More Tips to Try to Make Sure Your Vote Counts

Evidence has been coming in fast and furious of all kinds of voter caging and other "dirty tricks" (see. e.g., this CNN story) including electronic machine malfunctions.

Here are a some suggestions, including a few new ones.

First, check canivote.org to try to make sure you haven't been dropped from the rolls for some reason.

Second, there have been reports of misinformation provided to voters re- WHERE they should vote. E.g., a reliable acquaintance in California says that while looking for the best website to tell people to confirm their polling locations, she discovered discrepancies between the CA Sec. of State's website and the League of Women Voters -- and it turned out the LEAGUE's website was the correct one. So best to cross-check your polling location with both your Sec. of State and your local League of Women Voters.

Also, please check with your local elections authority to confirm what kinds of machines will record and tabulate votes if you vote early vs. on election day vs. by absentee ballot, and if at all possible, vote when and where a paper ballot will be generated. For example, in Dallas County, Texas, ALL early voting will be ENTIRELY electronic, without any paper trail whatsoever -- so it will be impossible for there to be any meaningful recount or audit of those votes. On the other hand, on Election Day, many polling places will use machines that generate a paper record of your vote. So, in Dallas County, it's recommended that you wait to vote on Election Day if possible -- but what's best may vary from county to county.

Know what kind of i.d. to bring. You can check on this, too, through canivote.org.

Next, many states offer the option of "straight-party voting"; that is, instead of having to separately vote re- each office on the ballot, you can just select a particular party once to indicate that you want to vote for all the candidates of that party. Some reported electronic machine malfunctions have involved voters attempting to vote a straight Dem ticket who found their Presidential vote flipped to McCain (confirmed by Snopes). So please do NOT vote using the "straight-party voting" option; instead, please go through and vote for an individual candidate for each office on the ballot.

Use video, audio, or photographs to record your vote, and if you encounter a problem, try to record or write down the evidence, such as the names and phone numbers of witnesses, as well as voting machine serial numbers, names of poll workers, and the time of day. And if you do record or encounter a problem, get the word out about it.

At the first sign of a problem*, stop what you're doing and ask to speak to the polling place supervisor (skip the poll worker). Explain your problem. If they try to wave you off, call your main election commission number and ask to speak to the election commissioner until your problem is satisfactorily addressed. Poll workers/supervisors may try to blame you -- "operator error." Remain calm and courteous, but do not leave your polling place until your problem is well-documented and addressed to your complete satisfaction and, if the problem is with the machine, the machine is quarantined. Oh, and you've gotten to vote.

File reports wherever possible. Your local polling place should have incident reports available to you. If they do not, call the main election commission for your county and ask for someone to bring one to you. Make sure that both you and the supervisor sign it. An example of a report is here. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission also lists on their website where you can find out how to file a report in your state.

Also report your incident to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-Our-Vote, especially if you feel you are being bullied or your incident is not being taken seriously. The ACLU also has a hotline at 1-877-523-2792. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Greg Palast offer suggestions as well in their comic StealYourVoteBack.org.

*Problems can include: machine problems, polling place problems (machines not set up on time), switching or closing of your polling place, voters forced to vote on a provisional ballot, long lines/waits, intimidation, unusual ID demands, poll workers asking inappropriate questions, etc.