.warning: voter disenfranchisement-in-progress. October 7, 2008

.authored by something.of.substance.

.silenced by slight-of-hand.

The state of Ohio requires one to apply, by mail, for an absentee ballot. In the electronic age, this process seems cumbersome at best and foolishly liberal with your personal information at worst. An absentee ballot was what I required, however, and I was determined to obtain one. While waiting for the rather slow-moving .PDF file to load and print, I checked out other areas of the Board of Election website. Were I in-state, I could easily find my polling location online as well as any number of telephone numbers to assist me with all my enfranchised needs. Still waiting for the application for an absentee ballot to load on my overloaded computer, I decided to check my “Voter Registration”. Clearly this function was designed for those newly registering; I had been registered since early 2002 (at least). I had voted in both Primary and General Elections for the state of Ohio. I proudly utilized my right to vote. Seeing my name displayed on the webpage was only going to excite me more for this next election!

I searched my name, last name first. Nothing in my county of residence. I searched my name in my old county, last name first. Nothing. I searched for my name in the state of Ohio. Nothing. I searched just my last name and found my family registered at my old address- without me. I didn’t exist as a voter! I had been disenfranchised!

Trying to quell the panic in my voice, I hastily dialed the Board of Elections in my current county of residence, F. County. I was greeted by a kindly sounding woman who attempted to search for my name, but was cut off by a dropped signal on my cell phone. Where is that pervasive Verizon network when you need them? I call back and get a different woman with a harder tone and distinct warble to her aged voice. She roughly informs me that the voter registration deadline in Ohio was yesterday and so I “should have checked sooner”.

Should have checked sooner? No one ever told me I needed to double and triple-check something I had received written verifications of. Something I had already put into practice. Something I thought was settled years ago.

“Should have checked sooner?” I impassionedly replied. “If I’ve been voting for years AND I received a verification card, why would I have even considered I might not be registered???”

“Hold please. I’ll transfer you to my supervisor.”

After leaving a message on the supervisor’s no-doubt overtaxed voicemail, I waited. And waited. And finally received a reply. The supervisor informed me that, although they finally found my voting record for another county (dating back to 2004), they could not locate any record of me registering to vote in my current county of residence. Even though a change of voter form was filed in the old county (with the record dating back to 2004). Even though the address on my driver’s license was to an address in the new county.

Furthermore, because I didn’t have the little postcard on hand and I was not able to physically bring it to election headquarters, there was nothing they could do to reinstate my voting rights. If I had located that little postcard and taken it to them myself, they would have put me back into the system- regardless of the date. If I were immobile, I would be screwed. Because I could not find a 4”X6” card I figured was a formality, I’m screwed. The deadline for voter registration in Ohio was yesterday and therefore I am disenfranchised for this General Election.

Seeing that I was previously registered in the state and knowing I held residency in F. County doesn’t seem to matter. While I understand that deadlines must be observed and protocol followed, there seems to be absolutely no procedure for error with the Board of Elections. If they are able to correct an error should be they find evidence of it or if I were able to physically show up at their office with all official notifications in hand, they could key me into their system. This has scary connotations for those people are disabled, too aged to remember what they did with their registration confirmation card / too immobile to make it to the Board of Elections, those who are impoverished enough not to have access to the internet, a printer or a method of physically showing up at headquarters , as well as those who simply left the state or misplaced their voter registration confirmation card years ago- sometime after they voted and no longer deemed it necessary. I mean, do you still have your confirmation card???

This, obviously, should be a lesson to us all:

a) Keep every menial piece of paper that crosses your threshold in case, say, your birth certificate disappears and you have to prove you were born.

b) Know the registration date for everything in your state, especially if you are an out-of-state, impoverished or immobile voter. Because you may not be able to make it to the Board of Election headquarters or have access to an internet and printer, you make just be shit-out-of-luck. This is generally fine with some Boards of Election as your vote probably wouldn’t be for the guy they wanted.

c) Go to your state’s website and make certain you are STILL registered to vote! This is critical and should, apparently, be done after every time you vote. Just in case.

As of this writing I am still disenfranchised in the State of Ohio. This is singularly disheartening to me as this swing state needs every vote it can get. I think I’ll send a letter to my senators and to the campaign headquarters of the guy I’m voting for, just to let them know they can expect one less this year.

I’m not waiting for Ohio to tell me I can use my voice-via-ballot again. I have recently moved across the country. What was, initially, a temporary pit-stop is turning into a permanent life change. I’ll register to vote here, in my new state, because they’re honored by my patriotic attitude and activist zeal. They want me to have a voice.

Not that this particular state will need it…