And the Grinch Put a Hand to His Ear

It should come as no surprise to anyone that "the Republican majority on the Forsyth County Board of Elections turned down a request from Winston-Salem State University students and others to reopen an early-voting site on campus for the March 15 primary during a contentious meeting on Thursday."  It's one of the reasons we here at Make It Count don't really engage in all that much Republican-bashing. People with power bending the rules in order to preserve that power isn't really news. You might as well write about the sun coming up every day--it's going to happen. The question is, and the question has always been: what are you going to do about it?

This is my favorite part of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas, " and it's a great lesson for 2016. Implicit in every Republican action so far has been a dare: "You don't have what it takes.We're going to reduce early vote, eliminate same-day registration, and require photo ID, and you won't do a thing about it but complain."

Here's a thought. When a Republican grinch puts a hand to their ear, let's make sure not to indulge their fantasies and give them what they want to hear: hopelessness, surrender, inaction.

Let's sing them a song of redemption, a song of power; and let's not sing it for them, but for us.

"Reasonable Impediment": How Will It Work?

How will reasonable impediment be implemented?

It's a good question, and it's hard to know the answer by reading the statute. I came up with a series of questions I want to ask the State Board of Elections. Perhaps you have some questions, too. Drop them in the comments if you do.

*****

The following questions assume:

1. the voter in question has come to the polling place prepared to fill out a reasonable impediment affidavit and vote a provisional ballot; and
2. if this occurs during early vote, the voter in question has seen the signs explaining that no ID is required for voting mail-in absentee and opted to forgo the mail-in absentee option.

*****

Prior to Election Day or Early Vote 


Will standardized reasonable impediment affidavit forms be made available so voters may fill them out in advance and have all of their documentation ready prior to voting? I am assuming that the signature would have to take place in view of an elections official.

*****

Election Day or during Early Vote
 
A voter without ID arrives at the polling site check-in table and informs the election official accordingly. I'm assuming the standard procedure will be for the election official to ask for the ID first.

1. What happens next? Does the election official then present them with options, or do voters need to request a reasonable impediment affidavit? I am assuming the former.
2. Assuming the voter has all the documentation they need, they then fill out and sign a reasonable impediment affidavit (or sign one they have prepared in advance, if that is an option) and vote a provisional ballot.
3. No election official in the polling place will make a judgment about the reasonableness of the impediment. If the voter requests this option, has the proper documentation, and fills out the affidavit and signs it, they will be given a provisional ballot to vote.
4. No poll observers from political parties, nor anyone else in the polling site, may challenge the reasonableness of the impediment.
5. If the voter's documentation is in order, is there anything that could disqualify them from submitting a "reasonable impediment" affidavit and voting a provisional ballot?

*****

Post Election Day

1. Will "reasonable impediment" provisional ballots be kept with all other provisional ballots and be subject to the same vetting process, or will they be separated and subjected to a different process?
2. Absent any evidence being presented to the contrary, will the "reasonableness" of the impediment be judged during this vetting process?
3. If so, by whom?
4. Will a list of persons who filled out a "reasonable impediment" provisional ballot be available to the public?
5. Will members of the public be able to "challenge" the reasonableness of the impediment during the provisional ballot vetting process.
6. How will that process work? Who will decide whether or not the evidence presented is enough to disqualify the provisional ballot?
7. Assuming the voter presented all the proper documentation at the polling site on Election Day, what, if anything, could disqualify their provisional ballot during the post-election vetting process?
8. If disqualified, will the voter be notified and be given a chance to appeal?

Birds of a Feather

What's a great way to make your vote count?  Find more people like you and make sure they vote. Somebody at healthcare.gov gets it.  Good thing, too, since it's possible that Obamacare's neediest customers are not voting like they should.

I noticed the link to the left after completing my application yesterday.  It's a sensible approach, and one that should be emulated by anyone with a web site, blog, or Facebook page.

Rock the Vote makes embedding a voter registration form on your web site as easy as cut and paste. You can even customize the tool with your own logo. Here is the Make It Count voter registration tool. And if you want to take it a step further, Rock the Vote offers several options for more elaborate customizations. Get your widget today!

DMV Mobile Unit Schedule 12/15 through 12/17

The DMV mobile units are scheduled for stops this week in several NC communities not serviced by a conventional DMV facility: Robbinsville, Snow Hill, Robbins, Hayesville, Hatteras (twice), Denton, Trenton, and Columbus. Here is the schedule.

While there is no longer a strict requirement for photo ID in order to vote in NC (or at least until the law changes again!), we think you should go ahead and get an ID if you can. We've outlined the reasons why on our web site.

The DMV Mobile Units offer NC citizens in outlying communities a chance to acquire a photo ID for the 2016 election. Democracy NC has a helpful handout on the application process.​​

Let the NC State Board of Elections know your opinion on early vote signage

I sent the following email to the NC State  Board of Elections tonight in response to this: ftp://alt.ncsbe.gov/Rulemaking/public_comment_08_NCAC_17_0106.pdf

Previous post: http://makeitcountnc.blogspot.com/2015/11/is-85-x-11-sign-large-enough-oh.html

The deadline for submission of comments is tomorrow. Take some time tonight or tomorrow to respond. The vote you save might just be your own.

"I have several concerns about the proposed rules on signage.

1)*SIZE* I created a sign using the 8.5 inch by 11 inch parameters in the rules. It's not large enough for a sign that might affect a citizen's participation in the election.

While I realize the proposed rules say "at least" 8.5 by 11, I don't want local elections boards interpreting sign size. I believe that some will choose the smallest signs possible.

I would like the minimum size stipulation changed so that the font size can be doubled: 56 pt for the main message, 28 pt for the secondary message.

2)*LOCATION* I request that signs be required on both sides of the approach to the entrance of the polling site, and in TWO locations viewable to the voter as they approach the check-in table, again, on both sides of the line.

I don't think it's too much to ask that we maximize our efforts in regard to signage that might affect a citizen's participation in the election.

3)*HEIGHT* The proposed rules do not mention height. Sign height is critical to sign effectiveness. I request that the proposed rules require the best possible height for all signage. The United States Sign Council can probably make a recommendation: http://www.ussc.org/

4)*CITIZEN INPUT IS A GOOD THING* I'm glad you asked for citizen input. That's responsible governance. I would like to see you ask for citizen input on other issues as well, or at least the same willingness to post your policies online. For example, how elections officials interpret "reasonable impediment" will affect far more voters than these rules on signage. But I see no mention of citizen input on those rules, or how they will be interpreted.

I request that you open up more aspects of the elections process to citizen comment.

Yours in democracy,

Kevin Farmer
Clemmons, NC"

DMV Mobile Unit Schedule for 12/7 thru 12/11

The DMV mobile units are scheduled for stops this week in several NC communities not serviced by a conventional DMV facility: Fairmont, Columbia, Swan Quarter, Bayboro, Columbus, St. Pauls, and Belhaven. Here is the schedule.

While there is no longer a strict requirement for photo ID in order to vote in NC (or at least until the law changes again!), we think you should go ahead and get an ID if you can. We've outlined the reasons why on our web site.

The DMV Mobile Units offer NC citizens in outlying communities a chance to acquire a photo ID for the 2016 election. Democracy NC has a helpful handout on the application process.​​

Handy Voter Information Tools for Citizen Activists

The Voting Information Project (VIP), a partnership between the Pew Charitable Trust, Google, and the states, is expanding its support of state and local elections in 2016, including North Carolina.

"In addition to the Nov. 8 generalelection, the project will provide critical information, such as polling placelocations and ballot summaries, for voters in more than 70 elections, startingin January. The races include presidential primaries in 32 states and statewideprimaries in 41 states, as well as runoffs where applicable, and dozens oflocal and municipal elections, including fire district and school board races acrossthe country"

That will add significantly to the number of tools available to citizen activists. Among the Voter Information Project's tool portfolio are:

• Get to The Polls:  "Get to the Polls, powered by the Google Civic Information API, allows voters to find their official polling place, hours of operation, and full ballot summary based on their residential address."
• SMS Tool:  "A short messaging service (SMS) tool provides voters with election information via text message. By texting “VOTE” or “VOTO” to GOVOTE (468-683), voters can find polling places, contact information for local election officials, and registration URLs. The app is available in multiple languages."
• VIP Voting Information Tool: "The Voting Information Tool is an easily embeddable, mobile-optimized, and white-label voting information tool that offers official voting information–such as polling place and ballot information–to anyone using just a residential address. The tool can be easily embedded on any website and supports multiple languages."
• White Label iOS and Android Apps: "These free white-label apps can be customized, branded, and released by state and local governments or third-party organizations. Download the iOS or Android app. These apps provide ballot and polling place information in multiple languages, as well as text-to-speech functionality."

The Voter Tools section of the State Board of Elections web site has several useful tools for checking voter registration records and polling site information. Everyone is aware of the voter search portal and polling place search portal.  But the Voter Tools page also details how citizens may use text messaging to inquire about voter registration information, absentee ballot status, and provisional ballot status.

Every citizen activist should be aware of these useful tools and be prepared to access them in 2016.  As some one who has worked countless voter registration tables, and information booths at local events, I can tell you that voters are quite often unaware of their voter registration status. These tools provide a simple, effective means for finding that information.,

And as Make It Count has noted before, it's a good idea to check your own voter registration information from time to time.You just never know.

Always Request a Real Postmark for Your Absentee Ballot

Image by Samandale and courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Several Ohio voters learned a hard lesson this past election: always request a real postmark when you mail in your absentee ballot. The Columbus Dispatch has more:

"Yet, at the same time, the national policy of the Postal Service states that not every piece of mail gets the kind of traditional postmark required by Ohio law, meaning the problem in Summit County is really a statewide problem. The Postal Service considers a piece of mail with a printed postal label or a metered piece of mail to already have a postmark.

And, as was the case with some of the absentee ballots in Summit County, there is no guarantee that every piece of mail with a regular stamp will get a sprayed-on ink postmark, either."

Are postmarks an issue in NC, too? One division of the NC State Board of Elections seems to think so. The Campaign Finance division has the following warning for campaign treasurers on their "Reporting Schedules" page:

"The Treasurer is responsible for ensuring evidence of the mailing date for reports. Metered postage does not prove timely filing because a meter may be set to any date. A postmark is evidence of timely mailing, but you must request the post office to place a legible postmark on your envelope; the process is no longer automatic. Many of the letters we receive bear no postmark or illegible postmarks. Treasurers are well advised to send reports through registered or certified mail."

This problem is not mentioned on the "Absentee Voting by Mail" page of the NC State Board of Elections web site, or on their Voter ID information site; nor is it mentioned in their otherwise helpful pamphlet (dated 2014) "Absentee Voting Quick Guide," a copy of which can be found on the Forsyth County Board of Elections web site. Here is the text from the "Alert" box at the end of that pamphlet:

"Ballots received after 5:00 p.m. on Election Day will be timely ONLY if they are received at the county board of elections by mail bearing a postmark dated on or before the date of the election and are received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the third day following the election."

Doesn't make much sense, does it?

Maybe there is a warning on the actual ballot?

Or perhaps the Board of Elections treats absentee ballots differently than campaign finance reports and accepts the former so long as they are received no later than 5 PM on the third day following the election, "real" postmark or not. Why not write to your county board and find out what their policy is?

DMV mobile unit schedule 11/16 through 11/19

The DMV mobile units are scheduled for stops this week in several NC communities not serviced by a conventional DMV facility: Robbinsville, Snow Hill, Robbins, Hayesville, Hatteras, Denton, Trenton, Hatteras, and Columbus. Here is the schedule.

While there is no longer a strict requirement for photo ID in order to vote in NC (or at least until the law changes again!), we think you should go ahead and get an ID if you can. We've outlined the reasons why on our web site.

The DMV Mobile Units offer NC citizens in outlying communities a chance to acquire a photo ID for the 2016 election. Democracy NC has a helpful handout on the application process.​​

Is an 8.5 x 11 sign large enough? Oh nooooooooooooooo!

The NC State Board of Elections wants your feedback on signage. It is your patriotic duty as Americans to provide it!

If we might be so bold as to paraphrase, the signage rule basically says the following:

During the period when one-stop and mail-in absentee ballot requests overlap, there will be signage in each polling place notifying voters that a mail-in absentee ballot can be requested on-site, and that mail-in absentee voting does not require photo ID (with some exceptions for some newly registered voters.)

Signs must be:

1. at the entrance to each polling site;
2. also at the approach to each sign-in table;
3. at least 8.5 x 11
4. at least 28 pt font for man notification regarding absentee-ballots available on-site;
5. at least 14 pt font font for notification regarding exceptions for some newly registered voters;
6. designed by NCSBE, or designed by county boards according to NCSBE standards.

8.5 by 11 seems small. Signs affecting suffrage should be larger than dog toys. And there should be more of them.

Are these proposed rules adequate?

Oh nooooooooooooooo!

Do your patriotic duty and let the State Board of Elections know you want bigger signs, and more of them.

DMV Mobile Unit schedule for 11/9 through 11/13

The DMV mobile units are scheduled for stops this week in several NC communities not serviced by a conventional DMV facility: Belhaven, Columbus, Fairmont, St. Pauls, and Swan Quarter. Here is the schedule.

While there is no longer a strict requirement for photo ID in order to vote in NC (or at least until the law changes again!), we think you should go ahead and get an ID if you can. We've outlined the reasons why on our web site.

The DMV Mobile Units offer NC citizens in outlying communities a chance to acquire a photo ID for the 2016 election. Democracy NC has a helpful handout on the application process.​​