STEAL BACK YOUR VOTE – by Sherri Joubert

Two things to do in this post:

1. Read the comic book (seriously) Steal Back Your Vote by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Greg Palast. You can make a donation or you can download the pdf for free. Please make a donation if you can.
2. Read the Rolling Stone Magazine Article: Block the Vote by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Greg Palast.

Why you should do them:

Enough votes were blocked, thrown away or ignored in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections to have made a difference in the outcomes. Most of us remember Florida and the “hanging chad” debacle, but most people don’t know how many votes were thrown out or not counted in 2004.

The truth is millions of votes were not counted and millions of people’s civil rights were violated. To protect our democracy we must protect our right to vote. That includes making sure every legally registered voter’s vote is counted.

This is a non-partisan problem. It does not matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat or other party affiliation. Your vote can be discounted or thrown in the trash for some very nonsensical reasons that are technically legal.

If you are poor, don’t have a drivers’ license or other state-issued or federal-issued ID, are elderly, in the military, or a minority, your right to vote may be challenged at your precinct on election day far more often than a middle to upper class white voter. If you are a legally registered voter, this is a violation of your civil rights.

If you are in the military and have to vote absentee because of an active duty assignment away from home, your vote may not be counted if mailed in. Make sure you do everything you can to get your vote in through the proper channels as early as possible. Vote early in person if you can. Have a family member or friend hand-deliver your ballot envelope to the absentee polling place if you can’t. You may be required to include a photocopy of your military ID card with your absentee ballot. Get it copied and include it. Follow all instructions to the letter.

Avoid problems, get a state-issued picture ID card. You will need to acquire an accepted picture ID card prior to voting. You can usually get one at your local department of motor vehicles even if you don’t drive. They can issue you an ID only license. You will need your birth certificate and two current utility bills or college ID card to show your current address to get a driver’s license ID card in the State of Louisiana. Call the DMV prior to going and waiting in line for your particular state’s requirements to get an ID. It will cost some money and they can require cash or a money order, so ask how much and bring the required type of payment with you.

If your license or ID is expired, get it renewed before you go to vote. It may be rejected because it is expired. The same is true if you are using your passport as identification. If it is expired, either get another form of ID or get your passport renewed immediately.

When you registered to vote, you should have received a voter registration card. Bring it with you to the poll, too. This proves you are registered even if your name does not appear on the roll.

Don’t wait until election day to vote. Vote early when early voting begins in your area. You will find out if you have any problems then and can usually fix them before election day. Bring a friend or a couple of friends with you when you go to vote, whether early or on election day.

If challenged, you may be given a provisional ballot. Don’t accept one. You have civil rights to the following:

• Demand adjudication on the spot by the poll judges.
• Demand the supervisor of elections be called and your issue settled so you can vote unconditionally.
• If you find you’ve been caged or purged, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).
• If you voted early, be a volunteer advocate at heavy minority, military or elderly polling places and help those who may be challenged to keep their right to vote. Bring a copy of the Steal Back Your Vote comic book with you for reference.

The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. We as citizens must protect that right for every American.

On Being the Change I Wish to See content is written by Sherri Joubert, a single mom from Louisiana in the United States and one of the most talented writers on the Internet.  A chemist by education, she left the chemical industry at the end of 2003 as the result of a job elimination.

Her motto is to be the change that you wish to see in the world by Mahatma Gandhi, and those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it. I don’t know who that quote was by, but it’s very true.

Her article is copyrighted to her and printed here with permission and with great thanks.

Picture by Lizmari M

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