LOUISIANA MOTOR VOTER REGISTRATION PROBLEMS

[Joanne98]

League of Women Voters of Louisiana (LWVLA) calls for the Governor and Secretary of State to take immediate action to assist voters on election day, November 4, 2008. The League of Women Voters of Louisiana (LWVLA) learned late Friday, 10/31/2008, of irregularities that can cause some citizens who registered to vote at the LA Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to NOT be on the Registrar of Voters rolls for the Election on November 4, 2008. Incidents have been reported that indicate this problem may be statewide (Orleans Parish to North Louisiana).

The LWVLA is asking the Governor and the Secretary of State to validate the voter registration for any citizen who checked the box to be registered to vote at the DMV and was not properly processed by the state agency. The citizen to obtain their driver’s license provided all basic information necessary for their voter registration. The 21-day notice should be made available to the Voter for further confirmation as is required by the Parish Registrar of Voters since this was not available to the voter in a timely manner such as the case of Mr. Johnson.

Linda Walker, Voter Services Chair of the LWV of New Orleans reported: "Scott Johnson, an Orleans Parish resident went to the DMV office on Airline Dr. in Jefferson Parish on August 12, 2008 to obtain a Louisiana drivers license. The DMV clerk asked if he wanted to register to vote and he said yes. She took all his information, but did not give him a form to fill out. The week-end before the October 4th election he passed a League registration table at the grocery store and learned that he should have received a card in the mail from the Registrar's office with his necessary information. On October 10th he called the local Registrar of Voters and talked to Dr. Sandra Wilson, who said he was not registered. She even e-mailed him later after going through the latest batch of registrations sent over by the DMV to let him know that they did not find his registration in the late coming batch.

Two weeks ago Johnson called Secretary of State's office to ask about the problem. The person who took the call looked up his driver's license # and was able to determine the date he applied for the license, but there was no record of a voter registration. The SOS representative said she would file his complaint."

According to Patty Andrews, other information indicates that the Secretary of State's Office has received other reports from North Louisiana.

Citizens, who registered to vote on or before October 6, 2008 at the DMV, should go the precinct in which they believe they should vote. If a citizen is not listed on the Registrar of Voter rolls, the person should insist upon receiving and casting a Provisional Ballot in this election, as voting is their constitutional right as a citizen of the State of Louisiana and of the United States of America.

Citizens who registered to vote after October 6, 2008 and by November 6 are not eligible to vote in the Nov. 4th Presidential election. They are however, eligible to vote in the December 6th election.

Jean Armstrong, LWVLA President, said, "Every citizen who registered to vote, should vote in this historic Presidential election. In a close election, a handful of votes could decide the outcome of the election. Every benefit should be given to the voter. If there is a challenge, let it come after the election."

Every citizen who has registered to vote has the right not to be intimidated on the basis of race, national origin or language minority status when seeking to cast their ballot. Citizens also have the right to freely cast their ballot. In Louisiana, all law enforcement activity and electioneering is prohibited within a 600 feet radius of a polling place. Report any intimidating activity to 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

The League of Women Voters of Louisiana (LWVLA) believes that the Justice Department should use every possible legal means to guarantee and protect the constitutional right of every citizen to vote. The LWVLA is the co-founder and proud member of the Louisiana Voting Rights Network.

http://www.lwv-la.org/

[kestrel91316]

1. When I moved last year and changed my address with DMV they were supposed

to update my info with the county registrar of voters. THEY DID NOT. Thankfully I realized it and got a paper registration form mailed in JUST IN TIME. Same thing happened to my assistant's fiance.

Here's the deal: NEVER EVER TRUST MOTOR VOTER "REGISTRATION". They do not reliably register voters.