I was purged - Here in New York City. Along with Tim Robbins.

[Genevieve]

This has never happened to me before. They asked me when I voted last, I said 2 years ago.
I had to fill out a paper ballot, and was not allowed to
vote on any issues. I was guaranteed my vote would be counted.

I've been voting in the same place for twelve years -- What the fuck??

[trayfoot]

1. Did you make a complaint at the Board of Elections?

[Genevieve]

3. I just got home - but yes, I am going to.

I can't believe this happened in Manhattan.

[Ozma]

2. What are the rules in your city as to how that works?

We have to fill out a census form for the town every January, miss two of them and you're off the rolls.

[high density]

4. Why are they purging people after 2 years??

I hope it was just a mistake.

[NYCGirl]

5. I wasn't purged, but I did have to wait almost 5 hours to vote!

(In Greenwich Village)

[Genevieve]

10. I'm in Greenwich Village too.

I had no wait at all.
It's so weird that I was purged - My son, who has never voted before was on the list,
But I wasn't!

[Renew Deal]

18. Go to this website and check yourself

https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/votersearch.aspx

It's the NYS BoE website.

[Genevieve]

26. Thank you!! -- Just did

"No Matches Found Please contact your County Board of Elections"

[Renew Deal]

37. Oh shit.

Not good. There was a story last week about voters purges, but I thought it was BS because it didn't say anything new. I guess it was a problem after all.

[tigereye]

12. wow!

You would think NYC would have enough machines....

is that what it was?



what I don't get is how someone could be purged when the last election WAS 2 years ago... :wtf:

[Genevieve]

16. There were no lines -- I don't think that was the problem.

And I get called for Jury Duty all the time, which makes it
particularly suspicious.

[Princess Turandot]

40. It's not suspicious on that basis..

They cast a wide net for jury duty; they also get names from tax rolls and drivers' licenses.

[NYCGirl]

25. At my polling place (10th St. & Broadway), the polling people were really slow —

the only guy looking up the names for a long time was about 86 years old and couldn't see very well. Hundreds of people were waiting, and two or three machines weren't occupied. About half an hour before I got into the voting room, they added another person checking names.

[Genevieve]

28. My polling place: 11th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue.

It was empty today (about 1:45PM).

[trueblue2007]

6. I just heard about TIM ROBBINS being Purged.

We have to OVERHAUL the elections in our country. GO BACK TO PAPER AND PENCIL ballots.

NO Hanging chads.

We vote by mail in Oregon. We use Pen and paper.



NO MACHINES!!!!
Remember how the Machines take over in the Terminator!!!
Just say no!!

[LSK]

11. Tim Robbins purged and Oprah saw her vote flip, we just got some big advocates

I hope they lead a push for a national paper ballot election system.

[No Elephants]

39. I don't want advocates. I want this election. Otherwise, I;'m rioting. Not kidding.

[musette_sf]

14. and on a similar note

my county (Alameda County in Northern California) spent a pile of dough for those BS touchscreen machines. the ONLY election that was ever held on them was the gubernatorial election for the BS "recall".

due to pressure re election fraud brought to bear on the Secy of State, they were declared invalid for any future elections.

and we all know who was supposedly "elected" in the recall election.... the Terminator.

[juno jones]

24. I voted in that election

Albeit in a different county and on paper, but the ascendancy of Arnie combined with those machines always set off alarm bells.

[dflprincess]

15. We use scanners in Minnesota so there is an audit trail

but we also have same day registration so if you were find yourself purged, you could just register at your polling place. And, you get an actual ballot, not a provisional one.

[RNdaSilva]

21. Oregon & Washington are light years ahead...

but, never had a problem in California.

[jillan]

33. 1866ourvote.

[woolldog]

7. Why didn't you check the rolls months ago????

[lapfog_1]

13. Tim Robbins voted in the primary... and has voted in the

same polling location for 15 years.

And they still purged him.

[Genevieve]

22. Me too - Tim Robins and I vote

in the same school.
I voted in the primary - I've been
voting from this location for 12 years.

[bicentennial_baby]

29. I'm confused...You told them 2 years, but you voted in the Primary?

[Genevieve]

34. I did say 2 years --

But I also voted in the Primary.
I think my name got purged really recently -- only about a month and a half
ago I was notified about jury duty.

My friend's husband got purged as well.

[woolldog]

32. how many threads were there on DU telling people to check?

They were threads on this topic constantly.

[kwolf68]

8. Dang..

So they are taking New York...bummer.

[lapfog_1]

9. Do not vote a provisional ballot.

Ask to speak to an elections official.

You may have to do what Tim Robbins did... which sounds difficult (travel to downtown location and speak to election supervisiors).. You will need to speak to a judge and have him or her declare that you are allowed to vote.

[JackBeck]

17. Happened to my co-worker's niece.

She was a mess on the phone and was so upset she couldn't be consoled.

Wonder what's going on here in NYC...????

[greenmutha]

19. Please report this to the Obama Campaign! Here's the link:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/vpcreport

[deadmessengers]

20. Truth be told, the voting rolls needed a good purging there.

I moved from NYC to Georgia in 1995, and as of last year, I was still registered to vote in the Bronx. Every year, a new voter registration card would show up addressed to me at my mom's apartment, my last address in NYC. I haven't checked this year, though.

[suffragette]

23. Some info from the article on Robbins that may help

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/tim-robbins-encounters-confusion-at-the-polls/?apage=1
It did not get to that. Mr. Robbins was offered the chance to fill out an affidavit ballot. He filled it out, but did not submit it, and instead insisting on speaking to an official from the city’s Board of Elections, who informed him that he could go to the board’s Manhattan office, at 200 Varick Street, near West Houston Street. There, board officials verified that Mr. Robbins was indeed a properly registered voter, in the board’s database.

Paul G. Feinman, a Civil Court judge who was standing by to hear challenges from voters denied access to the polls, ruled that the board must allow Mr. Robbins to vote. As of 1 p.m., Mr. Robbins was making his way back to the McBurney YMCA to cast his ballot.

So that gives you the address and notes there is a judge there to hear your situation.

And contact the local Obama or Dem office since they need to hear that they need to raise a ruckus about this.

[Overseas]

27. K&R for the vote purging file.

I thought the purging would be only in swing states, so this New York action is surprising.

Perhaps there's some kind of popular vote game the Republicans plan to run this time?

In any case, glad you're reporting the incident. It will be added to the stacks of voter purging cases in election 2008.

Information is being assembled more efficiently this time. That will be a big help if and when there are any election challenges either by us or instituted by the GOP.

[riqster]

30. Purged, or made 'inactive'? nt

[Genevieve]

38. What is the difference?

Thank you.

[riqster]

41. Purged means permanently removed

...and it is harder for BOE's to do that-they must wait longer, meet more stringent criteria, etc. Making 'inactive' may be done sooner, and for more reasons.

The question is: is the BOE acting illegally? That is the key here, if they are not acting in accordance with the law you can hammer them in court. Your state law is what rules here.

[rvablue]

31. If you have the dough.....sue! There will be detailed records of you voting

in past recent elections and according to Help America Vote Act, they have broken federal law by disenfranchising you. They aren't allowed to remove you from the rolls except for moving, death, criminal conviction, or, if you failed to vote recently.

You will win....help to make it a bigger issue in the media....and get some cash that you can always donate to Voter Protection if you don't feel right keeping it.

If you don't have the dough, I suggest you access your previous voting record, it's a public record so all you have to pay for is photocopying and then get in touch with the papers and tv stations in NY.

[jazzjunkysue]

35. I reported my polling place for insisting on ID. I asked the Obama woman and she called

it in to the local Obama office. I gave my name and number.

I did get to vote, but, they were pretty uppity about insisting on my signature ID and when I asked about it, I had to ask for them to give my ID back to me. The woman was holding it in front of me and I had to ask her if she was going to give me my licence back. With alot of attitude, she finally did.

They said it was to prevent repeat voting, but, I saw then cross my name off with a highlighter, preventing me from voting again, anyway.

I hope it didn't prevent someone else from voting. This was 4:00, so, I guess they were doing it all day.

[JustAnotherGen]

36. Oh no!

I hope this doesn't happen to the guy I canvassed with today who lives in Brooklyn!