First time voters MUST SHOW ID - even if voting ABSENTEE...

[polichick]

"Let me tell you about one other of these scams people should know about. If you're a newly registered voter - and of course the Democrats have done these gigantic registration drives - 12 million people on registration - if you're a new voter you MUST include your license or some other state I.D. when you come to vote. What that means is that if you're a college kid (and college kids now - they're sending in absentee ballots - they're not going to the voting place, they do everything online or they do everything remotely - they don't dream of going to the precinct house voting on election day and waiting in a long line) so if they send in the absentee ballot and they don't include a color copy of their license their vote is going to be thrown into a trash can. And none of these people know this because you have had to read the law in order to know it. So there is no notification for when you fill out your registration form, so all of those 12 million people that the Democrats have registered: those ballots are going to be just thrown out."

~ Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

http://www.truthout.org/article/rfk-jr-and-mike-papantonio-is-your-vote-safe


Checking up on this, I stopped at the local Board of Elections this morning. In my county a notice is sent to the address given on the absentee ballot request form, stating that a color copy of an official ID must be sent in a separate (enclosed) envelope ~ not at the time of voting (since the absentee ballot is meant to be secret).

As RFK Jr. points out, there isn't always notification and in some areas it may be possible to send the ID copy with the absentee ballot. This is an issue college students need to know about ASAP. They should call the Board of Elections where they registered and ask if a copy of their ID is already on file, or if it needs to be sent in.

[polichick]

1. PLEASE DIGG the RFK Jr. article about protecting our votes...

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/t_r_u_t_h_o_u_t_Is_your_vote_safe

[IndyOp]

2. You should only have to include the copy IF you didn't include it when you registered -

I think.

If you are registering to vote for the first time and you register by mail, then the form instructs you to include a photocopy of an I.D. or some other particular types of identification forms. If you DON'T do this then you have to show the forms when you go to vote at the polls or you have to mail a copy with your absentee ballot.

Where do you live and did you check to see if a voter has to include a copy with their absentee ballot if they already included a copy when they registered?

[polichick]

3. The problem is with the huge voter reg. drives Dems have done...

The campaign collects the voter reg. forms and turns them in without a copy of ID ~ so those voters will need to show ID at the polls or send in a copy of the ID before voting absentee.

(Here they don't want the ID copy with the ballot itself, since it's a private ballot with name only on the outside of the envelope. And yes, if there is an ID on file from the original registration you don't need to send another to vote absentee.)

The Obama campaign has walked in literally millions of voter reg. forms WITHOUT copies of ID so we have to spread the word.

[IndyOp]

11. Polichik - I think you are wrong. Walking in the forms without copies of ID is fine

- at least in Indiana. The law in Indiana says that so long as the forms are delivered by hand to the voter registration office then the voter does NOT have to submit any additional documentation. It is ONLY if the form arrives at the registration office by mail that the voter has to include additional documentation. In other words -- there is a loophole in the law such that if the Obama campaign or McCain campaign or the union or the League of Women Voters or the local high school teacher carries the forms in by hand then the voter does not have to include identification documentation or submit such documentation when they vote using an absentee ballot.

From the Indiana voter registration form: Identification Documentation If you are registering to vote in Indiana for the first time, and you are sending this application by mail, you must provide identification documentation. Identification may include a current and valid photo id, current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document that shows the name and address of the voter. You may include a copy of your identification with this application. Do not mail an ORIGINAL copy of your document! If you do not provide identification with this application or to the county voter registration office before electionday, you will be asked for it the first time you vote.

You can download the Indiana Voter Registration form here: http://www.indianavoters.com/PublicSite/PublicMain.aspx

Your state may be different. My problem with these generally-worded ALERTS is that some are relevant to some people in some states and the rest of the people who read it panic when they did not need to.

[dana_b]

4. maybe ignored, but I sent this article to MTV and the Choose or Lose section

hopefully they'll take an interest.

[polichick]

5. Thanks! Just called campaign headquarters...

Our local Obama office was unaware of this ~ YIKES!

[sandnsea]

6. Oregon requires DL# or last 4 of ss

You only have to provide copies of other info if you didn't have a DL or social security number when you registered, and didn't provide any copies of resident requirements either.

People should check their state laws. Our DMV lady is refusing to register people without copies because she thinks that's the law.

[polichick]

7. PA requires DL# or last 4 of SS too - but Fed. law requires copy of ID for first timers...

This is from our state voters site:

"If you are voting for the first time in your county and you intend to vote by absentee ballot, please include a copy of a form of identification with your voter registration application. Otherwise, you will be required by federal law to include a copy of a form of identification with your absentee ballot."

http://www.votespa.com/HowtoVote/GuideforFirstTimeVoters/tabid/77/language/en-US/Default.aspx

[sandnsea]

8. "absentee"

It's important to get the info out there, but it's also important to get the right info out there. Plus, different states have additional requirements. Iowa, for instance, has voter ID requirements but a precinct official can waive them if they know the voter.

[polichick]

9. Yes, it's the absentee votes that are at risk...

First timers going to the polls can show an ID there. But the campaign has registered tons of first timers who will vote from college by absentee ballot. Copies of ID weren't collected from them during the voter reg. drives ~ they're the ones who need to send in IDs.

[sandnsea]

10. Okay, maybe I misunderstood

We've had a registration problem here, so I'm concerned about it from the other end, of registrars requiring too much info.

Pain in the ass, isn't it. :grr: