Is there a way to check your 'registered to vote' status?

[Anonymous]

I registered at a mall kiosk months ago, but I wanted to make sure that I was actually registered, since it was run by the same republicans that manufacture electronic voting machines.

[Brandon]

Did you get a voter registration card in the mail?

[Anonymous]

I don't think so, I'll ask my dad if he picked it up or something.

[AChimp]

Can't you just show up on election day to vote, even if you aren't registered?

You can do that in Canada as long as you bring two pieces of government-issued identification (one of them has to be photo ID). You end up spending about 10 minutes filling out papers, but you can still vote without being on the list beforehand.

[Anonymous]

No, i think you have to be registered by Oct 2nd at the latest.

[kellychaos]

Check with your local County Clerks office. They usually have a seprate line for voter registration questions. If that fails, try the Secretary Of State Office. I'd try the latter option last as there's bound to be some monstrous phone routing tree to deal with.

[Preechr]

SORRY... A lil late to the party, but HAVA laws require all states to allow you to check online now. Maryland does it county by county, so look at: http://www.elections.state.md.us/citizens/county_boards.html

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Yeah, it all depends on your state election laws. Here in Wisconsin (where I am currently working), there is no centralized county election boards. If yu live in the TOWN of Sun Prairie, then you register through the TOWN clerk, if you live in the CITY of Sun Prairie, then you register through the CITY clerk.....ugh.

Chimp, some states have same day registration, such as Wisconsin.

[AChimp]

Okay, I understand now.

What about when you file your income tax? Isn't there a little box to check off that says "register me to vote"? :(

[davinxtk]

I know there's one when you get your driver's license. And I think you can do it at the post office, too.
I didn't see it on my 1040EZ (taxes), but I only looked at that thing for about 4 seconds.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

You can do it when you go to the post office and the DMV, but the problem with them is that their job isn't to register, educate, and galvanize voters. Their job is to send/receive the mail, and register your car for the road, repectively. Most State boards of elections are on the financial end of the proverbial totum pole when it comes to budgeting. Not much better at the Fed. level, either.

Personally speaking, if I were in government, I would view our low voter turnout as a crisis, and would use the existing agencies to mobilize voters, not just "register" and "processs" them. But that's just me. :(

[AChimp]

I bet they'd get lots of people out to vote if, say, they offered $100 off on your taxes.

[El Blanco]

Ya, Kevin, there is a serious problem when more people are voting for American Idol than for American President

See why I consider democracy a failed experiment?

[KevinTheOmnivore]

I think this year will be different. Historically, we generally have a higher turnout when the country is polarized behind two candidates. People feel like they have something to vote for, as opposed to Bush/Gore, which just seemed like a tweedle dee/tweedle dum scenario.

Plus, voter mobilization is at an all time high. Groups like the one I'm working for are trying to mobilze typically inactive demographics, such as young voters, minority voters, etc.

Here in Wisconsin, where Gore won by less than 6,000 votes in 2000, 18-24 year old voters could swing the state. That's saying something......

[Crying Baby Jesus]

SORRY... A lil late to the party, but HAVA laws require all states to allow you to check online now. Maryland does it county by county, so look at: http://www.elections.state.md.us/citizens/county_boards.html

Maryland IS a county.

[El Blanco]

Kev, you aren't working for this (http://www.i-mockery.net/viewtopic.php?t=14715) group, are you?

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Unfortunately not.

[Preechr]

A lot of my mom's side of the family lives in SE Wisconsin. I think they're all already voting for Kerry, so you can skip that whole area.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

We're non-partisan.

[Spasmolytic]

I was wondering this myself, I registered during senior year of high school but I don't recall getting a card. I'll have to check on that... anyone know of a site for Illinois?

[Preechr]

If you live in Chicago (http://66.107.4.19/)

If not, (http://www.elections.state.il.us/voteinfo/pages/ElecAuthorityList.asp) you'll have to call or visit your local elections board.

Hurry! You only have till Tuesday!