JOYENGINE: cause sharing is cool

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.

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

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To confirm your voting registration status in the state of Colorado, go to: www.sos.state.co.us/Voter/.

It’s Monday, October the 6th and the last day to register to vote in Colorado for the November election. Go to voteforchange.com. Or, if you’re close to the cypher13 HQ off Pearl Street in Boulder, you can come by to register to vote. Let’s make a change!

CHECK IT….GOOD POINT NO? NOW SEND IT TO 5 FRIENDS…BETTER YET, SEND THEM HERE!!

NOW GO MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE!

Yes, it is that easy to find out everything you know for registering and voting in your neighborhood. Just type in your address at www.maps.google.com/vote. If you’re not register to vote, DO IT!!!

With cases of voter caging already threatening to disenfranchise voters in the key states of Ohio and Michigan, everyone needs to make certain that they’re registered at their CURRENT ADDRESSES, and soon! Registration deadlines are rapidly approaching, and the powers that be would rather you didn’t have a voice. This happens every election people! Back in ‘04 I couldn’t figure out how to vote in Ohio because the Republicans were refusing new registration forms that weren’t on a certain weight of paper! This sort of thing is already happening in important states, so please make sure EVERYONE you know in those states goes HERE and double checks their registration status. Do this, even if you think you’re registered. Many people have already been shocked to find their names missing!

Purple politics is out the window until November, it’s blue or red, Democrat or Republican, Obama or McCain. I don’t like it this way, but if you have to choose a side, let’s look at the facts.

On March 9th, 1832 in New Salem, Illinois Abraham Lincoln said, “Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in.” He was only 23 and beginning his political career as he campaigned against 13 other candidates for a seat in the Illinois General Assembly. Later, Lincoln would become one of the most revered presidents of this great country. A man of faith and a man of education, Lincoln as well as other presidents and leaders have proven education is required to lead a country, evidence that resides with monuments and named institutions decades after their service to this nation. To lend empirical evidence to this argument of the importance of education, let us look at educated U.S. cities and their history of political participation in elections. I am going to match up Forbes Magazine’s smartest cities (Dec ‘06) with voting results from the 2004 presidential race.

Number one on Forbes list is Boulder, CO. With a population of over 282,200, 52.9% of the citizens hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The crime rate is low, there is an award winning state run university, and according to CNN Money, the median family income is $76,043, one of the highest in the country.  So let us look at how the county of Boulder voted in the last presidential election: Bush received 49,534 votes as Kerry received 101,990 votes. The Democratic Party’s nominee received more than double that of the Republican Party’s candidate. Seems like Boulder knows how to elect local government officials successfully, so I would closely look at their voting history on national issues.

Moving beyond Boulder and Colorado and examine some other U.S. cities. Another city on Forbes top ten is Ann Arbor, in Washtenaw County in the state of Michigan. Another place with a government funded institution and highly educated population. The voting results for the 2004 Presidential election saw 61, 425 votes for Bush and 109,872 votes for Kerry. Again, a smart city and overwhelming support for the Democratic Party’s candidate.

How about Bethesda in Montgomery County in Maryland. Bush received 123,472 votes and Kerry received 244,211 votes. Bethesda is second on Forbes list of smartest American cities. San Francisco saw Bush receive 41,157 votes and Kerry 222,013. That’s a landslide. They also have landslides there due to rains from global warming, not recognized by the Republican Party. But, what about the small town folks, the simple citizens of this country. Bridgeport in Connecticut gave Bush 10,326 votes and Kerry 26,280. Again, more than double the support for the Democratic nominee from a small New England town.

So, let us put a simple equation together, one that requires only common sense. There is not much controversy over these cities being the smartest cities (defined by the number of degrees). The voting records for the counties holding these cities are publicly accessible. So, if smart people make up smart towns and cities, and the success of their local governments, economies, and institutions reflect their voting records – I would put a lot of credibility in the national voting record. Need a side? Go Democrat, it is educated.