A much more major election nightmare
Nov. 2nd, 2004 08:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vvvexationBloody fuck! I've just realized there was a much bigger fuckup at the polls. When you vote a paper ballot, you're not supposed to sign the register, as I mentioned earlier. When I voted today, they had me sign. I'd said "I'm not supposed to sign, right?" but they said I was, and figuring that there might have been a change in procedure, or else that it was a slight messup on their part but not likely to do anything more than annoy the vote-counters, I didn't argue. It wasn't until I got home that the implications of it hit me.
When you vote a regular ballot, there's no way to trace it. The only proof they have that you voted is your signature on the roster. That's why you're only supposed to sign the roster if you voted a regular ballot. Provisional ballots go in those little envelopes so that they can make sure you didn't vote somewhere else as well before they take them out and count them; if your signature appears in any roster anywhere, that means you voted and that means your provisional ballot won't be counted.
By making me sign the roster, they've nullified my vote. Not just mine, but those of every other voter who was on the rolls at that precinct but voted a paper ballot anyway.
I called the registrar's office as soon as I realized this. Fortunately, because of their other screwup I'd taken note of the precinct number; the fellow there, agreeing that this was a Bad Thing, told me he'd pass this on to the troubleshooters and that they might get back to me. If they don't, I won't be able to find out if my vote, specifically, got counted until it's far too late to do any good, though I might be able to find out how the situation in general was resolved.
Cross your fingers, folks. I'm gonna be royally pissed if they don't find a way to fix this.
When you vote a regular ballot, there's no way to trace it. The only proof they have that you voted is your signature on the roster. That's why you're only supposed to sign the roster if you voted a regular ballot. Provisional ballots go in those little envelopes so that they can make sure you didn't vote somewhere else as well before they take them out and count them; if your signature appears in any roster anywhere, that means you voted and that means your provisional ballot won't be counted.
By making me sign the roster, they've nullified my vote. Not just mine, but those of every other voter who was on the rolls at that precinct but voted a paper ballot anyway.
I called the registrar's office as soon as I realized this. Fortunately, because of their other screwup I'd taken note of the precinct number; the fellow there, agreeing that this was a Bad Thing, told me he'd pass this on to the troubleshooters and that they might get back to me. If they don't, I won't be able to find out if my vote, specifically, got counted until it's far too late to do any good, though I might be able to find out how the situation in general was resolved.
Cross your fingers, folks. I'm gonna be royally pissed if they don't find a way to fix this.
