JOYENGINE: cause sharing is cool

…at least for a little while! Pretty cool illustration from Patrick Moberg, illustrating a HUGE milestone in our countries history. Check out the rest of his work here.

The 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

We’re one day away.  If you possess any semblance of intelligence you know there’s only one man to vote for.  He is the better man.  The more intelligent man.  The more humble man.  A man not looking to merely win a contest, but to improve the quality of life for all Americans and to reach out and reconnect America with the rest of the World.  That man is Barack Obama. I for one, sincerely hope you vote for him tomorrow, on November 4th, quite possibly one of the most defining and momentous days in the history of the world as we know it.

Hey kids,

I know we’re all tired of this election by now, but I just have to say how proud I am of the level of awareness and activism we’re seeing this year. Let’s keep it going long after the election, and hold our representatives accountable for their actions for once. But remember, all this energy and passion will be for nothing if we don’t get out tomorrow and make our votes count. This election is not a sure thing, and bad things CAN (and probably WILL) happen. I’ve compiled a short list of things that could go wrong, because everyone needs to know their basic rights in the polling place. Hell or high water can’t stop us now!

That’s it! I’m done. No more election posts for me. I’ve voted, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. Time to keep our eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary, and let our voices be heard. Nice job people!

-JH

b

WHAT CAN GO WRONG: YOU’RE IN A LONG LINE:
Damn, should have voted early. Give yourself plenty of time just in case. A few jurisdictions require election workers to offer emergency ballots if lines are more than 45 minutes long. Voting hours vary by state, so check the Web site of your local elections board. Everyone in line at closing time will be allowed to vote, no matter how late polls must stay open.

YOU GET SENT BACK FOR WEARING YOUR CANDIDATE’S GEAR:
Yeah, don’t do it. Laws prevent “campaigning” within a certain distance of polling stations, so cover it up or you might be standing in line twice.

YOU’RE AT THE WRONG POLLING PLACE:
Way to go dumbass, you should have gone HERE.

YOU’RE NOT ON THE VOTER ROLLS:
A huge number of new voters has caused registration problems in a few states that could prevent you from voting. If that happens, you may have to file a provisional ballot. Elections judges open provisional ballots after Election Day and, on a case-by-case basis, decide which should be counted. Your voter-registration form will have been dated and time-stamped and will provide proof that you are eligible to vote.

You also might not be on the voter rolls if you haven’t voted in several elections and have been moved to the inactive list. Make sure poll workers have checked all of their voter lists for your name. Inactive voters are entitled to cast regular ballots, which are counted on the night of the election and aren’t subject to the additional scrutiny of provisional ballots.

Elections offices also regularly purge their rolls to remove voters who have died, moved or been convicted of felonies. Federal law outlines when and how they can do that, and Colorado and Michigan recently were ordered by federal judges to reinstate voters who were unlawfully purged. If your name was removed from the rolls, you might have to file a provisional ballot.

YOU NEED ID:
A driver’s license should do it. If this is a problem for you, check out state specific ID requirements HERE.

If poll workers ask for an ID even if one isn’t required, you can appeal to the chief judge at your polling place or call the nonpartisan watchdog group Election Protection for guidance. Their number is 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Election Protection will operate 25 call centers, staffed by some 10,000 lawyers and other volunteers, and is expecting 100,000 calls on Election Day.

VOTING EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS:
Touch-screen voting machines may lose power or otherwise stop working. In that case, polling places will have emergency paper ballots on hand. An emergency ballot, unlike a provisional ballot, is counted on the night of the election and doesn’t undergo a review by election judges. Make sure your emergency ballot isn’t mingled with provisional ballots, or it might not get a timely count.

Votes may “flip” on an electronic voting system, showing that you cast your vote for Barack Obama, for example, even though you are sure you voted for John McCain. Flipping usually is caused by a calibration problem, says the Brennan Center — that is, the voting machine isn’t matching up the candidate’s name on the screen with his name on an internal program.

Summon a poll worker to fix the error, make sure your vote is registered properly on the summary page of the electronic ballot and then call Election Protection, which is tracking machine problems.

Many states will keep their registration lists on electronic poll books this year. In some trial tests and primaries, those have crashed or been too slow to be of any use. If that happens, there is no way poll workers can verify your registration data, and you will have to file a provisional ballot.

YOUR ELIGIBILITY IS CHALLENGED:
Expect shenanigans in this election. The Republicans are planning to throw the baby out with the bathwater, challenging all new voters registered by groups like ACORN. While fraudulent registrations would never pass the test anyway, legitimate voter eligibility can be challenged differently in each state. For example, in Florida any voter can challenge another voter’s eligibility.

Be prepared for a challenge by bringing along proof of your age, identity and address. If those are in order and you are in the correct precinct, you must be offered a regular ballot. If they aren’t, you may have to vote by provisional ballot.

While a good majority of US citizens have already chosen the candidate they’ll be voting for in the coming presidential election (Barack Obama was the clear choice for me), a great many have not.  If you’re on the fence, or just a tad bit inquisitive, visit the following links outlining each candidates stance on the issues and then take the following online tests to help with the decision making process.

ON THE ISSUES:

Barack Obama - http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

John McCain - http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/

*NOTE - While each presidential candidate has put their best forward in stating how they’d like to handle the issues addressed, in all likelihood actual implemented policies will vary to some degree due to numerous political factors.

TESTS TO HELP YOU CHOOSE A CANDIDATE:

Glassbooth

Glassbooth is a nonprofit organization that is creating innovative ways to access political information. An informed and interested democracy is a powerful thing.  Glassbooth does not affiliate with any political party, political organization, or ideology.

http://glassbooth.org/

MPR

Minnesota Public Radio® is one of the nation’s premier public radio organizations. With headquarters in the heart of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota Public Radio operates a regional network of 38 stations, covering Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Michigan, Iowa and Idaho.

Operating as American Public Media, Minnesota Public Radio is also the country’s biggest station-based producer of national public radio programs.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/select_a_candidate/poll.php?race_id=13

After months of being propped up Weekend at Bernie’s style, HE FINALLY TURNED! GOBAMA!!!

An election remix of TI’s Whatever You Like. via GOOD

I was attempting to catch up on some reading yesterday, making a bee line for Fareed Zakaria’s article in a recent copy of Newsweek. Opening the magazine to the obnoxious subscription card bonanza in the center, I uncovered a political illustration by Victor Juhasz that caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, I could have sworn that the defaced poster of Barack Obama was that of local designer/artist/blogger Christopher Cox. Heading straight to changethethought, I discovered that it was in fact Chris’s image. After contacting Mr. Cox, it is now apparent that his permission was never sought, nor was credit given. You can read his thoughts on the matter HERE.

It’s unclear who’s to blame for this, but either Victor Juhasz or some misinformed designer at Newsweek is about to get a baptism by fire in copyright law. Below is the Newsweek spread, followed by Chris’s original image. It really makes you wonder how often people get away with this sort of thing. Boooooooooo.

seen in Boulder, CO.

“I loved that he cleaned up after himself before leaving an ice cream shop in Wapello, Iowa. He didn’t have to. The event was over and the press had left. He is used to taking care of things himself and I think this is one of the qualities that makes Obama different from so many other political candidates I’ve encountered. Nov. 7, 2007.” via Callie Shell

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