Today I went to vote in the Ohio primaries. When the election official found my name in the voter registration book, there was "Voter ID Required" in the bottom portion of the space where I was to sign my name. He said that after I voted, there was something I had to sign. He also, said not to worry, it's not a big deal, there were portions of the form he would fill out while I was at the voting machine. I noticed that no one else on the page was required to show an ID, and I asked him why I was being singled out to show an ID. He said he didn't know, that this was the first time he saw something like this, and that the Fairfield County BOE had just given it to him.
When I was done voting, I returned my card. The guy handed me a blue piece of paper. The contents of the paper are below the fold.
Today I went to vote in the Ohio primaries. When the election official found my name in the voter registration book, there was "Voter ID Required" in the bottom portion of the space where I was to sign my name. He said that after I voted, there was something I had to sign. He also, said not to worry, it's not a big deal, there were portions of the form he would fill out while I was at the voting machine. I noticed that no one else on the page was required to show an ID, and I asked him why I was being singled out to show an ID. He said he didn't know, that this was the first time he saw something like this, and that the Fairfield County BOE had just given it to him.
When I was done voting, I returned my card. The guy handed me a blue piece of paper. The contents of this paper are as follows:
HAVA Provisional Voter Statement of Affirmation (HAVA 302)
I, (Printed Name of Voter)__________
affirm that I:
(1) am a qualified elector of Precinct _____ for the (circle one: City, Village, or Township) of ______ in ________ County, Ohio,
(2) am eligible to vote in this election, having been registered to vote in Ohio at least 30 days prior to the date of this election, and
(3) will not vote or attempt to vote at any location for the election held on this day.
If the election is a primary election, by requesting a ballot for the _______ Party, I hereby state that I desire to be affiliated with and support that party.
Voter's voting address (please print clearly):
Street address:
City and Zip:
County:
Birthdate (Mo/Day/Year):
Ohio Drivers License # or Last 4 digits of Social Security #:
I understand that my statements above are made under the penalty of election falsification.
X (Signature of Voter)
Date:
X (Signature of Witnessing Election Official)
WHOEVER COMMITS ELECTIONS FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH DEGREE
I asked the elections official why I was being asked to fill out this form, and again he said he didn't really know. He then said it's really nothing, it's not a big deal. I then asked, what does this form mean? And again, he said that it isn't a big deal, then he took a pen and scratched out the word "HAVA" in the HAVA Provisional Voter title at the top, saying that "this doesn't mean anything." Then I said to him that HAVA stands for Help America Vote Act, and that I know what that is. He said ok, yes, that's right. I then asked, what happens if I don't fill out this form? Does this mean that if I don't fill this out, I'm not allowed to vote? He replied, no, it doesn't mean that. I said, I am not comfortable with this - can you please make a copy of this for me? He said, you can have this copy, you can take it with you. He also said I could call the BOE right in the room if I wanted. I went to the phone and dialed the number, but it was busy. When I told him it was busy, he's like, yeah, that's not surprising, it usually takes me a few tries to get a hold of them. I said okay, and took the form with me. I didn't fill it out, and I don't intend to.
This is pretty disturbing, on a number of levels. I'm not new to the town, having moved there 3 1/2 years ago, and I have voted in a number of elections prior to today. I don't think that calling my BOE will help, actually. I would much rather contact an elections watchdog organization instead. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them.
Thanks much -