Well...Crap

[sadlikeknives]

I have been disenfranchised.

Get this: the wrong middle name is on my voter registration card. My hometown and middle name begin with the same letter, and somehow (probably because I registered at a student government tent while dashing between classes and was frazzled) the former got put on the card instead of the latter. NO ONE noticed this in 2004 when I voted in the presidential election, even though I presented my driver's license and voter registration card together and they were duly looked over. Hell, I didn't even notice it.

So I went to the polling place today, and they looked at my ID, looked at my card, and were like, "This ain't gonna work."

I think I said something like, "Huh?"

And then I basically got accused of voting fraud and told that no, I couldn't fill out a provisional ballot because hello, apparently I'm not even a registered voter, so plz to go home now and STFU.

Fuck. I really wanted to vote for the Libertarian candidate for governor. She seems smart, and she's campaigning on her boobs.

Edit: Voted! I went back and the woman working was like, "Okay, I see how this mix-up happened." No trouble at all. Apparently I just got a dick poll worker this morning. It was before 8 AM; maybe he hadn't had his coffee yet.

Comments

[jasminelily.livejournal.com]

Oh no. You need to go back and raise hell. You ABSOLUTELY can fill out a provisional ballot, that is fucking BULLSHIT, but you should only do that in the last resort. But go back later on in the day when other people are working. AGAIN, that is BULLSHIT.

[havocthecat]

What she said. And informational links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_ballot
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102506F.shtml
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepoliticalsystem/a/pollpeople.htm
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepoliticalsystem/a/electionday.htm

[vampychick.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm going back. And I'm not leaving until they let me vote against Gerald Allen (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005904.html), dammit.

[rhi-silverflame.livejournal.com]

What they said. There's absolutely no reason for you to be denied a provisional ballot. At all.

[septembergrrl.livejournal.com]

What they said. The poll worker is screwing with you, and you should get a provisional ballot.

What bullshit.

[vampychick.livejournal.com]

I think they got confused because it's not even misspelled, it's just completely the wrong name except for the first letter. And my first and last names are really common--seriously, I glanced at the voter roll while the guy was dicking me around and there were like five other Vampy McLastnames. So I could totally be some random person.

But now I'm out of class and I have nothing else to do until the polls close at seven, so I'm going to go back and stage a sit-in if I have to, because they cannot take away my constitutional right to vote against Gerald Allen (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005904.html).

[wolfling]

This post has info on what to do if you're refused a provisional ballot or have other problems voting. (Or at least a number to call to get ahold of people who can tell you what to do.)

[havocthecat]

Also, [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] has some good informational numbers and links up here.

I love my friendslist.