Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with voting

Who can push me hardest?

aiificionado — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:24:13 -0800

Is there any research that says who or what influences one's political beliefs more than any other? 1) I'm not really looking for anything in particular, just want to know what past research has said influences one's leanings.

I was just thinking about it, and I assume there must be several but my (admittedly quick) search yielded nothing.

Some possible ideas: income, type or possession of employment, religion, family members' views, friends/specific relatives' views, major catastrophes, feelings of faith or fear, what have you.

2) For a bonus, I'd like the widest variety of things or people that can influence you, by how much sway they have.

3) I'm looking primarily for some kind of research or polling, but after that I'd like to hear what MeFites have seen (can you can back it up with examples of people you know?), just out of curiosity.

Movie scenes about democracy.

EnormousTalkingOnion — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:02:11 -0800

What movie scenes would you show a middle school class to teach them the nature/importance of democracy?

Government Voting Records

Mckoan1 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:03:56 -0800

Is there a simple way, on the Web, to research how each member in both the House of Representatives and Senate voted on a bill? Specifically, I am looking for how Nancy Bean (Illinois) voted on the recent Health Care Bill. Thanks in advance.

Like Digg, but local.

rev- — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:58:40 -0800

Recommendations on Digg-like voting software (or website)? I'm trying to put together a work project, and I'd like to solicit staff for ideas and then let every one vote on the ideas. The key being that I'd like to set it up and let it run on it's own for a while. If it had a comment component to allow people to refine and discuss the idea, that would rock!

Maybe it's a plugin to wordpress or something, or a standalone script that I can install or maybe it's just a web site that will let me do this.

I swear I've seen something like this before and I wish I'd bookmarked it, but it is lost down the mind-drain.

Ideas? Thoughts? Dance moves?

Thanks!

CK-THUNK goes the lever of justice

Lucinda — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:06:24 -0800

Can individuals rent voting machines? I'm a member of a group that is having an important vote in a few weeks. We can do it with pen and paper, but were wondering if we could rent one of those lever voting machines (we're in New York State; they still use them) for more anonymity (and, well, the coolness factor).

I remember using one in high school 15 some-odd years ago for student elections; I don't know if the school owned it outright or not.

Google's not turning up much on the subject.

Vendor for mail-in ballots?

carrolldamian — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:09:14 -0800

Looking for a California vendor of mail-in ballots for a large organization's annual officer elections, including the possibility of online voting. I belong to a large California political organization with chapters around the state, and am looking for a way to conduct our annual statewide Officer elections via a mail-in ballot system. Ideally each member would receive a voting kit in the mail, including a ballot labeled with a unique, confidential voter ID code. That ballot could either be mailed in, or the voter could go to a website and vote using their ID code. Does anybody know a vendor that could help handle this process, or have any idea how much something like this would cost? Figure roughly 8000 total members would receive ballots.

How to find out the percentage of registered republicans, democrats, and others in New York

omnigut — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:42:54 -0800

Help! I desperately need to know what percentage of people in NYC are registered as democrats, republicans, and independent. Can anyone find the right link?! I can't find the information on NYC.gov but I have very little time, so I'm skimming. Thank you!

Vote by mail?

jca — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:00:45 -0800

Reasons the United States does not vote by mail in elections? (Other than Oregon and states that offer "any reason" vote by mail absentee voting.)

Can someone provide information and/or links as to why vote by mail isn't adopted in all U.S. elections? Would you be for or against voting by mail? How well does it work (or not work) where it is offered?

Sticker me!

zizzle — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:06:58 -0800

I voted today but my precinct didn't hand out "I voted!" stickers, and it made me sad, especially when I saw people elsewhere sporting them. Why wouldn't my precinct have "I voted!" stickers? Where else can I get one?

Provisional Ballot or No?

empyrean — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:21:04 -0800

Will I be able to vote in the Florida election tomorrow using an expired passport as Photo ID, or will I be stuck filling out a provisional ballot? I don't have a current Florida driver's license (or anything else listed in their Photo ID requirements). I can't think of why a passport being expired would matter (it's a government-issued travel document, being expired doesn't disprove my identity).

Anyone know for sure?

Help make my vote count, seriously!

InsanePenguin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:27:07 -0800

Is there any hope for my vote? So I'm registered in New Jersey but I'm at school in Georgia. I mailed my absentee ballot a good two weeks ago and yet, as of tonight, I have squat. I didn't get the ballot, nor did I receive the sample ballot.

Do I have any recourse? Is there any way I can possibly get my vote in for the election tomorrow? I hold out little hope.

If you're not a swing state, why not create a swing district?

Dec One — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:39:21 -0800

Electoral College filter: Why do nearly all states award their electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis, when splitting them up could get them more attention and favorable policies? Battleground states get more attention from presidential candidates, which means more favorable policies from the federal government as potential presidential candidates pander to win those states' votes.

So if you're a state that's not a battleground, wouldn't you want to do something about it? Like figure out a part of your state that could be a battleground district, and award all the votes of that district to the winner of that district?

Maine and Nebraska split their electoral votes up by district, but none of those districts are ever competitive. We can do better!

For example, take New York State's 31 electoral votes. I propose that the winner of New York City (which will always be the Democrat) get 13 electoral votes. The winner of the rest of New York State gets 18 electoral votes. This is approximately in proportion to the size of the populations.

Well the non-NYC parts of NYS went for John Kerry in 2004 by two percentage points, 51-49. Instant swing state!

There are other efforts to bring attention to non-swing states. But these, like National Popular Vote, require states to come to agreement with other states, and look unlikely. But splitting up your state into artificial electoral districts in order to attract attention could be done by one state acting alone. Why don't any states do this?

Possible answers I've thought of:
1. Democrats in blue states don't want to take reliable electoral votes out of the Democrats' column (same for Republicans in red states)
2. Legislators would never be able to agree on the district boundaries.
3. They haven't thought of it.

Is one or more of those correct, or is there something else?

Vote Fraud

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:01:34 -0800

Is my voting or not voting a matter of public record? I lied to everybody I know about voting, and I'm worried because I am uncertain about my true likelihood of being found out. But here's the problem: not voting in my friend group is a major taboo. It would result in many lectures and even shunning if this is acknowledged or found out. In fact voting is a requirement in the house I live at, and could even result in me getting voted off the island.

I don't see why it is anyone's business but mine. So I lie to make my life much easier.

But getting caught in a lie about voting would be even worse than admitting not voting.

I told everyone that I voted the other day (I live in Wisconsin). Are there any holes I'm missing? Is there any way for anyone I know to find out? Who knows if I've voted or not? Is the Obama campaign going to send someone to my house or call and leave an incriminating message on my machine informing my housemates that I haven't voted yet?

I'm in the dark about the various ways my lie could be found out, and it's making me nervous.

Please make answers helpful. No ethical lectures about lying or voting, and no political lectures about how one candidate is clearly superior.

Disenfranchisement of the impatient

dydecker — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:25:05 -0800

Why do Americans have to queue for hours and hours to vote? American voters it seems put up with queuing for a ridiculously long time just to vote. Is this just accepted as par for the course? In this video the people are in a three-hour long queue, and don't seem upset about it at all, seem to accept it as their lot, and I've read articles where people say they queued for half a day just to vote. And that is just the early voting when it is supposed to be a bit quieter.

I've been into polling stations in plenty of countries including New Zealand and Japan, and most people seem to be able to vote in 10 minutes or so with little fuss. Queuing for anything longer than half an hour or so seems to me pushing the limit - and I know personally as a queue-hater I would give up if the queue was two hours long.

How can an 80-year old stand in a queue for two hours?

What is the reason/rationale behind this and is this just accepted as normal? Maybe as a foriegner I'm getting the wrong impression from the media...

Me vote pretty some day.

allkindsoftime — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:30:56 -0800

How do I (quickly) educate myself on the props and candidate choices I will be faced with on my ballot next week? I'll admit it, I've been a bad citizen - I've been way to busy to do enough reading or watch enough news to really get to know what my options are going to be before I walk into the booth.

I'd like a website (ideally, something online, because I travel constantly) that I can use to find out more information about the candidates and propositions I will be voting on. I'd like to be prepared to walk in and confidently know who's getting my vote and why.

Please talk to me like a new voter - I essentially am, although I shouldn't be. I was scarred at a young age on the political system as a whole, but America seems to be getting screwed up enough now that I think every last vote is important.

I'm voting in NYC if that helps (and yes, I've been to the nightmare that is the Board of Elections website, and no, I found nothing remotely helpful).

Every vote counts (unless you forget to sign the envelope)

sfkiddo — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:21:41 -0800

Mr. sfkiddo voted by mail and didn't sign the envelope. Help us make his vote count. I was filling out my ballots tonight, flipped over the envelope, and said to Mr. sfkiddo, "Oh, that's where I sign. You signed yours, right?" Unfortunately, the answer was "No" and the envelope is in the US mail box outside.

Worse case scenario, he can go vote in the traditional manner, but are there any alternatives? Can he take his ballot receipts to a polling place, get them scanned, and sign there? Could having unsigned ballots in the mail and voting in person cause any problems? We want to ensure that we do this right for this very important election.

Help me sway her vote!

elquien — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:39:57 -0800

What is the best website you've seen that provides a clear, simple, and (relatively) neutral explanation of each presidential candidate's positions on the issues? I'm trying to convince a friend who's an undecided voter (yes, they're still out there!) to vote for my candidate (Obama, if that matters). She's requested links to sites where the issues are explained clearly, simply and neutrally. Any suggestions?

(And yes, I'm looking for explanations for both candidates, because I'm sure that once she sees the candidates' views on the issues, she'll swing to my side!)

Vote Early and Often

andromache — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:10:33 -0800

What's the scoop on early voting in New York? I'd like to vote early, in person, in Manhattan. According to Obama's website, There is no early voting in New York; according to the NYC Board of Elections' website, "Absentee voting in person begins as soon as the ballots are available (at least 32 days before an election)."

I may be out of town on November 4., and I fear that by requesting an absentee ballot this late in the game, I may jeopardize my ability to vote. My mailing address is a P.O. box that takes black holes right out of the realm of the theoretical and incontravertibly proves that at least one exists, and it's in Morningside Heights. I'm talking, mail arriving weeks late (a separate gripe that may warrant its own AskMeFi post).

I've spent a while unsuccessfully slogging through the automated menus of 1-866-VOTE-NYC and, as seen above, Google returns conflicting results. I thought about getting a ballot in person at the Board of Elections Office, but given that the info I found on early voting may be suspect, I wonder about picking up absentee ballots in person, too.

Anyone got good intel or suggestions? Thanks, kids. Fifteen days.

Absentee Ballot Counting

mccarty.tim — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:37:44 -0800

What's the policy for opening absentee ballots? Are all ballots opened, or are they only opened when they are expected to be statistically significant? I'm a naive college student and I'm voting absentee for the first time. I sent in my ballot yesterday, and I have to say I did appreciate the convenience and time to read over the ballot and research everything on it. However, I think I remember reading somewhere that sometimes absentee ballots are not opened when they aren't expected to be statistically significant, and that some types of ballots are opened before others.

Is this true? If so, how small a gap is too small for new ballots to be statistically insignificant? Would it only be in the case that the final result could not add up otherwise, or could votes not expected to turn the election either way be excluded based only on that prediction?

I'm sure this varies from state to state. I heard from my great aunt that they vote by absentee ballot by default in Oregon, and that other states are considering switching to voting entirely by mail. I'm interested in every state, but I'm most interested in the state I'm registered, NJ.

Rock the Helping-People-Vote

Asparagirl — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:11:07 -0800

I'm going to be a first-time volunteer poll worker on Election Day -- any tips, advice, or relevant anecdotes for me? (For what it's worth, I live in California, which is not a swing state, and the election may be called before our polls even close.)

Can I check if I'm still registered to vote or do I need to register again?

eatcake — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:54:28 -0800

So I registered to vote in MA in 2004 but I've moved a few times since then. Can I check if I'm still registered or do I need to register again? I've searched online for about 2 hours now but I can't find any information on how I can check whether I'm still registered.

Now....I know I can re-register with my new address, but I'm wondering (assuming my registration is still good) if I can just leave it be and go to my old town (where I was living in 2004) in November 2008 and cast my vote there.

The only piece of information I was able to come up with is the main telephone number for the town hall of where I used to live, so I can call them also but I don't want to go bouncing around from department to department until I may or may not reach the right person.

Do I have to fill out all sections of my ballot?

transient — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:15:06 -0800

I can leave parts of my absentee ballot for the US election blank, right? I have my absentee ballot for Baltimore City, and I don't want to participate in voting for judges. I just want to verify that there's not some weird rule by which leaving these sections blank would invalidate my ballot as a whole. Thanks!

Can we vote absentee?

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:12:35 -0800

Can we vote absentee? After living in Florida nearly our whole lives my wife and I moved to a state far away. This was about a month ago. We had just enough time to register to vote here, but instead we decided to vote absentee in Florida. I filled out the paperwork.

Now they have arrived and there is a message on the ballot stating

I, _____ do solemnly swear or affirm that I am a qualified and registered voter of [whatever] county, Florida and that I have not and will not vote more than one ballot in this election. I understand that if I commit or attempt to commit any fraud in connection with voting, vote a fraudulent ballot, or vote more than once in this election, I can be convicted of a felony of the third degree and fined up to $5,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 5 years. I also understand that failure to sign this certificate will invalidate my ballot.

It is my opinion that we are in the clear as we are not attempting to commit voter fraud, are not voting a fraudulent ballot, and we are not voting more than one ballot in this election. It is my wife's opinion that if we send in these absentee ballots we will become convicted felons.

We are registered to vote only in Florida, and have driver's licenses only in that state. I believe we are even within the spirit of the law, as we were both born and raised there and both have a serious, legitimate interest in Florida politics. We are not attempting to vote in our new state, and we will change our registration to our new residence as soon as we are situated. We do not, however, live at the address listed on our voter registrations.

If we don't vote absentee we can't vote, as the deadlines in our new state have passed. Can we vote absentee in good conscience, and without being arrested?

Help me make sure my vote counts!

cac — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:46:20 -0800

I just found out that I am listed as an "active" registered voter in two Pennsylvania counties -- may I vote in either one of those counties in November? I'm living in Allegheny County (while in school), where I am a registered voter. I voted in the most recent primaries.

When I renewed my driver's license a few months back, though, I was offered the opportunity to update my registration. I took that opportunity (to change my party affiliation), not thinking at the time that my new registration would bear my permanent Westmoreland County address.

Consequently, I am registered in both counties. Could anything go wrong if I choose to vote in Allegheny County?

Absent but not gone.

Magnakai — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:18:18 -0800

Question from Ms. Magnakai: What should I do about absentee ballots and registering to vote from an american in the UK? Hello. So basically I have a bit of a situation. Right now I live in the UK, and I would like to send off for an absentee ballot. However, last time I voted, I was registered in NY State. I hadn't lived there for three years, and my family is based in NJ. Would I have to register in NJ? Or could I still vote as registered in NY? I am just a bit confused.