Journal pudge's Journal: Letter: Right to Vote 10
Tuesday, for the first time in my life, I voted absentee, because I was forced to, in the Fire District 18 vote.
No one told me this was happening. Indeed, I recently attended a meeting where County Auditor Bob Terwilliger and Election Manager Carolyn Diepenbrock talked to us about the upcoming election changes. They told us that mandatory absentee voting would begin with this year's primary. So when the absentee ballots came to my house, I very nearly threw them away, trusting the word of our elected official.
But to make sure, I first emailed Diepenbrock, who informed me that she had misinformed me. When I asked why no one had bothered to tell us we were forced to vote by absentee, she said the Fire District was going to do that. Well, I have the literature from the Fire District -- passed out at the annual pancake breakfast I attended, and when the firemen walked door-to-door -- and it says nothing about it.
I wonder how many poll voters were disenfranchised Tuesday due to this misinformation and lack of notice, and I wonder if the county will do its duty to investigate and hold Terwilliger responsible.
Update: Because of the misinformation, lack of notice, and incompetence of the County Auditor, my wife and I cannot vote.
We have no stamps, and my wife has an infant and four-year-old with her, and can't wait in line to get them. So, as the ballot envelope said we could, she went to drop off our ballots at the polling place. But the envelope was wrong: none of our local polling places have dropoff locations. My wife called the county auditor's offce, who said we could go to Lake Stevens or Stanwood to drop off the ballots, but they have no directions to either location.
Or, she can lug the kids down to the County Auditor's office, presumably, although they did not give this to her as an option. And it's too far for them to go anyway.
If anyone cares, we had marked our ballots to approve of the levy increase, not that it matters, since our votes won't be counted.
If I can get any help, I plan to sue to have the election thrown out.
At least its just a primary (Score:2)
Re:At least its just a primary (Score:2)
So let's say I am a poll voter. I get this absentee ballot in the mail. But I was told the week before by the County Auditor that we could still use the polls until the primary. So I throw it away, and oops, I don't get to vote.
Or perhaps I am a
Re:At least its just a primary (Score:2)
Re:At least its just a primary (Score:2)
Just goes to show (Score:1)
Sorry, I couldn't help it.
Re:Just goes to show (Score:2)
Pudge (Score:2)
Over here in the UK, your case would most certainly be thrown out. It is no-ones responsibility but your own to ensure you have the correct information.
Re:Pudge (Score:2)
Then you must not have understood what you read.
If I had thrown away my ballot when I received it, it would have been based on the incorrect information provided to me by the County Auditor himself, who said I would be able to vote at the polls until the primary in September. If I had done that, I would have lost my right to vote in this election, due to no fault of my own.
And what act
I understand the misinformation point (Score:2)
Re:I understand the misinformation point (Score:2)
Not in regard to misinformation, no, they are not.
Unless you could prove deliberate foul play, deliberate misinformation, I still think you would lose your case
Nope. There's no reason it has to be deliberate. Indeed, the Fourteenth Amendment leaves it open-ended: if the right of people to vote for President/Vice President electors, or federal Representatives, or statewide Executive, Judicial, or Legislative off