Three Steps To Take For A Smoother Election Day

by: huntsu

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 01:15:00 PM EDT

Most everyone has made up their mind how they are going to vote by now -- for national and local elections -- and if they haven't made up their minds they are not likely to vote at all.

So what needs to be done now is ensure that all our supporters get out to vote, and that all our supporters are able to vote.  

In one county where I have anonymous sources in the election board there are thousands of newly registered voters who will be forced to vote on a provisional, paper ballot because there is not enough time to get them entered into the computers and printed in the official voter books.

That's just one county with 20 or so towns, meaning at least 100 or more provisional ballots in every town.  That's a major record, and it could be worse.  Poll workers are always confused by provisional ballots, and it takes them away from the tables where they can keep the lines moving.

Add in the thousands of new voters and the tens of thousands of regular voters and polling places will be teeming with people trying to vote dealing with frustrated poll workers and overwhelmed support staff.

Here are some steps you can take to help reduce the confusion and ensure a smoother election.

1. Vote by absentee ballot -- Apply for an absentee ballot and take yourself out of the election day confusion.  You can vote by mail for any reason, but you need to get it done quickly.  The last day county clerks will mail out your ballot is October 28, and the last day you can vote absentee in person at the clerk's office is November 3 by 3 p.m.  Encourage your neighbors to do the same.  Absentee Ballot Application and list of County Clerks
2. Become a poll worker -- This is one where you can get paid!  Most counties are still looking for poll workers, and it is vitally important that smart folks with stamina sign up.  You'll be trained in how to deal with the provisional ballots, machine problems, etc.  You can get paid to help create a smooth election.  Contact your local County Clerk or your County Democratic chair to find out how.
3. Become a challenger -- Each party is allowed to have representatives in the polls, and usually doesn't have enough people to do it.  As a challenger you can help voters who have problems with not being in the books, with being told to vote provisionally, and you'll have a phone number of some lawyers to call in case there is real trouble.  This is a vital role in any election that is rarely filled enough.  The cool part is that you can do this for just a few hours of the day around your own schedule.  Contact your County Democratic chair to offer your assistance.

Any other suggestions on how to make election day run more smoothly?  Put them in the comments.

NJ breaks record with 5.3 million registered voters

by: Jason Springer

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 10:34:25 AM EDT

More than a half-million New Jerseyans have registered to vote this year, setting a new state record and overwhelming elections officials who are scrambling to process the surge of applicants before Election Day.

Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells said Tuesday that New Jersey now has a record 5.3 million registered voters. That's due in part to the 575,145 new voters who have registered since Jan. 1.

Some county clerks have been inundated with new voter requests. In Essex County, employees are working staggered shifts around the clock to get as many new voters on the books as possible. Wells said election workers in other counties are working 12- to 14-hour days, seven days a week.

Those whose names don't make the book will still be able to vote by provisional ballot, she said.

VOTE ABSENTEE! 10 Minutes to Hack 10,000 Voting Machines

by: huntsu

Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 09:18:32 AM EDT

Some 10,000 voting machines throughout New Jersey could be hacked into in less than 10 minutes to manipulate vote tallies, which critics say puts the integrity of elections in New Jersey into question, according to a once-suppressed report by a Princeton University computer scientist released to the public Friday.

Is one of these machines in your polling place?  For use with your district?  Could you protect yourself by voting through the US Mail instead of using one of these machines?

You betcha.  Vote absentee.

Vote Absentee, and Do it Now!

by: huntsu

Mon Oct 13, 2008 at 09:30:00 AM EDT

In at least three counties - Essex, Passaic and Somerset - election officials do not think they will be able to process every form in time to get every registered voter in the books that workers use to check in voters at polling places.

Voters whose names do not appear in the books are entitled to use paper provisional ballots. The provisional ballots are counted after officials verify the voters are registered.

By the way, Blue Jersey scooped them on this last week.  :-)

But the point is that every provisional ballot is one or two poll workers taken off the tables, one or two poll worker who isn't there to help other voters cast their ballots.

Which means longer lines, lots longer lines.  

So please, please, please vote absentee this year.  And get everyone you know pulling the Democratic lever to do so as well.  It will not only ensure that their votes get counted and the lines are shorter, but it will make our GOTV efforts easier on election day.

ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATION

LIST OF COUNTY CLERKS

Hackensack - We have a problem......

by: carolh

Sun May 25, 2008 at 09:20:51 PM EDT

The absentee ballot has everybody on a DIFFERENT column than we will be on in the VOTING booth.  In the sample ballot for actual Election Day voting, we should all be bracketed in COLUMN 3.  HOWEVER, on the Absentee Ballot - they stuck us in the same column as Cresitello in COLUMN 2.  

Not only that, but the County Committee folks aren't even on the same ballot as the rest of the Real Bergen Dems even though we should be bracketed together.  We aren't even on the same piece of PAPER.  It isn't even the same KIND of paper.  

So, we can't even tell folks what column we will be in, because it is different depending on whether you vote absentee or not.

Not only that, but if you want to vote for me as freeholder - you fill in the little oval with a #2 pencil, but if you want to vote for me for County Committee, you've got to make an X or a + or checkmark.

Is this messed up, or what?

This happened in Edgewater as well as Tenafly and Bergenfield. Wonder if it happened in Ferriero-crat towns as well...........