SHOCKER AT THE POLLS

I guess I could believe in a black Republican.

But a black woman?

In a wheelchair??

HELL no.

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old europe wrote:

Setanta wrote:
For the clueless Europeans in this thread:

AMERICANS DO NOT REGISTER AS MEMBERS OF POLITICAL PARTIES WHEN THEY REGISTER TO VOTE. THEREFORE, IN A PRIMARY ELECTION, THEY MUST INDICATE TO THE POLL WORKERS WHICH PARTY'S PRIMARY ELECTION THEY WISH TO VOTE IN, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS OF BOTH PARTIES.

He's talking about me!

<stands up>

So, two more questions, your honour:

1. I thought Americans did register as members of political parties when registering to vote. In some cases. (So: when exactly?)

You thought wrong. Beginning about 25 years ago, people began to bring suit against state secretaries of state because they were required to state a party affiliation at the time of their registration (in most states, the Secretary of State is responsible for the election bureau). So, beginning about 20 years ago, states scrapped the requirement to state a party affiliiation at the time of registering to vote. Therefore, the story here hinges upon the poll workers assuming a black woman would want to vote in the Democratic primary and not the Republican. I'm pointing out that this is likely a bullshit story, because for 20 years and more, poll workers habitually ask which primary you wish to vote in.

Quote:

2. Why is it still not done in secrecy - like, you get a list of every party, cast your vote(s) on one party's list, drop the list you vote on into a "my vote" box and the other list(s) into a "not my vote" box...? Or you could use a 'puter, and it would be even simpler.... I mean, why does everybody have to know your party affiliation kindofsortofyouknow???

Don't be absurd--of course they don't know your party affiliation--they only know which party's primary you voted in. I believe there's even a handful of states in which the voters can vote in both primaries. Nevertheless, if you were an ideological supporter of the Democrats, you could still ask to vote in the Republican primary.

This fairy tale that SS has posted depends upon the use of an electronic voting machine, as opposed to a paper ballot. Paper ballots are less and less common in the United States--i've only ever used paper ballots when i requested one, because i didn't intend to vote for any of the candidates for President, but wanted to vote for the other offices, and therefore requested a paper ballot, wrote my own name in for President, and completed the rest of the ballot in the ordinary manner.

This silly story only works if you understand: 1. That Americans do not commonly register with any party affiliation; 2. That the primary election in question is being carried out by electronic voting machine, and the claim of the story is that the poll workers automatically set the machine for the Democratic primary, without asking the woman which party she wished to vote in; 3. The odds are very high that this story is complete bullshit.

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In CA, all voters apparently are asked to state party affiliation, though they may decline.

https://ovr.ss.ca.gov/votereg/OnlineVoterReg

and in alaska
http://ltgov.state.ak.us/elections/c03.pdf

arizona
http://www.azsos.gov/election/forms/VoterRegistrationForm.pdf

colorado
http://www.elections.colorado.gov/WWW/default/Clerks%20Corner/SOS%20Approved%20Forms/english_voter_reg_fillable.pdf

connecticut
http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/electforms/ed671.pdf

dunno about alabama.

but it's starting to look like most states do ask for your party affiliation.

Ohio is like Wisconsin, though -- they don't want to know your party until you actually vote in the primary.

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old europe wrote:

patiodog wrote:
Here in Wisconsin you don't have to state party affiliation when you register, and can vote in any one party's primary.

And patiodog, can you vote in every party's primary, or just in any party's primary?

In almost all states, you can only vote in one party's primary.

Keep in mind, that a Democrat who is satisfied with the Democratic slate, either because their preferred candidates were unopposed, or almost guaranteed to win, might request to vote in the Republican primary, just to muddy the waters. I've known Republican voters who did this regularly, and bragged about it--i've never met a self-avowed Democrat who did this, but they may exist.

You can only vote in one party's primary in almost all states, but the poll workers have to ask you which primary you intend to vote in, because the registration rolls no longer contain party affiliation information.

Are you guys dense?

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Here you register day of election. I am very loosely affiliated with the Democratic party, but if I preferred a candidate in another party's primary, I'd vote that way.

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patiodog wrote:

Ohio is like Wisconsin, though -- they don't want to know your party until you actually vote in the primary.

Even then, they're not essentially asking what your party affiliation is, but just which primary you intend to vote in. I don't believe that i stated party affiliation in either Illinois or Virginia, although that's been many years ago. I didn't live in New Mexico long enough for this to become an issue.

You're looking at online voter registration? It might be asking for party affiliation for the purposes of primary elections. Are you sources asserting that you'd be asked this question if you registered in person at the country Board of Elections office?

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I'm just looking at the mail-in forms for voter registration. The links should work, if you want to take a gander.

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This joker in the article is going off on Frau Clinton. That's New York. From the New York City voter registration site:

The application contains a section where you can indicate your choice for party affiliation. If you would like to register without designating a party, simply mark the space indicating "I do not wish to enroll in a party."

The following parties are recognized in New York State:

* Republican
* Democratic
* Independence
* Conservative
* Working Families

In a Primary Election, only voters registered with one of the parties qualified to hold a primary in New York City may vote to nominate their party's candidate to run in the general election.

Candidates nominated by the parties for each office then appear on the general election ballot, along with any independent candidates who gain access to the general ballot without running in the party primaries.

**************************************************

That clearly shows that one must register with a political affiliation in order to vote in a primary in New York. That means that the author must be registered as a Republican. The voter registration rolls would show that, and it ought to have been plain when she signed in to vote. I even more strongly suspect that this story is bullshit.

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This statement from the Los Angeles voter registration site suggests that listing a party affiliation is optional in California, as well:

Exception: Non-partisan voters (i.e. persons not affiliated with any qualified political party) are allowed to vote for any candidate regardless of the candidate's political affiliation beginning with the March 2002 Primary Election, if political parties adopt party rules authorizing such voters to do so.

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West Virginia's explanation of party affiliation:

West Virginia has a "closed" primary, which means that people registered in one party cannot vote for candidates in another party. At the Primary Election, if you have listed a party choice on your voter registration, you will be given the ballot of that party. You will not have the right to receive the ballot of a different party.

If you register with no party affiliation, you will be given a non-partisan ballot (for Board of Education and any issues on the ballot) in the Primary Election. Also, you may request and receive a Republican ballot, but not a Democratic ballot. The political parties have the right to decide who may participate in their nominating processes. The West Virginia Republican Party voted to allow unaffiliated voters to participate in their nominations, but the Democratic Party allows only registered Democrats to vote that ballot in the Primary Election. [/quote]

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Yep, they've all got an option not to state party affiliation. I believe in CA that meant no primary ballot, and of course voters wouldn't get to vote on any other issue on that ballot. (Not an issue here, of course.)

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Setanta wrote:

This statement from the Los Angeles voter registration site suggests that listing a party affiliation is optional in California, as well:

Exception: Non-partisan voters (i.e. persons not affiliated with any qualified political party) are allowed to vote for any candidate regardless of the candidate's political affiliation beginning with the March 2002 Primary Election, if political parties adopt party rules authorizing such voters to do so.

But, then, I haven't voted in CA since 1996...

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This paragraph is from a story alleging that the IRS audited people based on their party affiliation information. It is from the News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington:

Quote:

Washington state residents do not express a party preference when they register to vote. Residents of 20 other states and the District of Columbia have to provide a party affiliation when registering. Voter registration information is publicly available.

Inferentially, the article says that in 30 states, voters do not list a party preference when registering to vote.

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Looks like the top of the alphabet doesn't give a representative sample in this regard.

I was registered Peace & Freedom Party in CA for a couple of years, just so I wouldn't miss out on anything but wouldn't have to endorse a real party (sorry, Peace and Freedom Party).

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In all the states in which i have voted, you have to check in with poll workers before you vote. That means that you show identification in some states--in others, and this is the case in Ohio, you sign your name to a registration roll, immediately below a facsimile of your signature taken from your registration from--if you signature doesn't match, then they can ask for ID, and if still not satisfied, they give you a provisional ballot and you have to deal with somebody from the county Board of Elections. I only know that much because a woman i know in Ohio long worked for the Election Bureau in the office of the Secretary of State. She is a life-long Democrat, never hides the fact, and found herself unemployed when the Republican Voinovich became Ohio governor.

That's all the more reason to believe that this story is bullshit. If this woman is voting in a Republican primary, it can only be as a voter registered as a Republican. She'd have to identify herself by some means in order to vote, and looking at the registration roll would have identified her as a Republican. I think it's a made up story.

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I got the following from a League of Women Voters brochure for the State of New York.

Quote:

A sample ballot should be posted. If you do not know how to use the voting machine, ask one of the election inspectors for assistance.

If your name does not appear in the polling book and you believe you are eligible to vote in the district, you may vote by affidavit ballot. After validation of your county board of elections, your paper ballot will be counted. Be sure to bring some identification.

Obviously, for this woman to have voted, her name had to appear in the polling book for that district. This story is bullshit.

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Re: SHOCKER AT THE POLLS

Setanta wrote:

Basically, i say: horseshit . . .

Well, one thing is for sure: I could SWEAR I read this exact same story somewhere before... and a while ago, too. I was quite surprised to see it reappear with this recent dateline. I smell a rat, too.

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For those who are not American, allow me to describe the voting process in a primary for you, for I have gone through it. Like New York State, Connecticut requires you to have been registered as a member of the party in whose primary you are voting in. Not all states do, (more about that in a future post), but New York State and Connecticut do.

When you go to vote in a primary, you go to the polling building, (usually a public school). If school is in session, the kids get off that day. You must go to your specific assigned polling buidling-you cannot decide to vote at any other polling building, (each town has several). As you walk through the front door, signs direct you to the room where the machines are, (usually the gymnasium or auditorium). There may or may not be a line.

Right at the doorway of the room where the voting machines are, there will be a table staffed by at least a couple of cheery civic minded volunteers with a list of eligible voters for that polling building who will ask you your name. You either show ID or sign your name, depending on the state's procedure, AND YOUR NAME IS THEN MARKED ON THE LIST AS HAVING VOTED.

In a primary election, assuming that all parties are holding their primaries that day, the party the voter is entitled to vote in HAS to be on that list. If it wasn't on that list, how else could they enforce the law that a voter must have already registered as a member of the party in whose primary he plans to vote? You can't make up your mind then-you must have joined the party before Primary Day to be eligible to vote in the primary. They DO NOT simply ask the person which primary he or she plans to vote in-the primary in which they are allowed to vote is on the list of eligible voters.

The voting machines are usually located ten or twenty feet from the table where they cross you off the list. The path to the machines is marked by ropes and stands-you don't just wander around the room, you must follow the marked path.

Once that is over, the path to the machines-for there are frequently more than one-is lined either by ropes or some markings. As you get near the machines, another volunteer will stop you. He will wait until a machine is open, then direct you to the machine. After you have voted in private, you follow the path which leads you to the exit-which will be a different doorway from which you entered. And that is the end of the process.

As you can see, Sierra Song's little story is pure fantasy. It simply cannot possibly be true. The volunteers do not ask you which primary you are voting in-they check you name on the list and see right then which primary you are ALLOWED to vote in.

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Kelticwizard's point about the New York and Connecticutt primaries is well-taken, and having read about New York's voter registration requirements, i came to the conclusion which i expressed, which is that the story is bullshit.

Note, however, that in 30 states (according to the Tacoma Herald article), there is no such registration requirement to name a party affiliation. I suspect, without asserting as a fact, that in those states, as is the case in Ohio, poll workers ask which party's primary you intend to vote in when you enter the polling place and sign in.

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kelticwizard wrote:

In a primary election, assuming that all parties are holding their primaries that day, the party the voter is entitled to vote in HAS to be on that list. If it wasn't on that list, how else could they enforce the law that a voter must have already registered as a member of the party in whose primary he plans to vote? You can't make up your mind then-you must have joined the party before Primary Day to be eligible to vote in the primary. They DO NOT simply ask the person which primary he or she plans to vote in-the primary in which they are allowed to vote is on the list of eligible voters.

That may be the case in Connecticut and New York, but I can vouch for the fact that it is not the case in Illinois. Here, the voter simply asks for a Republican or Democratic ballot at the polling place. There aren't separate voter lists for each party, just the regular voter list that is also used for the general election. A voter, then, can change party registration just by asking for a different ballot than he or she received at the last primary election. And I think most states that have closed primaries do something similar.

kelticwizard wrote:

As you can see, Sierra Song's little story is pure fantasy. It simply cannot possibly be true. The volunteers do not ask you which primary you are voting in-they check you name on the list and see right then which primary you are ALLOWED to vote in.

Even in Chicago, the poll workers always ask if you want a Republican or Democratic ballot. Not too many people ask for the Republican ballots, but it always remains an option.

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SHOCKER AT THE POLLS

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