Help! I am a voter in super-close Indiana and my registration does not match my drivers license!!!

[anneboleyn]

Sorry, I was looking for a voting forum to post this message in, so apologies for posting it in the main forum.

My husband and I were double-checking where we are supposed to vote on the Indiana Secretary of State website tonight. I checked my voter registration, which we thought was up to date, and the name is wrong -- I changed my name when I was married last year and my name was changed through all the official channels: Social Security, the BMV. I was told my voter registration would update once my name changed through the BMV.

I will call them tomorrow, but does anyone have suggestions or ideas or know about how this works in Indiana (we are relatively new here)? Can I cast a provisional ballot at worst? I am especially worried because, believe it or not, the lastest poll shows Obama ahead by two points in INDIANA, one of the reddest states (look at the most recent PPP poll, which is up through October 21st and shows a two point lead for Obama)!

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/in/indiana_mccain_vs_obama-604.html#polls

Anyway, the "name change" form on the SOS website says that it must be sent in at least 29 days prior to the election.

If anyone know about this or ways to approach this problem when I call tomorrow I would be very grateful, thank you!

[SurfingAtWork]

1. Go to the DMV, and update your Drivers liscenses

With your current addresses (which I assume is your registered address).

On edit: If it is the other way around and your registered address is an old address, see if you can still change it, otherwise I'd imagine you'll have to cast a provisional ballot.

Edit 2: This advice is based on the laws as I understand them for my state (Arizona). Indiana may be different, or it may not.

[anneboleyn]

2. My drivers license is up to date, it's the voter registration info that is wrong

[anneboleyn]

4. My drivers license is up to date, it's the voter registration info that is wrong

[LaydeeBug]

6. does your state have motor/voter laws?

If so, you should be fine.

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Call an Indiana Obama office. They should be able to give you good info.

[liberalmuse]

5. Speak with someone in the registrars office.

They should be able to work with you. Don't cast a provisional ballot if you don't have to. They're usually counted after the elections when the winner has already been declared, and then many times lawsuits are filed to prevent them from being counted.

[liberalmuse]

7. Also...

bring your voter registration card, your license and proof of marriage, or anything that might validate your maiden name being changed to your married name.

[jemsan]

13. Ditto! Those provisional ballots are evil!

[DearAbby]

8. You can use other forms of ID

Look it up on your state's website what forms of ID they will accept in order to vote.

[Lerrad]

9. I'm not a lawyer, but I don't think you have anything to worry about....

I found the following doing a quick google search on Indian voting:

According to what I have found, in Indiana your voter identification number is your drivers license number. Your proof of ID, which is your drivers license will match the number on your voter registrations although your name is incorrect. Your social security card will also match the number on you voter registration, which is proof that you are who you say you are.

You may also want to check the NVRA, National Voter Registration Act, and the HAVA, The Help America Vote Act, which are both part of Indiana state law.

http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/pdfs/2008%20Voter%20Registration%20Guidebook.pdf

B. Voter Identification Number
An individual who applies to register to vote or applies to update an existing voter registration record must
provide a “voter identification number” on the registration application. (IC 3-7-13-13; 3-7-31-5) The voter
identification number is the individual's Indiana driver's license number, or if an individual does not have an
Indiana driver's license, the individual must provide the last four (4) digits of the individual's Social Security
number when the individual registers to vote. If an individual does not have a driver’s license number or a
Social Security number, then the Indiana Election Division, using the statewide system, will assign a
number as the individual’s voter identification number. (IC 3-7-13-12)

[anneboleyn]

10. Thank you so much for your posts -- this is very helpful!

[Lerrad]

11. ***Your good to go check this out!!

Indiana's New Photo ID Law:
What Poll Workers Need to Know
-------------
Each voter's photo ID must meet the following requirements:
1. Show their name, which must conform to the name on your voter registration record; (Note: Conform does NOT mean match exactly. Also, voters whose name has changed as a result of marriage, divorce... must be allowed to vote - even though their photo ID does not appear to conform to their name on the poll book.)

http://www.verifythevote.org/P4DInPhotoID.html

[Lerrad]

14. Just want to add one thing....

Take a copy of these laws with you when you go to vote. The poll worker may not be aware.

Take Care

[demokatgurrl]

12. Can you go there to the board of elections in person?

If you can do that, it's best. If you show up in person they at least can't deny you're you. Take your marriage certificate with you, and all of the documents on which your name changed.

If you get no help, I'd suggest calling a lawyer; if you call the Obama campaign they may help you with that.

[Land Shark]

15. Here's what the Indiana SOS says about HAVA "matching"

"In Indiana, the implementation of the Help America Vote Act involves the verification of new and updated voter registrations through a number of methods to ensure voters are who they say they are and that they are eligible to vote. These include verification through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and the Department of Correction."
http://www.in.gov/sos/press/2008/100908.html

It's not clear what their standards are for "verification" or the consequences for not "verifying"

HAVA itself, as stated in the recent US Supreme Court case Ohio Republican Party v. Brunner, only requires that the state SOS and state DMV

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/08-332.ZPC.html
Title 42 U. S. C. §15483(a)(5)(B)(i) (2000 ed., Supp. V) states, in relevant part: “The chief State election official and the official responsible for the State motor vehicle authority of a State shall enter into an agreement to match information in the database of the statewide voter registration system with information in the database of the motor vehicle authority to the extent required to enable each such official to verify the accuracy of the information provided on applications for voter registration.”

"to the extent required to verify accuracy":

It's questionable how matching with the DMV would be helpful at all in verification, or why it would trump any voter registration -- since in an important election people like myself made sure about voter registration as a first priority when moving, and driver's license as a second priority...

But, the lack of any real requirement above doesn't mean that SOS's won't try to actually implement this vague language in either liberal (and proper, concerning individual rights like voting) or conservative, disfranchising ways...

[obiwan]

16. Sorry you live in Indiana.

I lived there for 13 years, but fled once I found out that having one's head up their ass is not a natural thing. This was 26 years ago.

If you are young, get out while you still can.

I heard they built a new bridge between Louisville and Indiana, so the Kentuckians could swim over in the shade.

Beautiful state, but a real backward and ignorant culture. Too much snow and too many tornadoes too.

[Land Shark]

17. check out these links for Indiana matching information; Status "unclear"

you can check around half of the 50 states in the first link (national map) and the second link is the indiana-specific info

HAVA National Matching Map interactive
http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/maps/maps.php?ID=67

INDIANA information:
http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/maps/info.php?ID=67&state=27