Rachel Maddow is looking at US North Carolina! Fix our ballot!!

[SaveAmerica]

Last edited Sat Nov 3, 2012, 01:48 AM - Edit history (1)

Tonight Rachel touched on something that drives me crazy when I go vote in NC - we have to fill in the oval for president twice if we want to vote a straight party ticket. If you complete the oval for Straight Party Dem but don't fill in the oval for President with Obama and VP Biden in a separate section, you have not voted for President!! That's insane!!

Why wouldn't voting straight party Democrat include the Democratic candidates for P and VP? It should!!

In 2008 in our little county part of the GOTV effort was to encourage straight party voting and remind people of this crazy rule. Now I wonder how many people didn't know about it and didn't vote for Obama and Biden?

I've decided that this will be my next project to work on, getting that requirement off of the ballot. If you want to vote Straight Party it will include Pres and VP.

Now...

How do I do that? Does it start with the Secretary of State? Does someone in our State Legislature have to get that started? If anyone has any idea, please let me know.

Cause, Rachel, I'm looking at NC too!!

[jenw2]

1. Interesting decision to seperate them like that

Now if in WA we could get the right to vote straight party, it would be great. Of course, there's the other issue of the fact that the ballots are mailed, and it seems like a lot of them either aren't mailed or get lost on the way.

[easychoice]

6. ballot issues?

The ballots came out on the 20th. here in Seattle.If you or anyone you know didn't get a mail in ballot they can contact the elections people and get a new ballot or check to see if their ballot was counted online at the link below.The ballot envelopes don't even have to have postage affixed.The post office has to deliver them anyway.

In addition,the failure rate for first class mail delivery is some absurd percentage like .0001%. I doubt that you or anyone you know is a victim of fraud or failure.But the mechanisms are in place to address any of your concerns.If you are not in King County google your county election board and they will respond to your concerns.
Best of luck to you.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections.aspx

[LisaL]

2. I think that was done to actually improve odds for democrats down the ticket.

But seems like it backfired. People need to be educated about that.

[SaveAmerica]

12. I agree about educating people, but there are just so many folks

voting and only so many who are trying to get the word out. I think I'll start with the Board of Election on November 7 and find out what I have to do next.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Alaska doesn't have that "straight party" option.

What is the purpose for it? Is it really so difficult to fill in a few ovals?

[Lex]

4. It's more than a few ovals.

And if you are voting for all Dems anyway, why not have the option?

[jenw2]

5. In some states, the party isn't allowed to be put on the ballot

Here in WA, only the presidential candidate has their party listed. I haven't received my ballot yet, but in previous elections it took me a few hours with Google doing research in order to vote. Having a party bubble would really help in determining the voter's intent.

[easychoice]

7. What County do you live in?

You didn't receive a ballot?Well, that blows my theory all to smithereens.
Anyway,which county?

[jenw2]

10. King County

Any vote lost here is an 80% chance of a win for a Republican.

[easychoice]

11. contact these people immediately

You may have to go pick one up Monday.There is little time now.We need your vote badly.


http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections.aspx

King County Elections

919 Southwest Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057-2906
Contact us

206-296-VOTE (8683)
TTY: Relay: 711
FAX: [phone]

[LisaL]

9. Have you tried to find out where your ballot is?

Seems extremely bizarre you haven't received it by now.

[jenw2]

25. Bizarre? If you have friends in the Seattle area you can check on their votes

I've checked more than a dozen, and no one I checked has had their vote counted yet. I went through a longer list after the Aug election, and no one I checked in that group had their vote counted.

[Journeyman]

8. Don't have a "straight party" option in California, and with the new "two highest vote getters". . .

from the primary placed in contention in the general, there wasn't a Democrat running in some of the State contests on my ballot. I had a choice between two Republicans. So I left that match blank. Didn't like it when this was proposed on the ballot last year, and I refuse to participate now that the asinine idea is in vogue.

[wishlist]

13. But Pres choice is first and very prominent, before straight party

I do not think this is a big concern. Firstly, because the Pres oval is in such a big prominent location before you get to the straight party and then other candidates. Plus I have worked the polls for NC board of elections myself for many years and this year I have gone to various different poll locations early for myself and others and observed that for every single voter, the election workers have emphasized and pointed out on the ballot the need to vote for Pres separately.

[SaveAmerica]

15. (also to NC4BO) I had so many people in '08 tell me they thought

you just go to straight party and vote there and it includes everyone. There's no need for the additional step that disqualifies you if you don't fill in both ovals, those are potential votes lost when it should be clear that if someone filled Dem straight ticket they want the Dem Presidential candidate. There are any number of reasons that someone would fill straight and not pres candidate, there should be no reason to disqualify someone who voted straight dem but not president. That's a vote lost for president and is senseless.

And when I voted this year no one told me about it, thankfully I already knew to vote this way. Ironically I usually happily fill every oval in for each office but this year I went ahead and did straight party and then my judges. I promise you I questioned myself several times that night "Did I do 1, 2, 3"?!!

[nc4bo]

18. That's why I said I hadn't given it a 2nd thought. If there's some reason, any reason that

the ballot is being used to deceive people than by all means, it needs to be changed.

Voting should be made as easy and commonsense as possible and those who believe otherwise should be prevented from interfering with American democracy.

If it's a problem, fix it! I've got no problem with that whatsoever!

[SaveAmerica]

20. I agree! Just to be sure, I asked the next 5 people I ran into

if they had already voted and if they knew about the need to do 3 steps if they vote straight party, 2 already knew, 1 didn't know previously but was told in a very clear way before she voted by BoE employee, 1 did not know at all and when I told her if she voted straight party and didn't vote Pres separate she didn't cast a vote for President she was surprised and said 'really?, that is very interesting'. All 5 have already voted.

That one who didn't know is the most important one to me.

[nc4bo]

14. Hadn't given this a 2nd thought. The Dem. Rep reminded us as did the Election Officials....

I could see if no one was told - perhaps there's an effort to not remind people somewhere but we've never had it happen to us.

[oswaldactedalone]

16. Dem voter guides in my county

clearly lay out the steps, ie, 1. Vote Obama-Biden, 2. Vote Straight Dem ticket, 3. The recommended selections in the non-partisan races, of which there are often quite a few depending on the county you're in.

[kerouac2]

17. Someone should be pointing it out to every voter in line.

I hope that is happening.

[SaveAmerica]

21. It didn't happen to me and my family the day we early voted,

basically it needs to be changed because with voter turn-out as it is, how can every single voter be told?

[kerouac2]

22. Volunteers taking shifts walking the line?

sad but that may be the only way to make sure...

[Dalai_1]

19. When I voted in NC

There were signs all over the area we voted that said the vote was separate for the president..
It was reiterated when I was checked in to vote..when I got into the voting booth
a poll person again reiterated the vote for president was separate from the rest
of the ticket all stating it was not included in a straight party vote..

I like that, especially if some only go to the polls only to vote for the presidential candidate.
So many do not keep up with the rest of the candidates unfortunately..if this were
the case with the Fla ballots right now in counties with 10 page ballots at least their
vote for President could be recorded even if the rest were not filled out...

[SaveAmerica]

23. To be sure, we need to have both choices on the ballot

Just President if you don't know of or care about the other candidates, or straight party. But someone who isn't informed about that rule shouldn't have their vote invalidated because they don't know. A vote for straight party without the bubble filled for Pres should still be a vote for the Dem Pres.

[LisaL]

24. I am really glad to hear that.

I think it's fair to assume most people in a presidential election want to vote for president. Yet there was a large number of undervotes in 2008 and 2004, because some people in NC didn't realize they have to vote for president separately.