A good friend of mine went to vote today in Cleveland, Ohio, which is in Cuyahoga County -- we all remember what happened there in 2004. AND some of us would expect hypervigilance by the county officials to prevent a rehash of 2004. Well, this is what my friend experienced (she doesn't have a dkos account yet, and asked me to post this):
"I went to two separate precincts today to vote - I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go, since I've moved since I last voted, and I was admittedly bad in that I didn't submit my updated address form in the requisite 28 days before the election. I couldn't reach anyone at the Board of Elections hotline today to find out where to go, so just finally went to my old precinct voting location to see if they had a better idea of what I had to do...
(more after the jump...)
"What ensued from there was infuriating. This is a summary of my frustrations:
* At both places, I was informed by the pollworkers that I would have to present a piece of identification with my current address on it. This is incorrect. Individuals may present a "current and valid photo identification" - meaning a state driver's license or a state ID, but that ID does not need to have the current address on it. I confirmed this with a few other friends of mine who went to other polling places, who were allowed to vote with out-of-state licenses. One friend (from a neighboring county) specifically asked the pollworkers at her station, and they told her that a driver's license without current address was acceptable. But not at Cuyahoga's polling stations - I saw one student turn around and walk home to get a utility bill when the workers told him he would be forced to cast a provisional ballot otherwise.
Here's the text of R.C. 3505.18(A):
By the time I got there to vote, it was mid-afternoon - I dread to think how many other people turned around without voting, or were asked to submit a provisional ballot. Submitting a provisional ballot because you fail to submit a form of valid identification is a total pain in the arse. You have to show up at the Board of Elections with a form of acceptable identification within 10 days of the election - this is a burden for working individuals who rely on our spotty public transportation.
* I was frustrated by these encounters, so called the "Voting Rights Institute", which is the Ohio Secretary of State's initiative to promote a free, fair election system. On the most important day of the year,
when problems should be addressed, no one answered the phone. I called, was directed to leave a voicemail, which I was unable to do (voicemail was full); I was automatically transferred to another line, which no one answered - and was again directed to leave voicemail but could not because that voicemail was also full.
* I called the Plain Dealer (our local paper) to describe the issues I was having with the presentation of ID. The reporter I talked to had the temerity to argue with me the logic of having to show a current address at the polling place. My issue was with the enforcement of current rules about ID, the details of which the reporter appeared to not understand.
Furthermore - I had to submit a provisional ballot, which is to be expected, given my change of address. However, the pollworker that I worked with informed me that I would have to show up at the Board of Elections with an ID to prove my identification. I don't think this is actually the case (based on what I read here ), but I have thus far been unable to find someone to give me a straight answer.
While at the polling places, I did raise a stink about these apparent inconsistencies between the letter of the ID statues and their enforcement, to the point that other voters were looking to see what was going on. I don't think that this is necessarily the fault of the pollworkers - I think they've been trained, and apparently given incorrect information regarding the types of ID that are acceptable. Unless they're right, in which case, there are some serious inconsistencies in how ID is checked from polling station to polling station. Anyhow - one woman suggested that I contact the local ACLU, which I did - the admin assistant who answered the phone said that they had been receiving a few complaints about this issue already, mostly from students.
I am so angry about this, not so much for myself or even for the hundreds of students living on campus close to my house, who are not likely to have any bills or ID that have their current address on it, and more importantly, for those who are transient, or who move frequently, or who don't have a home-base.
Who is protecting the rights of Cleveland voters against the incompetence of the county election board?"