Today's Dear Abby includes a letter from a poll worker that tells people that their sample ballot will have the information they need for their polling place and who the candidates for each position are.
Sample ballot? What's that? I've been registered to vote since I was 18, and I've never received a sample ballot. I'd love to get one!!! I research the candidates before going to the polls, and there's always someone or a race that I missed. A sample ballot would help me tons!
Also, last time I voted, I made myself a cheat sheet so I could remember what I had found out about each candidate. I wasn't allowed to look at it while at the booth (or whatever you want to call it). I felt like I was taking a test. I could've sworn this was never a problem in the past. Why aren't you allowed to look at a peice of paper while you vote? It's not like I'm soliciting other people with it or handing it out. Anyone else have this rule?
If that isn't right, we found ours when we went to the site to check to see if we were registered to vote. We knew we were but wanted to make sure the system had it right.
__________________
"Am I speaking in a language you're not getting here?"
We always get a sample ballot in our newspaper a few weeks before any election and we are allowed to take it to the booth and use it while we vote. I've never heard of not being allowed to use a piece of paper that has your choices wrote on it as an aid while you're voting. I think I would check into that with your city clerk's office and find out why they forbid it. What they're doing doesn't sound legal to me.
You know, I've heard that if they find out or assume you're democrat that people tend to be given a hard time around here at the polls. There's been a big controversy about it. Things like making up reasons that people couldn't vote. But at the same time, there's a good bunch of radical democrats at IU, and they always seem to be victimized one way or another if you talk to them, so I doubted it.
I'm also an independent and refuse to pick a party. But this year, I did vote in the democratic primary, mostly because John McCain had already basically won the republican ticket.
So I wasn't told I had to put my paper way until after I had to declare a party. Hm, maybe there is something to that after all.
Mz, I bet if you contacted both the Republican and Democratic headquarters in your area and told them that you aren't allowed to take a piece of paper into the voting booth with you, they would raise all kinds of heck about it and put an end to what they're doing. I still say this sounds highly illegal; nowhere does it state that you cannot take materials (voting aids) into the booth with you when you vote. I would really press the issue.
MZ you might just want to put the paper in your pocket and pull it out when you vote. At least you can vote more responsibly. I have never received a sample ballot, but our paper has been running a story everyday on a different race, with lots of information on the candidates. It has been nice. There are lots of people that I might not have voted for had I not read the articles, I too plan on taking a note with me, too much to remember!