This morning I went to the state board of elections website to request an absentee ballot. Learned a few things:
first, the state board of elections website looks like it was built in 1997.
second, I actually need the county board of elections. Which has a better website.
third, they don't have an application online. I have to call and request an application, which has to be filled out and mailed in to get an absentee ballot.
fourth, I don't need an absentee ballot at all because they're doing early voting again this year.
fifth, early voting in Durham has the annoying, nannyish title "One Stop No Excuse Absentee Voting." Statewide it's just called "One Stop Absentee Voting"; I guess the "no excuse" part is Durham's innovation. Thanks, Durham, for provoking a general sense of guilt when I'm trying to be responsible.
There's only one location in the county for early voting, but since there are no statewide elections I don't think the lines will be long. Especially if I go during the day. I hope not anyway! In 2004 the lines for early voting were really long. But that was a much bigger election.
I encourage you to go to the trouble to vote by AT-HOME Absentee. I want people to get in that habit now, so we can force a paper trail after they force paperless voting machines on us. In the meantime, the more of us that vote by at-home absentee, the more they might even get the message ahead of time and not force paperless machines on us after all.
You can print the application online and fax it in after you sign and date it. You do not have to say why you want to vote at home, nor should they hassle you by asking. You used to have to attest to a reason, but they had to lift that rqmt in order to gain the political guilt-capital of calling it No Excuse voting, as you noticed.
Ray Ubinger
On point #1, as a the frequent user of the SBOE site, as I recall the "new" design is from 1996, not 1997 ;-)
I assume "no excuse" means "no excuse necessary", not "there's no excuse for this"....
Oh! "No Excuse Necessary." I thought they were wagging a metaphorical finger at me and saying "Now you have no excuse not to vote..."
Ray: I see your point, and if they do switch this county to paperless machines I will definitely use a paper absentee ballot. In the meantime, I don't see how using an at-home absentee ballot vs. one stop absentee ballot will communicate anything to the board of elections about my preferences on voting machines.
I'm skeptical due to the vague language like "a growing number," but I'm still glad for this story in today's NY Times about states reconsidering paperless ballots: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/us/politics/24voting.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Also, voting at home lets me photocopy my completed ballot before turning it in. This gives me a way to show direct proof to people that the elections are rigged. I write in certain constitutionally eligible persons for some offices, but those persons do not show up on the tally as having received any votes. I'm thinking of showing my 2004 ballot (and the official tally) to the Durham County Commissioners, and asking them for a public statement on whether or not I should have to pay taxes set by people I was forbidden to vote against. The state constitution explicitly forbids taxation without representation.
Ray Ubinger