Sacred Act of Voting

Why You Should Vote

Voting is the moral obligation and responsibility of every adult who considers themselves a citizen of this country. The way I see it, people who do not vote are not citizens of this country because they do not participate in the governance of its laws and actions. In order to be a full-fledged citizen, you have to vote. It is that simple. Now that’s my viewpoint and it might not be yours. You are entitled to think the way you wish just as I am. I just happen to believe strongly in citizens who participate in democracy and to do that, you have to vote.

I’m in the minority on this. There are fewer people in this country who are registered to vote than in any other ‘democracy’ in the free world. Of those registered to vote, fewer than 1/3 will show up to actually vote in any single election. This means that in a system that is supposedly based on the rule of the majority, 1/3 of 1/3 actually get to decide what happens in the government of our towns, cities, states, and nation. That’s just crazy. We are being ruled by a tiny minority. So if you want something changed, ladies and gents, you’d best speak UP.

Register to Vote NOW

Democrats do want you. We particularly want people of all colors, but Black men especially. Did you know that of that group only about 17% turn out to vote? Seriously, guys, where are you? You’re allowing the women to shoulder the work? Grab your neighbor and come on to vote! Have a record? Chances are very good that if you are “off papers” you can register to vote and rejoin society. Call your parole officer and verify. It is easier to get back on the voter rolls than you think.

To start the process:

1. https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do This is the place to start on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. When the screen comes up, you will see a form on the right-hand side. You can check to see if you might still be registered by filling in that form. If you are, the website will show you where you are supposed to go to vote. Please note: It is illegal to vote in another precinct that you do NOT actually reside in. (Reside in = the place where you go home after work, get your mail, pay your taxes, kids are registered for school, etc. You may not use your grandmother’s address or a P.O. Box. It must be an actual physical address.)
2. If you are NOT registered, then you MUST use the Register button on the left-hand side.
3. Please be careful to use the NAME you have on your IDENTIFICATION. The poll workers will match your ID to the voter rolls. If it does not match exactly, you will not be able to vote. (Spelling, hyphens, order of names-it is all extremely important. So if it is not correct on your ID, now is the time to get that corrected.)
4. You can, if you have the capability, send in your application electronically. If you cannot do that, you are allowed to print out the application, sign it, and do one of two things: A. Take it or mail it to the County Elections Office in your county, or B. Mail it to the Secretary of State’s office in Atlanta. Either way works fine.
5. Please remember that you are NOT registered until you get a written letter back saying you are registered and that tells you where you should go vote in person when Election Days are held.

Applying for an Absentee/Mail-in Ballot

Part of the big kerfuffle with SB 202 (Feb 2021) was that the Democrats used the Republicans’ “no questions asked” absentee ballot law and got thousands of people to mail in their ballots. Well, now, wouldn’t you know it, that law was supposed to elect Republicans, not Democrats, and they just got all fluffed about the results. So they tried to change it back. But the public LIKED the law. As Scarlett O’Hara would say, “Fiddle-de-de”. The GOP lawmakers were stuck with it. They made a few minor changes, which are basically your run-of-the-mill pain-in-the-sitter stuff, but we still have the option. Joke is on them.

• https://sos.ga.gov/elections-division-georgia-secretary-states-office Scroll down the page to the Request an Absentee Ballot button.
• It will allow you to download the application to your device to print out.
• When you do fill it out, be very careful to use the ID that you will use to verify your identity to vote. If you swap your ID, they will discard your ballot. Carefully re-check the numbers that you put on the application that is on your ID. They must match the numbers that you will also put on your absentee ballot EXACTLY.
• Sign the application with the same name as you are using on your ballot. No nicknames, social media handles, or anything else. Legal names only will be accepted.

Those Hot, Tired, Hungry Voters

It turns out that if you are “partisan”, you have to watch these people suffer. But the rules are different if you are “non-partisan”. I’m just saying.

Poll Workers v Poll Watchers, Election Vote Review Panelists, Election Vote Tally Oversight

Poll Workers = These valiant people are PAID BY THE COUNTIES that they work in to process the voters through matching ID to the voter rolls and making sure that ONLY citizens that have proper ID actually vote. They open up the precinct polls, verify the operation of the machines, make sure the devices are locked back down with a chain of custody, and work very hard to make sure the front end of the voting goes smoothly.

Poll Watchers = Volunteers (can be representatives of a political party or from the public) who must be specifically trained to be poll watchers according to state law. They may not interfere with the poll workers or the voters. They may not so much as even speak to them inside the poll. They are not allowed to see the ballots as they are being cast and may not ask to see them before they are placed into the box. They are there to make sure that every voter is allowed to vote that is legally eligible to vote.

Election Vote Review Panelists – There is only one volunteer/party/panel along with an employee of the county who works doing this job. This is to rectify ballots that have problems such as:

• having a coffee spill on them
• scratch outs
• someone marked the votes incorrectly (x’s, check marks, circles, used a crayon, felt-tip marker)
• the ballot was torn or mutilated in some way
• double voted
• ambiguous
• ineligible write-in candidate (Donald Duck)

These people will duplicate the ballot if possible, initial both ballots and send the duplicate for counting and storage.

Larger counties will have more than one-panel working.

Election Vote Tally Oversight – Depending on the sheer volume of voting done in a county, this might involve one to several volunteers. It can be partisan or from the public. The Oversight must not interfere with the vote tally process, but they must be able to observe all phases of the process including any breaking of seals and re-sealing of chain-of-custody. They cannot actually handle ballots, observe the votes on the ballots, or estimate the number of votes for any candidates. They should not talk to or get in the way of any of the workers while in the area where the tally is taking place. No electronics are permitted.

If you are interested in participating in any of these positions, contact https://www.georgiademocrat.org/voter-protection-2/ or your county Democratic committee.

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