Help me keep my vote.

October 20, 2008 11:27 AM

I got my Absentee Ballot in the mail. It says to use the special writing implement. There isn't one. Help me get this un-fucked.

So I'm in Idaho. My voting area is Adair County, MO. I requested the absentee ballot, they sent it, and it has a bunch of arrows next to names and proposals with half the arrow missing. I'm supposed to fill in the arrows with the "special writing implement" that's included. Problem: there is no writing implement included. Suddenly I miss the hanging chad.

Having been fucked on the last two elections, I'd rather not have my vote dismissed a third time. Maybe its the burn, but this seems like a way to get me to not vote. Like as, I have to send away for the writing implement only to have it arrive on Nov 6th, or something like that.

Is there a fix for this? If it's as simple as "just use a ball point pen," please tell me. The ballot looks like its electronically read; it seems unlikely that the Election Commission uses different pens that the rest of the world - special pens - so this seems like an easy fix. Problem is, I can't find seem to find anyone else who is having this problem.

Help me, Hive Mind, you're my only hope.

posted by mr_book to Law & Government (17 answers total)

Are you at a university? Do you know anyone else from MO who is voting absentee? I can't imagine each county would have different "special implements," but then again I've never voted absentee. I would ask around. If you are at a university, surely there's some "get out the vote" sort of campaign that can hook you up.
posted by desjardins at 11:32 AM on October 20, 2008

Could also need a #2 pencil, so I'd find out what kind of implement you actually need. Any number to call included with the ballot?
posted by cjorgensen at 11:32 AM on October 20, 2008

When I used such a ballot in Vermont, the pen we used to make the connection was a wide (but not fat) black felt-tip marker.

Could you call the county election commission and ask?
posted by brianogilvie at 11:33 AM on October 20, 2008

I remember a similar situation where I was told to use the "special hole-punching implement." In my case, this very special tool was included. It was a paperclip.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 11:33 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

If calling the election commission doesn't help, or you don't trust them, the campaign office of a candidate should be motivated to get to the bottom of this for you.
posted by winston at 11:33 AM on October 20, 2008

Call the local democratic or republican offices. They will handle it. They are actually quite helpful.
posted by beachhead2 at 11:37 AM on October 20, 2008

Here in California, where (some of us?) have optical scan ballots, we use black felt-tipped pens at the polling place. It sounds like the same thing - although I guess it could also be a #2 pencil. If you can't get hold of a live person at your election commission office, you might also try your local League of Women Voters.
posted by rtha at 11:45 AM on October 20, 2008

Our optical scan ballots sound similar, and we also are given black felt-tipped pens. Not sure if they have special ink in them or anything.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:51 AM on October 20, 2008

Black felt-tipped pens in MA as well.
posted by rivenwanderer at 12:15 PM on October 20, 2008

Best answer: Contact the Adair County Clerk, who is also the elction official:

Sandy Collop
County Clerk
106 W. Washington, 2nd Floor
Kirksville, MO 63501
[phone]
FAX [phone]
posted by chrisamiller at 12:17 PM on October 20, 2008

I'm pretty sure that all you will need is a black ink pen.
Not blue, nor blue-black, but black.
This is all that has been required in Florida's absentee ballots, back when we had the Complete The Arrow and now that we have the Fill In The Dot.
posted by willmize at 12:22 PM on October 20, 2008

I was a Field Election Deputy in San Francisco, where we were at the time using optical scan ballots. The pens we used were special -- they had some kind of magnetic something in the ink or something like that.

HOWEVER, we were told that a regular black pen or #2 pencil would work. It didn't have quite as perfect an accuracy rate when machine-read, but it was close. Like 99.5% or something.
posted by YoungAmerican at 12:58 PM on October 20, 2008

In Oklahoma, we use the same arrow system and it's just a felt-tip marker.
posted by drleary at 1:13 PM on October 20, 2008

Nthing county clerk. They should know exactly what they need, and what they'll throw out. If she's swamped, call a campaign office in your home town. Since you're fairly far from home, I doubt you'll see anyone from near where you're registered.

I don't think you should take what I'm about to say as advice as I'm voting absentee to an NJ county, but since everyone else is talking about their ballots, here goes. Mine was an optical ballot with Scantron-style circles to fill in. The ballot said I should fill it out with a pencil or black pen. I used a pencil, because I was afraid of messing up. It paid off, because I accidentally voted the wrong way on a public question which I ultimately decided to abstain on.
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:48 PM on October 20, 2008

So I'm in Idaho. My voting area is Adair County, MO. I requested the absentee ballot, they sent it, and it has a bunch of arrows next to names and proposals with half the arrow missing. I'm supposed to fill in the arrows with the "special writing implement" that's included. Problem: there is no writing implement included. Suddenly I miss the hanging chad.

I got an absentee ballot from California. It also looked like yours, with half the arrow missing.

My instructions said to fill in the arrow "with a dark pen." Hope that helps.
posted by vacapinta at 1:56 PM on October 20, 2008

I live in CA, I have either (a) had to use a black pen, or (b) they sent me a funkily-folded paperclip as a "punching" implement.

Yeah, I'd call the county clerk, but you'll probably just need any implement that can poke in a hole or a black pen in the end.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:09 PM on October 20, 2008

Response by poster: turns out its a black or blue pen, but NOT red.
posted by mr_book at 10:21 AM on October 21, 2008