Wednesday, August 14, 2002
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Wednesday, August 14, 2002 |
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Questions, answers about ballots, voting By
SALLIE SATTERTHWAITE You don't have to be a new voter to have questions about the election process when you go to the polls next Tuesday. And given Fayette County's growth, it's fair to assume that for many of you, the primaries will be your first experience voting in the county or perhaps even in the state. In every election, without fail, misunderstandings about the process sometimes arise and we have to clarify things without, if possible, ruffling some already ruffled feathers. As a poll worker for more years than I like to admit, I'll try to head off some of your questions, in no particular order: Q. Why do I have to tell you I want a Democrat or a Republican ballot? A. You're merely being asked in which party's primary you wish to participate. It may help to view the primaries as two separate elections held on the same day, and you are completely free to vote in one or the other, but not both. You'll have to choose which campaign holds the most interest for you. For example, on this year's Democratic ballot, there is only one candidate for U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, Secretary of State and several other offices because these people were not opposed within their own party. But three Republicans are vying to be their party's candidate for each of those offices. If you request a Democratic ballot, you'll have no say about who challenges Governor Barnes or Senator Cleland. And if, by Sept. 10's almost certain runoff, you decide you prefer the candidate the Republicans chose, you can't jump parties at that point. The runoff is the completion of the primary contest and you must vote the party you voted in August. Please understand, however, that in the general election on Nov. 5, there will be only one ballot, and you may choose a Republican in one race, a Democrat in the next, to your heart's content. A lot of us don't like this system, but we're stuck with it for now. Because I'm most concerned about the contests closest to home this year, two county commission seats I'll take a Republican ballot, on which three are running for one post, two for the other. There are no Democratic candidates for County Commissioner, so a Republican will be elected next Tuesday (or on Sept. 10). If I take the Dems' ballot, I'll lose my opportunity to choose local governance. The worst thing about this is that I'll get swamped with Republican advertising for the next few months. Which reminds me: Going to the polls is a public event, and whether or not you voted and in which primary (but not how you voted) is a matter of public record. Q. I live near Brooks, but I work here in Peachtree City. It's all Fayette County, so why can't I vote here instead of having to rush home to my precinct? A. Sorry, right now that's the law. I think it's dumb too, and maybe electronic voting will start us moving in the right direction. Q. What do you mean I'm not registered? I know I registered when I got my driver's license. A. I hate this one. We've had couples who were at DMV together, and his registration is valid, but hers is not. I talked to a licensing officer last year. "People are under the assumption that because they got a driver's license, they're registered to vote," he said. His department sends the applications to the Secretary of State's office, from where they are forwarded to the appropriate county. "We process over two million people a year, and we're by far the greatest information-gathering source there is. But do the math on 99 percent accuracy in gross numbers that's a lot." In addition, when they pull complainants' records, they find that "some have clearly marked on the form that they are not interested in registering to vote." Q. I've always voted here, and I've never missed an election. Why am I not on the list today? A. We follow up on every question like this, and I remember only one single time when a voter who was not on the Fayette County list did appear on the state's master list. In every other case, there was a good reason why they were not on the list, such as the college student who had registered in another state for four years, automatically taking his name off our list. A new voter registration card was sent recently to every registered voter in Fayette County. If you didn't get one, I urge you to call the Elections Office now (770-460-5730, ext. 5408), or click on www.sos.state.ga.us to check on your status. Don't wait until election day. Q. Why can't I use the voter registration card as I.D. when I go to vote? A. The short answer is that it's not on the approved I.D. list. There are more than a dozen valid I.D.s you may present, or, if you have none of those when you come to vote, you may fill out and swear to a statement that you are who you say you are. Q. Is it true poll workers will make you turn your shirt inside out if it has a campaign message on it? A. Absolutely. It's happened, and I wouldn't hesitate to request you do so or leave the precinct. You may not campaign by word or sign within 150 feet of any building where voting is taking place. This year, the office is actually providing us with 150-foot long ropes so we can measure off the distance and not have to rely on guesswork. Q. When's a good time to come to the polls? When are you least busy? A. Tough question. It's so hard to second-guess voters. We brace ourselves for a lunch-hour rush, and apparently all the voters think the same way, and the room is empty from noon to one. The hour after school is sometimes busy, and there may be a lot of kids in the room then, their parents demonstrating a civic lesson. I can tell you when not to come, and that's at the last minute. If you're in line at my precinct at closing time, 7 p.m., and all is in order, you can vote after closing, but if we discover you're at the wrong place and you have to go elsewhere, you're out of luck. See you at the polls. We have an added attraction this time, by the way. One of the new electronic voting booths will be at each precinct so you can get acquainted. They'll be universally in use in November. It's going to be interesting.
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