Urgent! Please give your college newspaper this story

[clear eye]

Please distribute this story to your local college and university newspapers ASAP:

By federal law, if it's the first time a person is voting from an address, in person or absentee, they need to show picture ID. For absentee ballots that means including a color copy of their driver's license or government picture ID. Nothing on the absentee ballot instructions says anything about this, so just about nobody knows it, and all those college freshmen's votes will be thrown out if they aren't notified to include the ID.

Here is the website with the article by RFK, Jr. in which he tells about this law: http://www.truthout.org:80/article/rfk-jr-and-mike-papantonio-is-your-vote-safe

"Bobby: "Let me tell you about one other of these scams people should know about. If you're a newly registered voter - and of course the Democrats have done these gigantic registration drives - 12 million people on registration - if you're a new voter you MUST include your license or some other state I.D. when you come to vote. What that means is that if you're a college kid (and college kids now - they're sending in absentee ballots - they're not going to the voting place, they do everything online or they do everything remotely - they don't dream of going to the precinct house voting on election day and waiting in a long line) so if they send in the absentee ballot and they don't include a color copy of their license their vote is going to be thrown into a trash can. And none of these people know this because you have had to read the law in order to know it. So there is no notification for when you fill out your registration form, so all of those 12 million people that the Democrats have registered: those ballots are going to be just thrown out."

[Believing Is Art]

1. Depends on the state

Not necessarily true

[clear eye]

2. No, it doesn't. For federal elections, federal law applies.

Look it up.

[eyesroll]

3. Nope. States control the mechanisms of federal elections.

In WI, for instance, you don't need a picture ID to register or vote. Even on election day.
You need *proof of residence*, which can be a drivers license, but it also can be an electric bill, lease, paycheck, or even someone to vouch for you.
You also need to list the last 4 digits of your WI drivers license if you have one. If you don't, you'll need to list the last four digits of your state ID card # or your social security #. You do not need to produce those documents.

http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/faq_wisconsin_voting_elections.html
http://elections.state.wi.us/faq_detail.asp?faqid=121&fid=27&locid=47

(I was a legal observer for Election Protection in 2006. Nothing is different in WI this time around.)


Edit: You also don't need to send in a color copy of your driver's license, or anything else, with an absentee ballot. You just need a witness to sign.

[Believing Is Art]

5. need a witness?

We only need a witness to sign if we have help filling out our ballot or choose to "mark" instead of sign our name.

My only big flip out this year was that they spelled my middle name wrong on my application form. But the next day I got a new application form with just a middle initial. I guess there are some benefits in coming from a town where everyone knows everybody else :)

[eyesroll]

6. In WI you need a witness for an absentee ballot...but it can be any adult citizen.

They don't have to see how you voted--they just need to certify it was you who did.

I voted early--which here is an absentee ballot done at the elections office--and the guy who collected the ballots signed the envelopes.

[Believing Is Art]

4. Nope,

In Kentucky, you only need to send a copy of a photo ID if you are registering to vote, not if you are requesting or a submitting an absentee ballot. If you are already registered to vote, you don't have to send a copy of your ID. However, you have to show proof of ID *if you vote in person.* But then Kentucky allows "personal acquaintance" of a voting official to count as proof of ID, which covers most people outside of Lexington and Louisville.

But this is a good example of why each state needs to be more proactive about making their requirements transparent. There's a lot of confusion out there.

Either that or nationalize the voting system.

This is a good link for voting absentee:
http://govoteabsentee.org/