#but they do need to confirm that you are a voter registered in this district

[bomberqueen17]

civic duty

went to vote today. local elections, mostly uncontested.

it was so crowded, i did not expect that.

the man directly in front of me got mad when the people dispensing the ballots asked his name and then asked him to verify his address and date of birth. "That's personal information!" he exclaimed. "You have no right to ask me for that!"

"We have to verify your identity," the election worker said, stunned. "That's how this works."

"You're denying me my right to vote!" the man shouted.

"We-- have to figure out which voter you are," the election worker said. "I don't need to see ID or anything, i just need you to confirm for me which address you're at, and then which person by that name that resides at that address, so I can see if that matches our rolls, so I can make sure I'm dispensing a ballot to the right person."

"I was trained as an election worker!" the man shouted. "I know you have no right to demand personal information from me!"

"Well i can't give you a ballot if I can't verify which voter you are," the election worker said.

"I'm calling the cops!" the man shouted.

"By all means," the election worker said, "but please step outside to do so. I recommend you call the downtown cops, not just the emergency line, as they'll be more knowledgeable."

So the man went outside. I gave the workers my name, my address so they could find me, and confirmed my date of birth, since it seemed perfectly reasonable to me that often more than one person with the same name might reside at a particular address, and they gave me my ballot and I went and voted. When I went outside the man was still on the phone, yelling. "They have no right to demand personal information of me!"

That information is public record, my dude. And it's how they registered you to vote in the first place. And it's how you're organized in the voter rolls.

[beardedmrbean]

Thousands of voter registration forms that are suspected of being fraudulent were dropped off at the Lancaster County Board of Elections Office, according to officials.

The Lancaster County Board of Elections, county commissioners and District Attorney Heather Adams held a news conference at the county administration building Friday morning. You can watch that in its entirety in the video player above.

Criminal, election violations

Detectives in the DA's office are investigating the fraudulent voter registration forms. Adams said they stem from a canvassing operation in the summer at various shopping centers, parking lots, parks and other areas. The investigation involves around 2,500 voter registration applications dropped off last week at two separate times, shortly before Pennsylvania's voter registration deadline.

Adams said of the applications that have been examined, 60% were fraudulent. She said the remainder should be examined by the end of Friday.

"Staff noticed that numerous applications appeared to have the same handwriting (and) were filled out on the same day," Adams said. “The confirmed indicators of fraud that detectives came across were inaccuracies with the addresses listed on the applications, fake and false personal identification information, as well as false names. Also, applications that had names that did not match the provided Social Security information."

Additionally, Adams said in some cases, applications had correct personal information, but the individuals listed on the applications informed detectives that they did not request the form.

Majority were from Lancaster City

The majority of the voter registration forms were for residents in the City of Lancaster. However, applications were also received for residents in these areas:

Columbia

Elizabethtown

Mount Joy

Akron

Ephrata

Stevens

Strasburg

Other locations across Lancaster County

"At this point, we have confirmed violation of our crimes code as well as our elections code. We have all available detectives working on this. We are all hands on deck so that we can properly assess the validity of these applications in a timely manner. If needed, we will request additional assistance from our local police departments," Adams said.

Potential fraud in other counties?

The DA also said they are aware of at least two other counties conducting similar investigations. When asked if she would say which counties those were, she said she did not want to speak for them and they could make their own statements.

What if your personal information was used?

If you think your personal information was used without your consent or you were asked to register to vote under suspicious circumstances, investigators want to hear from you. You can call the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office at (717) 299-8100 and ask to speak to the on-call detective.

Check your voter registration status

At Friday's news conference, Lancaster County Commissioner Alice Yoder urged voters to doublecheck their registration status.

"Voters can check their voter registration status, polling place, location and mail ballot application status on the Department of State website. And we encourage everyone to do that," Yoder said. "Any voter who has questions after checking the Department of State website should contact the Board of Elections office."

VOTER REGISTRATION | Check your status.

WHERE TO VOTE | Find your polling location.

MAIL-IN | Apply for a mail-in ballot.

COUNTY-BY-COUNTY | Contact your election office.

Who was behind it?

The effort to submit the fraudulent voter registration forms "appears to be an organized effort at this point," Adams said.

"But of course, it's an ongoing investigation and we'll be looking into who exactly participated it and how far up it goes," she said.

When WGAL reporter Barbara Barr asked Lancaster County Commissioner Ray D'Agostino whether this involved one party or another, he said:

"I can say it, it does not appear at this point. It, it doesn't seem that it's any one party. In some cases, they're registering in different parties. In some cases, they're just changing an address or at least appearing to change an address."

Adams added that in a general election it wouldn't really matter which party the voter was registering with. She said the fact that there were phony registrations at all increased the risk of voter fraud.

Board of Elections statement

Earlier Friday morning, elections officials released a statement that said in part:

"Board of Elections staff members identified and contained incidents of voter registration fraud. Elections staff and the District Attorney's Office are currently assessing the nature and volume of the fraud. Suspected fraudulent voter registration forms were dropped off at the Board of Elections Office in two batches at or near the deadline for submission. There are approximately 2,500 voter registration applications total in these two batches. Concerns were raised during the staff's normal process to review and enter applications into the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors System and law enforcement was alerted."

The Board of Elections said the system is secure and that their systems worked.

Record registrations in Lancaster County

During Friday's news conference, Commissioner Alice Yoder said the county had recorded a record number of voters for the 2024 general election with 365,210 people registered to vote. That number in 2020 was 354,291.

Lancaster County, registered voters 2020 | 354,291

Lancaster County, registered voters 2024 | 365,210

NET INCREASE | 10,919

Statement from Department of State

"The Department of State is aware of the allegations of voter registration fraud identified by the Lancaster County Board of Elections and its District Attorney this morning. The Department has been in contact with the county and is offering support in its ongoing investigation. The Department applauds the efforts of the election staff for their diligent work in spotting this potential fraud and bringing it to the attention of law enforcement. The Department guidance in cases like this is for counties to immediately contact law enforcement, which is exactly what Lancaster County officials did. As their officials noted, grassroots efforts to register voters across the Commonwealth are important and legitimate, and the safeguards in the system allowed them to identify and isolate these suspicious applications. No eligible voter will be denied the ability to register, and the Department encourages any residents who recently registered to vote to check their voter registration online to ensure its accuracy, which can be done online at www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx. As the county’s efforts show, multiple safeguards exist to ensure the integrity of our elections, and Pennsylvanians can have confidence that this November’s election will be safe, secure, free, and fair."

[bitchwhoyoukiddin]

Man.

Like, Illinois is its own bag of weasels (affectionate and derogatory) but I need y'all to know how fucking weird it is for other states to just... make voting hard? To scrub you from voter rolls? Like that is incredibly fucking weird.

I registered to vote once, when I was 18. I have moved several times in the last 25+ years, but all I had to do was go to the DMV, update my address there, and say "Yes." when the employee asked if I wanted to update my voter's registration/register to vote.

Moreover, prior to every election (primary and general), I get a voter's card in the mail that tells me my district/ward/etc. for my state and city, and confirms where my general polling place will be located on election day, along with a list of early voting locations and dates when those open.

Also, Illinois just lets you register to vote day-of at the polling places? There's a little quiet area to the side where you can fill out your information to get registered, you hand it to the person working that area, then they give you a ballot and you go vote.

I say this with my whole chest: Voting should be easy and convenient. It should be normalized and a thing you just do. It CAN be easy.

*waves at Illinois* My entire state has a reputation of being politically on fire and it IS that easy here!

[menthol-drops]

I can say that Texas DOES have an online government platform to check voter registration!

This is the website to do it at:

https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do

(Self-verified as I have used this every election cycle since i became eligible in 2016. It will also pull up all your voting info like district, nearest polling place, etc.)

You still CANNOT register online but you CAN update your voter registration IF you have moved within THE SAME county with your DRIVER’S LICENSE UPDATE. If you do the DL update online there is a CHECK BOX to update your voter registration. If you moved within the same county this year and did not check that box go here:

If you move from one county to another (Brazos > Harris for example) you will have to MAIL an updated voter registration form or PHYSICALLY REGISTER at your county clerk’s office. The website above will let you know which option is available to you.

Texas is an ass backwards state and these resources are not something many are made aware of. If you update your information online take a screenshot or print the confirmation page, and please check back into it after one week. If it has not updated go to your county clerk’s office and request to verify your information, and let them know you tried to do it online (backed up w the print/screenshot), and they will help you out

[jaagrukbharat]

Step-By-Step Guide To Apply For An Income Certificate

Income certificate is issued to the citizen by the Government, as evidence confirming their annual income. An income certificate is used as legal proof for availing various subsidies and schemes. An income certificate helps in securing scholarships provided by some organisations to help the underprivileged. Let’s understand what exactly an Income certificate is and how to apply for an income certificate online.

What Is An Income Certificate? An income certificate is a certificate issued by the government as proof of the annual income earned by a family. The main aim of the government is to manage all the citizens and provide govt schemes to those families who need them.

As the country has billions of citizens, it is often difficult for the government to keep account of everything. An income certificate makes it easier for the government to identify who is genuinely eligible and who is not. It provides free ration to underprivileged families, helps students get scholarships, etc.

Any financial gain obtained by individuals or families needs to be updated in the income certificate. This is so that the government can easily categorise all families to give various subsidies and rations to underprivileged families.

The income-earning members can be unmarried daughters, unmarried brothers and sisters, to calculate the family income. The earning people in the family can consist of:

Salary of members working in organisations

Various pensions

Daily/weekly wage of a labourer

Profits from business

Charges of consultancy

Commissions of agency work

Any kind of regular financial benefits received, such as

Employee bonus

Deposit interest

Dividends from share and stock markets

Property rent

Gains on the sale of assets

Gifts and inheritances

What Is The Purpose Of An Income Certificate? Income certificates make it easier for the government to find out the families who need help financially and help them get the help they need. It is also needed for the following reasons.

To avail of government welfare schemes and benefits.

To apply for scholarships and financial aid for education.

To apply for government jobs and reservations based on income criteria.

To avail of subsidies on essential commodities.

To apply for housing schemes and loans.

To avail of medical benefits and insurance schemes.

To apply for fee concessions in educational institutions.

To avail of tax exemptions and deductions.

To apply for loans and credit facilities from banks.

To prove eligibility for various government schemes and programs based on income criteria.

How To Apply For An Income Certificate Online? People who want to know how to apply for an income certificate online can follow these steps.

Visit the official website of your state or district that handles administrative services.

Create an account by registering with a unique username, password, and mobile number.

Search for the option to apply for an Income Certificate.

Fill in the online application with the required details.

Upload necessary documents such as Ration Card, Driving License, Voter ID, and Aadhaar Card.

Provide details about your religion, caste, and whether you belong to SC, ST, or OBC categories.

Attach proof of income, which can include your parent’s income certificate, Income Tax Return, Form 16 from your employer, or a salary certificate. Some documents may need to be attested by a government officer.

Upload utility bills like rent, electricity, or telephone bills as proof of address. These may also need to be attested.

Submit an affidavit confirming that all the details you provided are true.

Submit the application online or at the local district office.

The Income Certificate is normally issued within 10 to 15 days.

[lifestylelaguna]

COMELEC Barangay and SK Election Voter Registration

M Supermalls and Commission on Elections (COMELEC) have once again teamed up to provide voters with more registration venues at SM for 2023 Barangay and SK Elections. COMELEC has opened satellite registration centers in selected SM Supermalls nationwide. This gives the public a safer, more convenient option, faster and safer way to avail your right to vote.

Next

Voter Registration for Barangay and SK Election

Registration in participating malls are limited to residents of the city or district of the COMELEC conducting mall satellite registration.

List of voter’s registration centers at SM malls:https://malls.dev/final-sk-sched/

*Reminder: Registration schedules, covered Barangays or Districts may change without prior notice

Can I still register if I am not a resident of the city or district of the COMELEC conducting mall satellite registration?

Yes, SM Supermalls and Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will launch the “Register Anywhere Project”, wherein registration is open to all qualified Filipino citizen and not limited to residents of the City, District or Municipality. Total of SM 3 malls are participating: Mall of Asia, SM City Fairview and SM Southmall.

List of voter’s registration centers at SM malls:https://malls.dev/register-anywhere/

*Reminder: Registration schedules may change without prior notice

With COMELEC registration centers now open in 77 SM Supermalls nationwide, here’s a quick guide:

Who are qualified to register? You are qualified if you meet the following reguirements:

Filipino citizen

At least 18 years old by the time of the Elections

A Filipino resident for at least one (1) year, residing in the place in which you intend to register in for at least six (6) months

What do I need to bring before going to the registration site?

Download and accomplish the CEF-1 application form via https://comelec.gov.ph/ or via https://irehistro.comelec.gov.ph/cef1 and the Coronavirus Self Declaration Form. You may need to download and accomplish other forms as necessary (i.e. PWD).

A valid ID, which may be any of the following:ACCEPTED VALID ID DOCUMENTSNational ID(PhilSys)Integrated Bar of the Philippine(IBP) ID cardNational ID(PhilSys)Integrated Bar of the Philippine(IBP) ID cardEmployee’s ID(with employer’s signature)PRC LicensePostal IDNCIP Certificate of Confirmation (for members of ICCs or IPs) *Cedula and Police Clearance will not be honoredStudent’s ID card/Library card (with authorative signature of school)Barangay identification/certificationSenior Citizen’s ID cardDriver’s LicenseNBI clearancePassportSSS/GSIS ID or other UMID ID card*For the first time voters: Please bring a copy of your birth certificate or any valid ID

Own ball pen, face mask, and face shield. It is recommended to also bring your own alcohol or hand sanitizer. Please be reminded to keep safe social distance at all times.

Is there an express lane? An express lane is reserved for Senior Citizens, PWDs, and heavily pregnant registrants.

What are the other services offered in the registration sites? a. Filing of changes or correction in the entries (typographical errors in personal details or changes by reason of marriage, annulment, or court order) b. Transfer of registration records c. Reactivation of registration records c. Updating of records for PWDs and senior citizens d. Inclusion of Records in the Book of Voters/Reinstatement of Name in the List of Voters For information on the requirements, visit: https://irehistro.comelec.gov.ph/cef1.

I have already registered in the past. Can I check status of my registration? Yes. You may verify your registration status by: a. Calling COMELEC’s IT Department at 8527-9365 or 8526-7769; b. Directly coordinating with the Office of the Election Officer in their district, city, or municipality c. Accomplishing the form via https://irehistro.comelec.gov.ph/cef1.

Can I register at any satellite office in SM? The registration in malls is limited to residents of the city or district of the COMELEC conducting mall satellite registration. Hence, if you live in Makati District 1, you can register in a Makati mall where COMELEC Makati District 1 is holding registration.

This aims to help ease and unburden voter registration traffic in barangays, providing the public a more convenient, faster and safer way to avail of your right to vote. Register now.

[shahidiwrites]

To those living in America right now please be kind to yourselves today. I understand wanting to follow everything that happens closely but if it becomes too much take a breath, step away, read a book, watch a movie, do something you enjoy. Don’t force yourself to stay glued to the election news and updates because the internet has made you feel obligated to. If you have voted try to stay inside today, and honestly for the rest of the week. ESPECIALLY if you’re a person of color or a part of the lgbtq+ community. If you can’t, just stay alert and aware at all times. If you haven’t voted yet, PLEASE get out there and do so. No matter how long you’re waiting in lines, and even if you’re still there after the polling places close do not leave, they legally have to let you vote. The polling places will not close until everyone in line has voted. If you sent a mail in ballot you are able to confirm whether or not it was received and if it hasn’t been you can go to the polls to void it and vote in person. If you still have a mail in ballot i know it’s obvious, but do not send it int. Go to your nearing polling place and void it, vote in person. If you live in any of the following you’re allowed same day voter registration so even if you’re not registered you can still go and vote: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Marland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 

If you are able please get out there and vote! If you need or want help locating specific voter information or you’re just feeling anxious and want someone to talk to my IMs and my inbox if you prefer to stay anonymous is open. Hope today is kind to us all.

EDIT: Also please remember that this election is so very different from anyone we’ve ever seen before. Don’t listen to the early poll predictions, don’t let yourself get complicit or scared. Truthfully, we may not have the full picture until a few weeks after tonight. Just breathe.

[stellalux-universe]

I rarely post personal feelings or thoughts on this blog. For me, I come here to enjoy myself, to escape whatever stress is going on in life and have fun in the classic rock fandom. But I have to vent, so I hope that you’ll forgive me for redirected my focus for this post.

This morning, I, like all of my fellow Americans and indeed my fellow citizens of the world, woke up to the news that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed away Friday night in her home. This fact alone was tragic, Ginsburg was a towering woman in her fight for justice and morality and an icon in the fight for women’s equality, a woman who, even as she was no doubt suffering severe pain in the later years of her life, continued to work tirelessly for those who need to protection the most. But the second article that I saw, reading that only hours after her death, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated that he would seek to confirm any nominee that Donald Trump put forward, sent me spiraling into a pit of despair. 

As a woman, I despaired. As a partner in an interracial marriage to an Asian immigrant, I despaired. As the best friend and chosen family to a Dreamer who is finally pregnant after spending over $15000 for in vitro fertilization, I despaired. As the best friend and chosen family of an African American gay man, I despaired. As a citizen of California, where everyday right now if I leave my apartment I am choked with the smoking evidence of climate change, I despaired. And as an American, I despaired. 

I struggled all morning and into the early afternoon and still struggle now, oscillating between depression and anger and hopelessness. This year has felt like one hammering blow after another and it’s easy to see how people can become numb, frozen, losing their faith in any hope that things might get better. 

But then I realized, no forward social progress has ever happened smoothly or easily or without moments of extreme despair. The challenges that face us are monumental. Racial inequality, economic inequality, voter suppression, a pandemic, climate change induced natural disasters, a rotten justice system, mass incarceration, extreme political polarization, just to name a few. The mountain of problems is huge, the shadow it casts is terrifying.

BUT WE CAN NOT GIVE UP.

As a millenial, political cynicism is well known to me. Like me, I’m sure that many of you on here feel like your vote does not make a difference. THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO CONTINUE TO BELIEVE. The people who are in power at this very moment, the people who continue to deny science and research that has cost and continues to cost so many lives, the people who are exhibiting such a profound lack of principle and morality as they flip the rule of law whenever it suits them, the people who refuse to come to an a agreement or compromise to put forth a desperately needed stimulus bill to help millions of people struggling every day because of this pandemic, THEY ARE COUNTING ON OUR DESPAIR TO KEEP US AT HOME. 

If we stay home, if we do nothing, things will get worse. Political inactivity is not a luxury that we have anymore. If you are eligible to vote, make sure you are registered. If you are registered, make sure your information is correct. Even if both of these things are taken care of, make sure you know all of your voting rights. If you are a disenfranchised voter, if you’ve been purged from polls because you haven’t voted in years, if your district requires voter ID that you do not have access to, if your voting precinct is too far away and you do not have the means to travel in order to vote, if your vote is being suppressed, reach out to your news stations, to journalists, to your local government’s offices and tell your story, make sure people know what is going on. DO NOT LET THEM IGNORE YOU BECAUSE IT IS YOUR RIGHT AND YOU MATTER. 

To those of us who have the time and the means, volunteer to help register people to vote, look into what you can do to make it easier for people to vote, to fight for people who are being denied their basic right as an American citizen. Fill out your census form. Reach out to your friends and family and make sure they know their rights too. To those of you who are not American, reach out to your American friends and encourage them to research their rights as well.

I’m not holding out the hope that we may win, but I sure as hell fucking know that regardless, we need to FIGHT.

[dipulb3]

Selma marcher sees history repeat with new challenges to voting

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/selma-marcher-sees-history-repeat-with-new-challenges-to-voting/

Selma marcher sees history repeat with new challenges to voting

“It was horrible,” Bland recalls now. “There was this one lady, I don’t know if the horse ran over her or if she fell, but all these years later, I can still hear the sound of her head hitting that pavement.”

The march — known as Bloody Sunday — so shocked the nation that it helped mobilize Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. That landmark legislation finally dismantled the Jim Crow-era laws that relied on obscure civics tests, discriminatory poll taxes and violence to deny full citizenship to all Americans.

But today, 55 years later, Bland feels as though she’s re-living parts of the past as she surveys a country riven by racial tension, where Black men and women die too often at the hands of police, and in which states press ahead with purging voters from their rolls and enforcing strict voter identification laws — even as a once-in-a-century pandemic stalks their citizens.

“Sometimes I wake up and I think we are paralleling the 60s all over again,” Bland said in an interview from her home in Selma, where she leads tours of the city’s civil rights landmarks. “The laws that they passed to prevent African Americans from voting were insurmountable, and states could make up their own rules. That’s pretty much where this is going now.”

History repeated

Once again, Alabama is among the states at the forefront of the battles over voting.

A cluster of voting-rights groups has sued the Secretary of State John Merrill and other election officials over requirements that voters casting ballots by mail must make a copy of their photo identification and sign their ballots in front of two witnesses or a notary public. The groups also want the state to allow curbside voting.

Forcing voters to meet those requirements and have contact with other people in the middle of a pandemic, puts Alabamians who potentially face serious health consequences from the coronavirus at greater risk, said Caren Short, a senior staff attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the groups suing over the restrictions.

Although African Americans make up only about 27% of Alabama’s population, they have accounted for nearly 40% of confirmed Covid-19 deaths in the state, according to the state’s Department of Public Health.

Short credits Alabama officials with moving to expand voting by mail because of the pandemic, but she said that’s not good enough.

“Alabama is the birthplace of the civil rights movement, and it’s the birthplace of the voting rights movement,” she said. “It really should be the state where officials are making it as simple and as easy a process as possible for citizens to vote.”

Merrill told Appradab the voter ID and witness requirements are enshrined in state law and can’t be suspended. “We don’t have the ability to set aside state law because we’re not interested in it or because we don’t think it’s appropriate at this time,” he said.

He said his overarching goal as secretary of state is to “make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.”

A supreme fight

The skirmish is just the latest legal battle in Alabama over voting rules.

The most consequential for the state and the nation came in 2013 when the Supreme Court sided with Shelby County, Alabama, in a challenge to federal oversight in places with a history of discrimination.

The Shelby ruling defanged the Voting Rights Act by tossing out the portion of the law that determined which states needed approval from the US Department of Justice or a federal court before they could make changes to their voting procedures and laws.

Before the ruling, those blanket rules meant states needed prior permission to make changes, big and small, to their voting practices — ranging from moving a polling place to redrawing electoral districts or changing the date of an election.

The case centered on a local redistricting plan from Shelby County, but the 5-4 decision reverberated across the nation, especially in the nine states and parts of six others that required so-called pre-clearance of voting changes.

Within hours of the high court’s decision, Texas — one of the states subject to pre-clearance — announced voter identification rules would take effect in the state. Alabama and other states, including Mississippi, began to enforce strict voter ID laws. Other states have enacted new restrictions, such as signature match laws that require a voter’s signature on an absentee ballot to match their signature on voting rolls.

Post-Shelby, it’s now up to the Justice Department, individuals and groups to pursue court challenges of voting laws they view as discriminatory. Rick Hasen, an expert on election law at the University of California, Irvine, and a Appradab contributor, said the Obama administration filed “litigation where they could.”

But the Trump administration’s record protecting voting rights has been “abysmal,” he said. “I can’t think of a single thing that the Trump administration has done, coming out of the Justice Department, to help minority voters.”

In Alabama, Merrill, who helped write his state’s voter ID law while serving in the state legislature, disputes that Alabama laws have made it harder for any Black voters to cast their ballots in the state.

Voter registration has soared during his tenure, he said, with 96% of eligible African American residents registered to vote, compared to 91% of White Alabamians. He said the state works to make sure every qualified voter has photo identification.

In Georgia, a potential presidential battleground state this year, battles have raged over the state’s aggressive removal of voters from registration rolls. Voting rights groups have accused the state of improperly purging legitimate voters; state officials say they are engaged in routine list maintenance.

Bland, now 67, has followed the raft of new laws from Selma — a city she returned to in 1989 after stints in the US Army and time living in Florida and New York.

“Purging the rolls, closing down polls in rural communities, requiring an exact signature,” she said ticking off the changes she’s seen across the country. “But we’re not going to let them discourage us. We’ll follow their rules until we can change them.”

Young freedom fighter

Bland was exposed to voting rights fights at a young age.

Her mother died in childbirth when Bland was just three, and her grandmother, Sylvia Johnson, moved back to her native Alabama from Detroit to help care for the family, Bland said.

Bland said her grandmother was shocked by how little had changed. Barriers to voting still included poll taxes and literacy tests, that among other things, required would-be voters to read aloud parts of the Alabama state Constitution, know the exact size of Washington, DC, as spelled out in the US Constitution (10 square miles) and which of the original 13 states had the largest representation in the first Congress (Virginia).

The answers were “impossible to know unless you were a civics genius,” changed frequently and varied by county — all in “in a concerted effort to make it as difficult as possible for individuals to pass,” said John Giggie, who directs of the Frances J. Summersell Center for the Study of the South at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Local officials had discretion over who got the hardest questions and what it took to pass the tests.

In 1965, before the passage of the Voting Rights Act, only about 2.1% of voting-age Black residents of Dallas County, where Selma is located, were registered.

Johnson, with all four of her grandchildren in tow, began to attend mass meetings of the Dallas County Voters League, led by Amelia Boynton, one of Selma’s civil-rights pioneers. While the adults talked strategy, Bland said she was focused on more prosaic issues: chiefly, how to gain access to the lunch counter at Carter’s Drug Store in downtown Selma.

“I wanted to sit there like those white kids and spin around on those stools and eat ice cream,” she recalled. “Grandmother said, ‘Colored children can’t sit at the counter, but when we get our freedom, you can do that.’ “

“I became a freedom fighter the day she told me that,” she said, attending her first meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) at age 8.

As a child, she thought the marches themselves were fun. “The spirit of the movement is what we liked the most,” Bland said.

She said she and her friends thought little of joining the throng headed to the bridge on that Sunday in March for what supposed to be the first leg of a 54-mile trek to the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery to demand voting rights.

“I didn’t know there was the possibility of any violence,” she said. “Then, I crested the bridge and saw the police across all four lanes.”

Pandemonium ensued as the troopers pushed into the crowd. Images from that day show one swinging his baton at Lewis, as the then-25-year-old SNCC chairman raises his right hand, trying to shield his head from the blows. Boynton was beaten unconscious.

“They were running the horses into the crowd,” Bland recalled. “People were being trampled.”

Choking on tear gas, the young Bland fainted in terror. Someone picked her up and took her safety. She awoke in a car, her head in her sister’s lap.

But two days later, she and her sisters were on the bridge again, now joined by 2,000 others and led by The Rev. Martin Luther Jr., for what became known as “Turnaround Tuesday.” She still was scared and wanted to turn back, Bland said, but her sisters grasped her hands tightly to keep her in place, telling her: ” ‘They won’t beat Dr. King.’ “

King and march leaders, obeying a federal court injunction, prayed and sang when they encountered the police blockade that day and turned the protesters around. The march to Montgomery would proceed later that month with Alabama National Guard troops, now under federal command, protecting the protesters.

A lifetime’s work

For Bland, what followed was a life dedicated to social justice that included helping to found a museum of voting rights in Selma to help residents tell their own stories of the struggle.

And she sees parallels between her past and the protesters today who have taken to the streets to demand change, following the deaths of George Floyd and others at the hands of police. Police brutality “hasn’t stopped one day since I’ve been on this Earth,” she said. “But now you can see it in real time.”

In the run-up to November’s election, she’s spending her days pushing everyone she sees to register, get their absentee ballots and use them. On Election Day, she’ll be where she usually is: At the polls. For some 30 years, she worked there in some capacity — early on as a Democratic poll watcher, this year as an official poll inspector.

Lewis’ death in July at 80 has renewed calls by some national activists to rename the bridge in his honor. Pettus, its namesake, was a Confederate general, US Senator and Ku Klux Klan leader in Alabama.

But Bland would rather see it left as it was the day she crossed it as a young girl.

“What happened on that bridge in ’65 gave that bridge a new meaning,” she argued. “It’s now synonymous with freedom all over the world.”

The best way to honor, Lewis, she said: “Get out and vote.”

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

In Canada you can register to vote beforehand to make it faster at the polling station, but you don't have to. Once you've registered once you only need to again if you move. It's easier to bring your reg card and ID, but if you haven't registered you can show ID and register on site, or if you don't have ID you just need someone with you who has ID to vouch for you. I don't think it's barrier free enough, but better than requiring everyone to have ID.

Canadian anon follow-up - homeless people can arrive at the polling station and put the address for a shelter that they stay at or a community health centre or organization that they utilize the services of. If they don't have ID they need someone with ID to vouch, but many organizations will have an employee accompany voters to do so. Again, still not barrier free enough for everyone.

*********I had a bunch of anons about voting procedures - that I thought were really interesting.  So I’m posting them all here

Anon 2: Always interesting to hear how voting works in other places here in Argentina is technically mandatory (except for 16-18 yos and after a certain age) but nothing happens if you dont vote. We vote in schools and you have to check online if you are in the lists to vote (80% people on it voted this year) and what school you have to vote at (usually closest to your house) and you do need your I'd to vote (and have a legal job or a bank account or just basically be a legally recognized human sadly)

Anon 3: I find the ID-discussion interesting. I'm from a country where voting without ID is unheard of (every person living here is OBLIGATED to possess a government-issued idendity card) and I'm probably just ignorant because I only know our system, but how would voting without voter identification work? Like how would you make sure ppl don't vote in place of someone else or multiple times?

Anon 4: I don’t know about Norway, but in Austria you can register your place of residence as “homeless” (you have to choose one district of Austria as your main residence district which is then also your voting district; as a postal adress you can provide the adress of any social welfare institution in your chosen district, where you can collect your mail). But yes, you’re right, if, for whatever reason you don’t register at all, you are automatically excluded from voting in this system however, I would argue that if you don’t register as resident in Austria at all you have way bigger problems than voting, because essentially you are excluded from participating in society as an “official” person. registering with the state is mandatory by law and you need the registration confirmation for virtually everything (when starting a job, getting a passport, I even needed it to get my damn library card lol) ... now that I think about it it all seems a bit “big brotherish” 

Anon 5: the way elections work in poland is like this each baby born in poland has to be registered and is given a personal number that is then used for evrything: doctors insurance schools,etc. when you're registered your parents have to give you an address(it can be changed later if you move but no one checks it- my dad moved in with my mum after the wedding but still is officially registered at my grandma's house) and you're automatically on the voting list for that place once you turn 18. when it's time to vote you: vote at the place you've been registered, temporary register somewhere else, or obtain a"voting" slip that allows you to vote anywhere. you show up with your ID and they check you off the list. IDs in Poland are mandatory but you don't have to pay for them - you only pay for the picture that you can have taken at any photo studio. each small village has a voting station and elections are always on sunday. ithe system's not ideal but it generally works quite well.

Non anon 6 @mandyslytherpuff - In Aus when you turn 18 you have to register with the Australian Electoral Commission. If you are voting before election day you can go to an early voting centre or submit your ballot papers by mail. On election day you go to your local voting centre (usually set up in local public schools) where they have a register of everyone who lives in the area and they mark you off when they give you the ballot papers. You get your democracy sausage (the schools or local community groups usually put on a fundraising sausage sizzle outside the polling place, it is a time honored tradition) and go home. If you don't vote you get a $55 fine. It's seems so strange to me that the Australian system is so different when it was born out of the UK's.

********

Thanks to all anons - I really like that this shows the breadth of different voting practices and how voting practices can be affected by other societal norms (like ID cards and registration).  

In both NZ and the UK, you don’t need ID to vote and there is no evidence of voter ID fraud being a problem in either country (and the Tories are thinking of introducing ID requirements as a voter supression tactic).  I think it’s worth letting countries that require ID that not requiring ID doesn’t lead to huge levels of voter fraud. 

[local-magpie]

no actually the more i think about the specific instance this morning that led to this post, the more irritable i get about it. how the absolute fuck do you propose to make voter registration automatic. have you never registered before? are you somehow completely unaware they need your address to know your district? have you never gone to the polls before and had them look you up to confirm you're at the right spot? or are you refusing to rub TWO BRAINCELLS TOGETHER to realize this is fucking impossible to ask without either making voting a chaotic shitshow or massively violating privacy rights by requiring address registration with the state? there are ways to make registration easier. in many states its already insanely easy you just have to actually do it. insisting on automation is the dumbest shit ive heard of and pisses me off bc it shows the clear and utter lack of interest in how anything actual works or what work needs to be done, it's just fucking preening on the internet for virtue points

the sheer rarity of leftists online ever asking "ok but before i decry anyone not doing this thing i came up with, let me check if its logistically possible to do" is a real big reason why i don't really want to call myself a leftist anymore

[relationshipsandpolitics]

Why I Can’t Be Hopeful

I’ve never been confused for an optimist.  I’m cynical by nature, which probably is more of a necessary evil compared to a genuinely good attribute. So I often find it difficult to be a supporter of the Revolution people like Bernie Sanders are calling for, even though I wholeheartedly support the aims. Despite how they are portrayed, revolutions are generally positive and optimistic  To believe in a revolution means believing positive change can happen.  It is an innately uplifting message.  Yes we can! If we come together, we can change the world!

But I’m immersed in the world of politics enough to know that the revolution probably won’t happen.  The revolution means Medicare for All, a policy so obvious that it seems insane we need to do heavy lifting to convince others of its merits.  And yet here we are, where the majority of Democratic candidates for president won’t support it because it’s too expensive (insert your reminder that we spend nearly a trillion a year in defense spending and your other reminder that Medicare for All would actually reduce spending on health care).

But Bernie has built a movement, you say.  True, a largely successful movement by many metrics.  And yet, at the end of the day, the top contenders for the Democratic nominee for the Presidency voice opposition for the basic tenets of that movement.  Instead, they advocate for incremental change.  

Ah, incremental change.  The establishment, the money, the “people who know politics” have been advocating a strategy of implement change for Democrats for decades.  They believe that small improvements would lead to more meaningful change than massive improvements because reasons.   That’s how we get Obamacare, a marginal improvement of a system that is inherently garbage.  It’s the quintessential example of putting lipstick on a pig.  

It’s this idea of small improvements that makes me lose all hope for genuine change.  Because while Democrats have been tinkering around the edges of progressive policy, Republicans have gone full-steam ahead with monumentally  draconian policy.  They’ve put hundreds of poorly-qualified conservative judges on the courts, ensuring no progressive policy will be enacted for decades to come.  Hell, they confirmed an outright racist with literally no judicial experience for an appeals court!

Republicans in power have passed trillion-dollar tax cuts for the rich, got us bogged down in never-ending wars in the Middle East and central Asia, enacted  legislation which attacked reproductive rights and installed enough judges to protect those bills in the courts, and restricted voting rights to a level not seen since Reconstruction.  The Republican agenda has been revolutionary in its extremism and scope.  While Democrats have been hemming and hawing about slow changes, Republicans have been successfully reshaping this country in their image.   Despite overwhelming advantages in registered voters, Republicans still control most state legislatures and have packed the courts to protect their partisan gerrymandered districts. 

When Democrats have gained control, have they repealed these sweeping changes?  Of course not.  They have maintained Bush’s wars, have only made modest tax increases, and adopted Republican plans on health care.  Oh, and they also supported the $80 billion hike in defense spending pushed by Trump.  Remember too that Obama also detained refugees and separated families.  

I have no hope for genuine change because Democrats don’t seem to want it.  Consider that even among Democratic primary voters, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg are front runners.   Even if Bernie or Elizabeth Warren pull off the win, the Senate will at best be narrowly controlled by the Democrats.  They won’t be able to muster 60 votes on any meaningful legislation.  Then the midterms will happen and the Democrats will lose a large number of seats, maybe even losing the Senate to boot.  So the progressive revolution has maybe two years before control switches.  There is nothing that can be done during this time, save some executive orders that Trump’s judges will undoubtedly overturn.  So the Democrats will push some modest improvements.  Policies people like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema can support.  Workers will continue getting screwed.  Health care costs will continue to bankrupt people, and housing will become increasingly unaffordable.

Then, another Republican will get elected and that tiny step forward we had taken will jump 5 steps back again.  Republicans are evil, but Democrats are the WORST. They have no convictions.  They aren’t willing to sacrifice or take a risk on something they believe in.  

Nothing will change because we don’t actually want it to change.  We are ok with letting people die because they lack health insurance.  We are ok with people working 80 hours a week to barely afford rent.  We are ok with our kids having to take out $200,000 in loans just to make $50,000 a year.  Because it requires nothing of us. We haven’t been asked to sacrifice for some time now, and we’ve gotten complacent. We’ve lost the will to seek change. 

So this holiday season, maybe I’ll splurge on a a nice bottle of Scotch. I haven’t really earned it, but the government insists on taxing me so little I might as well spend my money. I’d rather spend it on giving my fellow citizen health care and improving my own, but oh well.  Scotch numbs the pain almost as well. 

[ilovemytransgenderchild]

Busses are free in Lawrence, Kansas, on election day. Call your city clerk and ask them to make your busses free to support voters, or call the transportation department and ask them yourselves. If enough people call, they might do it. Lyft is free or discounted on election day for voters. There are multiple organizations offering free rides, if you need a ride to your polls, I promise you'll find one.

Go on your state site and precisely and carefully check your registration. Bring picture ID and maybe a couple of bills with you to vote in person, and request your legal right to a provisional ballot if you're not on the roll, or if you didn't register in time. Ask your poll authorities the steps they're taking to secure voting machines and modems, and ask them to confirm that they are backing up votes with a PAPER record. If you are in line and STAY IN LINE before polls close, they have to let you get in to vote, even if the line is huge and it takes hours past closing time. DON'T WEAR CLOTHES, PINS, HATS, ETC. WITH POLITICAL SLOGANS OR MESSAGES TO VOTE AND DON'T TALK ABOUT POLITICS WHILE YOU'RE IN LINE. Vote, then leave. Don't take a pic of your ballot. DON'T TAKE A SELFIE WHILE VOTING. In line, great, outside, great, in the booth, nope.

Election day will be hectic and crowded and time consuming; go vote early, at your leisure, or request a mail in ballot online, fill it out when it comes in the mail, mail it back, and then CALL YOUR COUNTY CLERK A WEEK LATER TO CONFIRM THAT THEY RECEIVED YOUR BALLOT.

Ask your bosses and coworkers if they've voted, and ask follow up questions to determine if they need help with voting procedure, a ride, or moral support, or a pep talk, or even time off or mutual shift covering at work, to have time to vote. Ask managers of grocery stores, restaurants, general stores, etc., what they are doing to support their voting employees. Use your consumer power to support fellow voters.

MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE CHECK YOUR VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT BEFORE MARKING IT, DOUBLE CHECK THE RACES AND CANDIDATES AND DISTRICT INFO, SO THAT YOU COMPLETE AND RETURN A REAL BALLOT, not a fake one with slightly inaccurate ballot info mailed out by opposition or election hackers. Make sure you disregard any inflammatory info on commercials or mailers. Go on authentic voter fact check sites for genuine info. Get info about candidates and policies on VOTESAVEAMERICA.ORG or go on CrookedMedia.com or Pod Save America and click through from there. Vote Save America has info about volunteering and actions.

I need you to vote straight Democrat tickets so that there's more checks and balances, so the GOP has at least some resistance. I need you to vote so my queer kid has a chance at a happy, safe life. Voting might seem hard, but it isn't, its just like an errand. It might not seem like you, yes YOU, can make a difference in my kid's life, but this is the closest election ever in so many counties and states, and I promise you that a few votes will make or break contests. If my kid becomes unsafe here, I might have to send them away, and that will break my heart, no hyperbole. It will break me. Please vote. Please.

[terratheterror]

advice for US citizens about voting in upcoming elections

register if you haven’t already. do it asap. some places have ridiculously early deadlines.

check your voting registration status to confirm you are registered.

make sure the name and address on your ID matches the ones on your voter registration. if not, you need to update it immediately.

screenshot the confirmation and make sure the date is shown, as well as the district you are registered to

have a couple of people (people you trust) look at your voting registration. they will be able to act as witnesses in the future should someone accuse you of photoshopping the screenshots. this might be overkill, but you never know.

the reason you should do this is because republicans are basically taking away voting rights left and right, and outright tampering in some places.

if you have proof that you were registered, and they do not allow you to vote, you can file a lawsuit with the help of an attorney because that is unconstitutional

they also do this on state-level elections by issuing incorrect ballots to people. make sure you know your district and have proof of it, so if they try to hand you a ballot for an incorrect district, you can demand the correct one

make sure you take proof of your registration, as well as any other required identification, with you when you go to vote

double check to make sure required IDs are not expired or will not expire before election day

here are some links to help:

http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx#Laws%20in%20Effect is a site that shows ID requirements across the US

if you use the one above plus your state’s site, you have double the proof of your registration

[taiello]

City Council Race 2022

EDITORIAL

I am officially declaring, the City Council election season has begun in La Mirada.

I am not an expert on politics, elections or anything else really, but I can offer a unique perspective and why not?

This is the third campaign season La Mirada residents will be electing council members by district rather than city-wide after the city was threatened to be sued by MALDEF in 2016.

What does this mean? Well, from a candidate standpoint, generally speaking, you only need a few hundred votes to win rather than the couple of thousand you would need in an at-large election.

The city is made up of five districts and 2022 will feature an election for Districts 1 and 2.

Representatives were elected for Districts 3, 4 and 5 in 2020.

The District 1 & 2 election in 2017, the first conducted by district, was marred with mail pieces using strong language and then followed up by multiple, rambling fake stories from establishment pop-up "news" sources in La Mirada that really continue to this day, to a certain degree.

For interested candidates, the Nominations Documents Filing Period for 2022 began February 14th and the deadline is March 11 at 5:00 p.m.

I have not confirmed with city clerk Anne Haraksin who has officially filed and who hasn't, but I believe this is fairly accurate.

In District 2, there is an interesting race that has developed. Former Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Board Member Chris Pflanzer has entered the fray and kicked off his campaign this evening with a Casino Night at the VFW.

Reportedly, Dave Constantine has entered the race and two-term incumbent Andrew Sarega still has not indicated if he is running or not.

In District 1, incumbent John Lewis seems to be unchallenged so far. Diane Gramajo ran against him unsuccessfully in 2017, but had a strong showing with support from a Democrat Party alliance. However since then she has been appointed to the Community Services Commission (by Sarega), so now if she runs it would be upsetting the apple cart, which is not looked upon fondly by the Committee of 200 (the establishment). So, Lewis may go unchallenged, but there is still time.

City Council members have been publicly vehement over the years, maintaining that although the residents elect them now by district, council members still represent all of La Mirada in their decision making.

This, apparently, for the most part has continued to be true, unless it seems, it is election time, as you are now starting to see cracks in the ice.

When the new community garden opened in LM recently, John Lewis printed and posted on-line door hangars announcing the opening of the new garden. The hangars were apparently headlined by "District 1 John Lewis." Residents expressed concern the new garden was only available to residents who live in District 1.

There is a genuine and sincere base that votes in these local elections in every community, but that percentage is very small. The majority of eligible voters do not vote, let alone the registered peeps and those that do usually have some kind of direct or indirect interest-many times involving money.

Always follow the money!!

[lifestylelaguna]

Voter Registration at SM Extended until End of October

Comelec spokesperson James JimenezJ had insisted that the extension of voter registration was in response to public clamor, even though the Comelec had been firm on non-extension even when calls were already mounting in August.

With COMELEC registration centers now open in 67 SM Supermalls nationwide, here’s a quick guide:

Who are qualified to register? You are qualified if you meet the following reguirements:Filipino citizen At least 18 years old by the time of the Elections (May 2022) A Filipino resident for at least one (1) year, residing in the place in which you intend to register in for at least six (6) months

What do I need to bring before going to the registration site?Download and accomplish the CEF-1 application form via https://comelec.gov.ph/ or via https://irehistro.comelec.gov.ph/cef1 and the Coronavirus Self Declaration Form. You may need to download and accomplish other forms as necessary (i.e. PWD). A valid ID, which may be any of the following:a. Student ID (or School Library ID signed by school authority)g. Passportb. Employee’s ID (with signature of employer or authorized representative)h. SSS/GSIS IDc. Senior Citizen IDi. Integrated Bar of the Philippines IDd. PWD Discount IDj. PRC Licensee. Driver’s Licensek. Postal IDf. NBI Clearancel. NCIP Certificate of Confirmation (for members of ICCs or IPs) *Cedula and Police Clearance will not be honored Own ball pen, face mask, and face shield. It is recommended to also bring your own alcohol or hand sanitizer. Please be reminded to keep safe social distance at all times.

Is there an express lane? An express lane is reserved for Senior Citizens, PWDs, and heavily pregnant registrants.

What are the other services offered in the registration sites? a. Filing of changes or correction in the entries (typographical errors in personal details or changes by reason of marriage, annulment, or court order) b. Transfer of registration records c. Reactivation of registration records c. Updating of records for PWDs and senior citizens d. Inclusion of Records in the Book of Voters/Reinstatement of Name in the List of Voters For information on the requirements, visit: https://irehistro.comelec.gov.ph/cef1.

I have already registered in the past. Can I check status of my registration? Yes. You may verify your registration status by: a. Calling COMELEC’s IT Department at 8527-9365 or 8526-7769; b. Directly coordinating with the Office of the Election Officer in their district, city, or municipality c. Accomplishing the form via https://irehistro.comelec.gov.ph/cef1.

Can I register at any satellite office in SM? The registration in malls is limited to residents of the city or district of the COMELEC conducting mall satellite registration. Hence, if you live in Makati District 1, you can register in a Makati mall where COMELEC Makati District 1 is holding registration.

This aims to help ease and unburden voter registration traffic in barangays, providing the public a more convenient, faster and safer way to avail of your right to vote. Register now.