I’ve talked to enough of you about politics this year that I know where you’re coming from. Fine — you don’t like either Obama or Romney, Democrats or Republicans. You’re not that interested in third parties. You think the system is rigged. So there’s no point in doing anything on Election Day, right?
Wrong.
At this moment, I don’t care if you want to vote. Do you want OTHERS who DO want to vote to be ABLE to vote? If not, that’s pretty cold.
Even if you can’t get aroused to support or oppose one of the propositions — and there’s something for everyone in this year’s grab bag — there’s one thing that you can do to make you feel a little better: stand against those who want to keep other people from voting. That, after all, is just rude. The people who challenge the rights of people who others who do want to vote from doing so — not out of true concern for the validity of their votes, but just because they think that it helps their side win the election no matter what the collateral damage — they are your enemies. You don’t have to buy into the system to reject the idea that others should be able to decide that they want to have their votes counted — and to make it harder for jackanapes (see how hard I’m trying not to curse here?) to stop them.
You can make common cause with a group called Common Cause. From their local representative:
Common Cause is trying to find people who can help on Election Day as Poll Monitors. It occurred to me that the folks at Occupy would find this to be a perfect fit for their activities.
True the Vote is a Tea Party funded organization out of Texas that has been actively challenging large numbers of eligible voters and trying to have them removed from the polling lists. They have also organized affiliated teams in 30 or more states for the purpose of causing disturbances at polling places and intimidating voters.
Their organization here in California is called the Election Integrity Project. During the June primary, they had nearly 1,000 “poll monitors” stationed throughout the state, and some problems were seen, including in Orange County, where County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley had to personally travel to polling places to restore order.
Common Cause has been in close contact with the registrars of voters in Orange, San Diego Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties. These registrars have assured us that their poll workers are being trained on how to deal with disruptive poll observers. Also, Common Cause and our partner organizations have set up teams of attorneys and election experts to answer hotline calls and quickly go to polling places wherever necessary to help settle disputes, But we need help.
We need eyes in the polling places across Orange County. Volunteers would not be expected to intervene or to confront anyone, but rather to call the hotline.
Sorry to melt your cynicism, but what’s wrong with THAT? If you’re in Occupy or Rebellious Truths or some other non-partisan or anti-partisan group, this is something you can do without feeling snookered. You can stand up for basic human decency. How about it? If you are interested — and you can leave a note here or on Facebook — I’ll happily put you in touch with Common Cause by phone or you can e-mail jsmith@commoncause.org for details.
“Also, Common Cause and our partner organizations have set up teams of attorneys and election experts to answer hotline calls and quickly go to polling places wherever necessary to help settle disputes, But we need help.” (By Greg Diamond)
A word to the wise, any body from this group of so called “experts” coming within a 100 feet of a polling place, are subject to arrest.
Bona fide poll watches who check in with the board and keep out of the way will not have a problem.
If you believe that, cook, you’re duller than I thought. I’ve done this before (though I’ll be doing GOTV this year); we check in with the board, but we can talk to poll workers and call hotlines and talk to rejected voters after they leave the building. If you want to cite the rules that you think make Common Cause affiliated poll workers subject to arrest, I’ll gladly ask Neal Kelley to comment on it — but somehow I doubt that you’ll take that challenge.
You said in your post:
“and quickly go to polling places wherever necessary to help settle disputes”.
Only the ROV and precinct board has the authority to settle disputes, anyone else would be interfering with the election (18540 a & b) a felony.
Yes you (poll watchers) can talk to poll workers, up to a point. But making telephone calls and talking to voters on the way in or on the way out of a precinct within the 100 foot exclusion zone can get a service call from the local police and the ROV
Poll watchers do not “settle disputes,” if by that you mean “adjudicate.” I probably would have used the term “seek resolution of” disputes. (The “settle disputed” language is in what I received from Common Cause; I noted that it didn’t make it into the block quote, so I’ve fixed that to make it more clear.) Often what poll watchers do is to seek intervention to prevent recurrence of a problem; the initial voter can’t be helped.
One talks to voters outside of the 100′ exclusion zone — and even if one talks to poll workers about means to resolve problems with voting procedures (as opposed to whom to vote for) within the voter’s earshot, it is not “electioneering.”
Your comment (knowingly, I presume) is trying to scare people into accepting bad practices in polling stations without so much as a whimper. (And bear in mind that what the poll watchers would be doing is opposing OTHER actions by the so-called “Election Integrity Project” that more likely WOULD violated that section of the code.)
So who would you believe regarding this? Neal Kelley? Tell you what — you make your best case (if what you presented above isn’t already it) for why poll watchers are running the risk of committing a crime and I’ll ask Neal Kelley to comment on it. Fair enough?
Poll watchers cannot do what you are saying, that is interference with the election process.
If a poll watcher tried to intervene on anyone’s behalf they would be told to leave.
But thanks for the heads up, I will get the names and who they represent and telephone numbers up front.
And when you talk to Kelly, ask him why he allows “bad practice” at the polling places. (Your words)
Would you please compose a comment (or e-mail me) explaining exactly what your objection is so that I can send it to him? I don’t want to mischaracterize your position.
He would allow “bad practices” at the polling places because he wouldn’t find out about them — because people like you are trying to scare people into not calling a hotline.
From the Registrar’s website, here are the rights of a poll watcher:
http://www.ocvote.com/knowledgebase2/index.php?action=artikel&cat=6&id=81&artlang=en
*Late news from the news room. The Registrar of Voters Office has been accepting
early voting since the 9th of October. If you pull up the ROV website is says: October 22nd, thru 30th…..but that is only for the associated satellite offices.
Early voting on the VBM (vote by mail ballot) has indeed started and continues up to dropping off the sealed, signed ballot to a polling place or ROV office before 8pm on election day.
Early Voting on the JBC (known as EV) runs for a week at the designated places.
After the JBC’s are shut down at the end of early voting (EV) and those tallies are sealed until Nov. 6th, there is emergency voting on the green ballot (the ballot is not green just the envelope) from Oct 31st to Nov. 6th.
LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN GENERAL ELECTION: October 22, 2012.
There are special procedures for new citizens and new residents after Oct-22.
All of this information and more is available at the ROV’s office and web site.
*Late news from the news room. The Registrar of Voters Office has been accepting early voting since the 9th of October
*Sorry, we were not clear. You can go now to the Registrar’s office in SA
and vote…..right now. Bring in your sample ballot card and vote. Not VBM
Vote by Mail – allow they will gladly take those ballots as well.
It goes like this: Go to the Registrars office….go to the window. Show your Sample Ballot and get your election day ballot – vote, bring it back to the window and you are done! Today and since the 9th of October…..they have been doing this.
Go Vote Early! Today! Right now! OK?
And if THAT doesn’t cure your contempt for candidates, go to YouTube and check out
Kung Fu Karl – President
which will leave you saying “Now THERE’s 3 minutes of my life, I’ll never get Back!”
Cheers!
I gather that all the sincere Occupiers will be voting. Whether or not they vote for Obama or a Green candidate or somebody else is pretty unclear. I don’t even know what button I will be pushing come election day. It depends how many Democratic party jerks call my home phone bugging me asking for money. (not referring to Greg, he never calls me anymore)
Should “Common Cause” or any other organization be allowed to send poll watches into precincts for the purpose of providing policy and procedures for the precinct board?
Or
Should the precinct board ask any poll watcher who interferes with the ROV’s policy and procedures to vacate the polling place?
OK — I see that we have a problem here. (Have you read the story, by the way? The part about the so-called “Election Integrity Project” (“EIP”)?)
I do not concede that the role of these poll watchers is “providing policy and procedures for the precinct board,” let alone to “interfere with ROV policy and procedures.” Their role is to, when people from the EIP loudly challenge the right to vote of people who appear to have the right to vote, to stand up for the voters and contact the hotline, which will then contact the EIP, as need be.
If you are not satisfied with that clarification, I can send the whole thing into the ROV.
““Election Integrity Project” (“EIP”)?)”
If anyone from that organization shows up to clause problems, they would be told to leave. If they refused, the local police would remove them.
That is the policy and procedures the ROV has in place.
Are you under the impression that people can’t challenge the eligibility of voters to cast ballots?
Presuming that you concede that they can, are you under the impression that they can’t do so illegitimately?
“Are you under the impression that people can’t challenge the eligibility of voters to cast ballots?” (GD)
Under the policy and procedures the ROV has in place, at the precinct only a poll worker can challenge. Page 12 operations manual.
cook, I suggest that you may want to do some undercover work among these EIP people and see what they’re up to. Either you’ll be surprised or I’ll be reassured.
Greg, I am happy just to work at the polls on election day. I don’t think I would get along well with the EIP people or Common Clause.
And we have never had any problems with poll watches.
I talk to the ROV office about poll watchers.
The ROV is holding training classes for Poll Watches, teaching them what they can do and what they can not do. So it seems that problem has been handeled.
The early votering currently is on the paper VBM system, and the E-slate/JBC early voting (EV) will onlu occur during 10-22 to 10-30.