What recourse does a voter have

[mac56]

if he or she shows up on Election Day, believing he or she had already registered - - and then finds out there's no record of it?

Does this vary from state to state? I hear talk of "provisional ballots" but I'm not sure if they exist here in Georgia.

Is there some sort of central "here's help if you're not able to vote" resource?

[shoelace414]

1. I think proviaional ballots are federally mandated

but wether or not to count them is up to the states

[Not Me]

2. Ask for a provisional ballot, and then call

1-866-OUR VOTE

You will be calling the Election Protection program sponsored by People for the American Way. They will advise you, and connect you with a local advocate attorney if required.

Do not give up your right to vote!

[mongo]

6. If you are in a city in a swing state

There is a good chance an election protection volunteer will be outside the poll waiting to help you.

[MontecitoDem]

3. Help America Vote Act

mandates provisional ballots. But what happens then is that the provisional ballot will only be opened if the signature on the envelope matches the signature on the registration form. No registration will mean that the provisional ballot is thrown away.

If you show up at the polls and there is no record of you, fill out the provisional ballot. But you won't know if it was counted until after the election when you can contact the registrar to determine whether you where registered or not.

Not sure about Georgia specifics. Call your local registrar now.

[Ruby Romaine]

4. why not have people check now to see if they are registered?

boy scout motto:
be prepared!

[The White Tree]

5. I did this

My wife just registered to vote this year at our new address and she received a voter registartion card in the mail telling her where her polling place would be. I had registered in 2002 and I did not get one, though I had gotten one for the primaries. I called my local election office and verified that I was registered 3-4 weeks ago.

You should be able to get the number by looking online for your local office. Call them or go there in person and make sure.

[AndyTiedye]

7. Same Day Registration is the ONLY Recourse

Provisional ballots won't be counted if there really isn't any
record of your registration (because Sproul inc., threw it away!).

We need same-day registration NOW.

[SudieJD]

8. In Minnesota..

In Minnesota, you can register on election day. I'm not sure if there are other states that do this.

Sudie in MN

[ISUGRADIA]

9. It helps to have some proof of registration

1) Easiest way to check to avoid this problem on election day is to call the election office and confirm your registration.

2) Always keep your voter registration card. If they cannot find your registration you have proof that you DID REGISTER IN THE COUNTY at one point. This will help because the burden will shift to the election office to show why you were removed from the rolls. Under federal law there are very few reasons that a voter can be removed if the voter remains at the same residence.

[GregD]

10. Georgia experts:

These folks are very active in GA
http://www.countthevote.org/

I also agree that you should call the voter protection hotline, along with reporting the problem to http://www.verifiedvoting.org/eirs/

[Carla in Ca]

11. See if this website helps

<http://www.verifiedvoting.org/>