voting

[mellowtigger]

I've tried to stay out of the political fray this season. I've mostly succeeded, except for the necessary rants against Bush's activities, of course. Now's the time to be more specific though. Here are my suggestions for effective voting.

1. Get an early copy of your ballot. I started by trying a local newspaper site, but their webpage kept crashing on me. The local chapter of the League Of Women Voters has a functional site. foeclan printed a copy from there for me.  :)  Find something in your area that works.
2. Plan ahead for your visit. There may be exceptionally long wait times this year. Plan ahead. Be ready to talk to your boss and tell him that you won't be in because you're still waiting to vote. Hopefully it won't come to that, but be prepared.
3. Know your local laws. Here in Minnesota, for instance, people are not allowed to bring political paraphernalia into the polling place.  This includes buttons, shirts, and hats. Yes, they can keep you from voting if you disobey your local laws. Some local groups are making plans to have a t-shirt swap available outside the polling stations for anyone who came to the polling place with an Obama shirt, for instance.  Also, Minnesota has same-day voter registration.  Read the rules.
4. Research your candidates. Use that copy of your ballot to do some research. Here in Minnesota, for example, there are actually 7 candidates for the office of the President and Vice President of the USA. I will be doing some research on the many names I have in front of me before casting a vote. I will probably end up voting for Obama/Biden, but I really dislike his stance on the FISA bill. I will be considering other names before I make my choice. (I've already nixed McCain/Palin, but I have 5 other people to learn about before voting.)
5. Review your ballot before finishing.  Especially if you have an electronic polling device, review review review.  Do not press "Cast ballot" until you confirm that every person selected is who you intended to select!  The election official can help you up until you cast your ballot.  After that point, it would be a violation of law for them to intervene in any way.

I consider the act of voting to be a service to the nation, the most important one actually.  Jury duty comes second.  Military service comes third.  Community involvement comes fourth.  Take it seriously.  It's not a high school pep rally, it's serious business.  Behave appropriately.

Comments

[mellowtigger]

That's another good idea. I looked at early voting here in Minnesota, but I didn't match any of the criteria they specified. If they said a person could vote early just to avoid long lines, then I think I might have done it.

And a warning that I didn't think to include above since I never vote exclusively for any political party, Snopes.com has an article up explaining the dangers of voting straight-party ticket.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/straightticket.asp

[moofedct.livejournal.com]

Definitely a good point. I consulted my voting guide but ended up making my own decisions. They weren't all "with the party," but diversity in choice is a good thing.