NYT: Citizens who lost homes to foreclosure may not be able to vote.

[gauguin57]

Sorry if this is a dupe.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/us/politics/25voting.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

As Homes Are Lost, Fears That Votes Will Be, Too

More than a million people have lost their homes through foreclosure in the last two years, and many of them are still registered to vote at the address of the home they lost. Now election officials and voting rights groups are struggling to prevent thousands of them from losing their vote when they go to the polls in November.

Many of these voters will be disqualified at the polls because, in the tumult of their foreclosure, they neglected to tell their election board of their new address. Some could be forced to vote with a provisional ballot or challenged by partisan poll watchers, a particular concern among Democrats who fear that poor voters will be singled out. That could add confusion and stretch out lines that are already expected to be long because of unprecedented turnout.

Federal election officials say they are concerned that voters are not being properly informed of how to update their addresses.

“Our biggest concern is that many of these voters will stay home or that poll workers will give misinformation,” said Rosemary E. Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, which oversees voting.

[Xipe Totec]

1. What about the people in Bolivar Peninsula?

Not only did they lose their homes, they literally lost their land.

What's your address? Um, the Gulf of Mexico?

[yellowdogintexas]

9. we can early vote in Tejas so all they need to do is get to a location

in that county. Or they can get absentee ballots if they are not so shell shocked they don't think about it.

The early voting in Texas is nice in that it is available for 2 weeks, open on Sat and Sunday and most counties have many locations.

I am hoping the local parties are trying to get absentee ballots to the shelters or something. YOu know the down ticket people in the local stuff from that part of the state are taking action on this, every House and Senate seat in the Texas Legislature is up plus a US Senate seat, all of Congress and other local stuff in Harris, Galveston, and the other impacted counties.

We want Harris counted in the presidential of course because it is pretty blue down there, but all that downticket stuff is crucial. Losing that whole area would really be a problem.

[Lint Head]

2. They are the people that should vote.

:dem:

[mth44sc]

3. I guess being a citizen of US

isn't enough. Ya gotta own property.

Kinda takes ya back a century or so

[yellowdogintexas]

13. no, Renters can vote. It is a slimeball way of purging voters who

may not be living at former address. What these people did was TARGET foreclosure lists to send out mailers that would be returned to sender, then they would purge.

[undeterred]

4. Homeless people can vote in Wisconsin.

They have to list a place where they usually sleep, whether its a shelter, or a place they sleep in a parked car, or a park bench. You do not have to have a "permanent residence" just a place that you usually sleep, and you can register the day of the election.

[Retrograde]

5. In most states, you have until Oct. 6 to register

If you've been foreclosed on, shouldn't you be able to make arrangements to rent, or share housing, with someone as your legal address? Property ownership is not required

[gauguin57]

6. Part of problem is that, for people who've lost a house, re-registering to vote is low priority.

They may not think of it till right before the election, and not find out they can't vote till they get to the polls.

[renate]

7. wow... a million people?

In just two years? :wow: I hadn't heard that number before. This is so sad.

[yellowdogintexas]

8. one can vote in 2 consecutive Federal cycles at one's old address

as long as not re registered somewhere else.

FEDERAL ELECTION RULES

and I am glad the NYT finally picked up on this.

[msallied]

11. Ah! Well I didn't get to that part of the article yet!

That makes great sense then.

[yellowdogintexas]

12. I was told that by the campaign manager for our local State Rep

when I was ranting and raving around the volunteer office about the Michigan thing about 3 weeks ago.


I knew I had done this in the past, when a move interfaced badly timing wise with voting.

[msallied]

10. My husband and I made sure to get in our change of address right away

on our voter registration after we moved into our new place. But that was back in May and we had a gubernatorial primary to vote in as well, so that gave us impetus.