SC VOTERS BEWARE! STRAIGHT- TICKET BALLOT ALERT!!

[DemoTex]

I voted my absentee ballot in person today in Greenville. I was surprised to learn that SC law requires that you vote separately for president/vice-president, even if you vote a straight-ticket. I looked over the sample ballots on the wall outside the polling place and found them very clear on this issue. However, a poll worker told me that very few people read the instructions. A straight Democratic ticket alone does not give Kerry/Edwards your vote in SC! Verb sap!

[Trajan]

1. WTF do they do shit like this ? ...

It seems like obstacles are BLATANTLY strewn into the path of voters ....

What fuckers ...

[LiberalFighter]

2. How can that be??? We don't really vote for the Pres/VP

We vote for the electors that vote for us!! And they can only for the complete ticket.

[Lancer]

3. It has been this way in NC for many years

and the instructions on the ballot are clear.

Still, people don't bother to read, thus several hundred thousand straight ticket ballots had no candidate selected for President in 2000.

The Lord helps those that help themselves.

[oddtext]

4. Same in NC

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. Is this paper or computer?

[Shopaholic]

6. I did the absentee thing last week here in SC

but actually filled out my ballot at the county election office. They were very clear in their instructions that if we wanted to vote straight party we still had to vote for president & vice-president seperately. So hopefully, people won't misunderstand, but I'm sure that there will be some who do, on both sides of the political spectrum.

[DemoTex]

10. Paper absentee ballot. SC state law applies to electronic ballots, too.

I'm contacting media to try to get the word out.

[upsidedown]

7. It's the same here in NC.

So make sure to read the instructions carefully before voting!

[Bandit]

8. I hope the Democrats have people at the polls to remind voters of this

:shrug: It probably would pay big dividends if we have people at the polls offering information and watching the republican poll watchers.

[karlrschneider]

9. Yikes!...that's weird, Mac! I picked up a sample ballot here in OK

yesterday and it does have a "straight party voting" option, as usual (but I've never used it...I always connect the arrows for each race/question) We haven't given in to the touch-screen bullshit, thankfully. Our ballots look like this (abbreviated example):


Kerry/Edwards ---<--->---
Bush/Cheney ---< >---

We just draw a line connecting the choice, like as in above. They're counted by optical scanning, and I think it's pretty honest. At least there's a piece of paper that gets kept!

K

[DemoTex]

11. I just contacted the Greenville, SC, NBC affiliate WYFF-TV newsroom ...

They are extremely interested in this story. They had no idea that this strange state law existed. This is going to an anchor immediately. Tomorrow I will contact other state media.

Like Dr. Hunter S. Thompson said, "strange tales from strange times."

[GreenInNC]

12. Judges also here in NC

Since we went to non partisan judges here in NC, you have to vote for them separately.

[DemoTex]

13. Kick

:kick:

[hedda_foil]

14. Wow! Thanks for this post!

[DemoTex]

15. Kick

:kick:

[DemoTex]

16. Kick

:kick:

[NinetySix]

17. That's actually a good thing. Let me explain why.

South Carolina, especially the area where I grew up, is EXTREMELY conservative, and people there view anyone there who is not a Republican with contempt.

But here's the thing: many, many people there WILL be voting a straight party ticket -- straight REPUBLICAN, that is! In one of the reddest of the red states, do you think die-hard Republcans are going to read the instructions on their ballots, worried that perhaps their vote might be in jeopardy unless they are extremely careful? Hell no. It occurs to me that this could actually help OUR cause!

I did not vote a straight party ticket. As I always do, I voted for each individual office, usually for the Democrat, occasionally for the Libertarian or even the Natural Law candidate, but always against the Republican. Never voted for one, and barring some unforeseen political upheaval, can't imagine that I ever will.

Go Inez!

[lanparty]

18. jump ball ...

... it works the same way for Republicans as well. And you know what, I think they're a LOT more likely to vote "straight ticket".

But I think it's good to inform the troops!!!!