Before I begin: I didn't submit my ballot yesterday by choice. While I am extremely annoyed by the office of the Polk County Supervisor of Elections, I was not prevented from casting my vote - I chose not to. I will most assuredly vote (and vote early honestly) and since I'm here on Dailykos, I think it's safe to say I WILL be voting for President Obama. So no worries there. This unlikely (according to Gallup - lol) voter WILL vote.
Update @ 7:48 EDT: I edited the title - it was indicated that the word "shenanigans" could be construed as me attempting to imply something fraudulent was afoot. As I mentioned, I'm biased in that I know what I felt yesterday - I didn't think something fraudulent or improper was going on. I was frustrated with the election officials and volunteers I interacted with. No one had an answer for me. Thus my unhappiness.
It also appears the mystery of the missing race has been solved. FL state law says unopposed races = win for the candidate with him/her having voted for him/herself. (Thanks for the comments explaining things.) Frankly, I think this is silly but I'm not looking to get in a pissing contest about FL law.
My mother and I went to vote early yesterday afternoon. Sunday was of course Souls to the Polls and the line at my early voting location in Lakeland, FL was steady the entire time we were there. After waiting right about an hour, we were next in line to pick up our ballots. What should have been a relatively simple thing turned into another hour's worth of frustration with the mechanics of voting in Polk County...
I collected my ballot after presenting my FL driver's license and voter ID (registered Dem of course!). I made my way to my booth, and began filling out my bubbles. President Obama - check. Bill Nelson - check. Hmm... Weird, but ok, I'll move on. State races - straight democratic - check. Retain judges - check. No on all amendments - check. Hmm, more weirdness, makes me think back to first feeling of weird...
I did not have a race for the US House of Representatives. Nothing. Nada. I triple checked both pages, front and back. No option to vote for my Rep. I found this very strange. Sample ballots at the early voting location showed several different House races - heck, Alan Grayson is running in the new 9th and that has portions in Polk County. Me however? No House race.
I finished my ballot and headed to the optical scan machine. A volunteer began to run me through how to feed it into the machine and I stopped him. "I have a question about my ballot" I said. He threw his hands up in the air and told me that I had to speak with the location supervisor.
This woman (whom I suspect was the paid employee of Polk County as compared to the poll volunteers) attempted to help me. "Why no House race?" Her answer: because.
I'm sorry what? The answer as to why I am unable to choose who will represent me in the US House is: because?
One of the volunteers sitting nearby checking IDs and registrations decided to join in the conversation. "Oh, your rep isn't up for election this time, they don't run every election." I'm trying to stay really calm, polite, and quiet so as not to upset the other folks there voting...
"Ma'am, members of the US House of Representatives run for election every two years - each and every one of them. The entire House has to be elected every two years - this is how our government and our elections work. I last voted for my Rep two years ago in the midterm election of 2010. This is 2012, the House is up for election."
"You're just wrong" she tells me. Ok, I'm now officially pissed off. I want to be very clear here: the woman telling me this is one of the volunteers, not the supervisor working for Polk County. Also, monumental failure on my part to get all the names - I had no loose paper and my cell was in the car...
The volunteer telling me the House now works to get elected in mysterious ways continues her theories as to what's going on. "Well, you were probably redistricted you know - maybe your Rep has changed." Ok, sure, that could have (and in fact DID) happened but I still get to vote for who will represent me in the House. "Oh no, if you were redistricted, you don't get to vote." W. T. F?!!
At this point, the local supervisor puts me on the phone with the office of the Supervisor of Elections for Polk County (in Bartow for those people reading this who know the area). The woman on the phone tells me: I don't get to vote for the House race, because. I explain to this woman that I find "because" to be a totally unacceptable answer. She quickly goes into the redistricting idea, and perhaps I no longer have a Rep. This seriously happened! My reply was something along the lines of "Ma'am, I can't live inside the United States and NOT have a Representative in the House." She puts me on hold to speak to her supervisor...
When she comes back, the answer is once again: I don't get to vote for the House, because. I'm told that if I don't like this answer, I can take it up with my Representative him or herself. Right - in the span of five minutes I've gone from I may not have a Rep to call said Rep if I don't like things.
At this point, I ask the woman on the phone what process I need to go through to "unvote." I have not submitted my ballot, it is under my arm. I told her that her answers were unacceptable, I was extremely unhappy, and that my faith in the Polk County office of the Supervisor of Elections was about zero at this point. "How is it possible you people can run an election, but have no clue how they work, nor can you answer questions about the ballots YOU PRINTED?" My ballot is spoiled, and I am taken out of the system as having voted. I double checked this: I can indeed come to vote again.
(Apologies for the length here, I didn't necessarily want to go on this long, but I feel it important to tell the story as it happened.)
I left the early voting location, and spoke with a poll watcher working for OFA. This gentleman had realized I was having some sort of issue, and had stepped outside to the parking lot to begin contacting further folks inside OFA. Dean was a fantastic help. He got me on the phone with a lawyer working for OFA to ensure there weren't any shenanigans going on in FL. I explained the situation, and this lawyer said he'd look into it and get me an answer. He had a fantastic comment, one I'm sure will be agreed to here on Dkos... "Well, you know this is FL, it's blood red, I'd not be surprised if there are sketchy Republican tricks at work here." I laughed and replied that I was a Democrat. I'm here to help vote for Democrats.
After taking my info, I got off the phone and spoke with Dean (the OFA volunteer) some more. As he thought about the situation, he decided that the most likely reason I had no House race was because the Rep in my redistricted district was running unopposed. Ok. This doesn't make me happy (he's some conservative Republican - name of Dennis A. Ross) but then hang on... Way back at the beginning of this "holy-wall-of-text Batman!" post I mentioned that there were two things that had made me say hmm. If Ross is running unopposed and DOESN'T appear on the ballot, then how come Sheriff (man I hate this guy...) Grady Judd who is running unopposed DOES appear on the ballot with an option to either vote for him or a write-in candidate?
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I had to travel last night and am currently sitting in St. Augustine. I've had time to look deeper into this situation. Here is Dennis Ross's wikipedia page. It explains that in 2012 he's running in the 15th district and, "Due to the fact that no other candidate qualified to run against him by the deadline, he will not face opposition in the general election."
Ok, so he's not facing opposition, I get that. But why does that mean he DOES NOT appear on the ballot?! One of the links from the wikipedia article goes to RCP (barf) and says: "U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross was the only candidate for a Florida congressional seat to win re-election without opposition Friday, as qualifying closed for this year's elections."
This brings up another question in my mind. The election is Nov. 6th. He's not on the ballot. How has he won anything? No one has voted for him in the Nov. 6th election - you know, the election that determines, amongst other things, who sits in the US House. He wins because no one is running against him - I can understand that, but how, if he's not on a ballot, and no one votes for (or against him) has he won? From my view, he's not even in this election!
Look, I get that me being angry isn't going to change the fact he's going to be seated. Nor can I change the fact (at this point) that he's running unopposed. But why is he not on the ballot running unopposed?! He hasn't won a damned thing yet! No one will vote for or against him. He wins with a crushing zero vote landslide?!
If Grady Judd is appearing on the ballot, then why can't Dennis Ross? Is Grady going to win the Sheriff's race? Of course! (I voted, er, I will vote against him by writing in the name of someone, anyone else.) Look, Ross will "win", but damn it, do I not have the right to vote on who will represent me in the House?!
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I'm writing this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'm just extremely pissed off. I really feel like I'm being denied the chance to have my say, to choose who will be my Rep. Hell, maybe I just want to vote against one more Republican.
But I think it is important to note here just how pathetic the folks working the voting in Polk County are. NO ONE COULD ANSWER MY QUESTION. I didn't think it was all that difficult a question. I like to think I'm pretty in the know when it comes to politics. Frankly, I know a lot more than John Q Average Voter. Indeed, I'm the first person at that location that even noticed there was no House race. Folks in my situation just voted and never paid attention to what was going on. If Polk County can't answer my question, what faith do I have that they can answer the questions of other voters who may know less about things than I do? And damn it, "because" is not an acceptable answer!
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For some happy thoughts, let me leave readers with this: OFA is on the ground in Lakeland, FL. Dean was terrific, and worked IMMEDIATELY to facilitate getting me the information I was asking for. The lawyer I spoke with on the phone was dedicated to making sure that Democrats (and everyone really) were able to vote, and able to vote for Democrats. Certainly, OFA is on the ball - more than I can say for Polk County! I was thrilled to see folks queuing up to wait to vote... early! Where I was, it was nearly 100% Obama voters. There were Dem volunteers outside handing out voter guides - no republican volunteers in sight. Obama stickers and yard signs galore. Now, I heard that the conservatives were all down working the Lakeland courthouse, but whatever - at my location is was Obama all the way.
Forgive me this bit of assumption... I'm a goofy white guy. People (not you fine Dkos folks) would probably assume I'm some dipstick Republican. I'm not, but you know, white folks in FL just assume I must be like them. Many of the voters at my location were people of color - African Americans, Hispanic Americans. There were a TON of women (you go ladies - this goofy white guy has your back on uterine freedom). But even the white guys like me where talking smack on Romney. I saw two middle aged white guys, and yep, I fell prey to assumption myself. I just knew they were voting for Romney. Nope lol. People were HAPPY to wait to vote for your President, my President, THE President, President Obama.
While not from Sunday - here is a picture my fiancee snapped of the action at our early voting location from Saturday when we passed by.