2. Depends on the state, I think.

Same-day registration helped Jesse Ventura win the Governor's race in Minnesota.

[Maddy McCall]

3. You can do an affidavit vote...

in which you swear that you meet all qualifications to vote in the election. It isn't uncommon, and there is nothing wrong with it.

All of these will be verified.

The incident you described should have been handled out of the main line. Affidavits shouldn't hold up the rest of the line.

[fizzana]

4. In CA you have to be registered beforehand

I think it's normally 6 weeks before an election.

You can however, request a provisional ballot if your name is on the voter roll. We had to do that after the 93 earthquake when our normal polling place was still wrecked and no-one knew where the new one was. We drove around until we found a polling booth and were allowed to vote after signing a decleration that we were registered voters and that we hadn't voted elsewhere.

[even]

5. It was...

probably a provisional ballot. It is used when the voter and lists are in conflict. I don't think any state registers voters a the poll.

It may have been a bad move by the poll worker. Go to the S.F. Chronicle web site,they are collecting voter problems.

[Dookus]

6. she was probably filling out a provisional ballot....

She MAY be registered, but either went to the wrong place, or a snafu took her off the rolls. In CA, in such an instance, we vote with a provisional ballot. Her eligibility will be checked later, and if she is in fact a registered voter, her vote will be counted.

It's a very reasonable way to handle such a situation.

[hippywife]

7. The internet is just full of handy info

google your states' Board of Elections website and find out what the election laws are. :)