bobd0

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Thu Oct-23-08 08:09 AM
Original message

Sorry, I Can뭪 Find Your Name -- RE: VOTER DISENFRANCHISEMENT -- PLEASE READ!!!

Edited on Thu Oct-23-08 12:17 PM by Lithos

I've already posted this in General Discussion: Presidential and I know this is an editorial but I'm posting it again here because it may very well be the most important piece voters can read prior to Election Day. I posted ACORN's full page NY Times ad yesterday and urged everyone to check with their local election board to make absolutely certain they haven't been purged from voter roles and are eligible to vote. This NY Times editorial deals with the very same subject. I'm posting it in its entirety for those who do not have online access to The NY Times.

Please read this and bump it up because Republican voter purges and voter disenfranchisement are in full swing all across America and the outcome of this election could very well hang in the balance. This editorial contains information that can help voters make sure they are eligible to vote and that their votes will in fact be counted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/opinion/23thu1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

October 23, 2008
Editorial

Sorry, I Can뭪 Find Your Name

Before Mississippi뭩 March presidential primary, one county election official improperly removed more than 8,000 voters from the eligible-voter rolls, including a Republican Congressional candidate. Fortunately, the secretary of state뭩 office learned of the purge in time and restored the voters.

Edited to 4 paragraphs to conform to DU's fair use policy for copyrighted material

Lithos
DU Moderator

For this election, voters need to be prepared to fight for their right to cast a ballot. They should try to confirm before Nov. 4 that they are on the rolls � something that in many states can be done on a secretary of state or board of elections Web site. If their state permits it, they should vote early. Any voter who finds that their name has disappeared from the rolls will then have time to challenge mistakes.

If voters find on Election Day that their names are not on the rolls, they should contact a voters� rights group like Election Protection, at 1-866-OUR-VOTE, or a political campaign, which can advocate for them. They should not, except as a last resort, cast a provisional ballot, since it is less likely to be counted.

There is a desperate need for reform of the way voting rolls are kept. Until then, election officials, voting rights advocates and voters must do everything they can to ensure that all eligible voters are allowed to vote.

Please, people, Election Day is less that two weeks away. If you haven't done so already, verify that you are eligible to vote NOW so that you can be sure of your eligibility before Election Day. Don't wait until you show up at the polls. It's too late then. They'll try to hand you a provisional ballot to satisfy you but provisional ballots are just their way of getting you out of the polling place. There is a high likelihood that provisional ballots will NOT be counted.

VERIFY YOUR VOTING STATUS WITH YOUR LOCAL ELECTION BOARD TODAY. IF YOU LEARN THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM YOU WILL HAVE TIME TO FIX IT BEFORE ELECTION DAY.

Sorry, I Can뭪 Find Your Name -- RE: VOTER DISENFRANCHISEMENT -- PLEASE READ!!!

Sorry, I Can뭪 Find Your Name

OBAMA '08!!!