VOTE 2006! -- 4 Things
to Remember
1. VERIFY YOUR REGISTRATION
Check IndianaVoters.com.to
see that you are on the state voter registration rolls. If you
don’t find your
name, or if there are any errors, call
your local County Clerk who can help you. (In
Monroe County call 349-2690.)
2. VOTE EARLY -
ON PAPER!
Common
Cause recommends voting absentee-by-mail or in person
at the Clerk’s office if the voters’ only other option
is a paperless electronic voting machine on election day. Click here to
see to see if your county is listed as having a "direct
record electronic" voting system. (If
your county is listed as having optical scan ballot cards then
you will vote on paper whenever/however you vote.)
Voting in-person at the Clerk's Office. All
registered voters in Indiana are eligible to vote absentee-in-person
at the county election board office before Election Day.
If you live in a "direct record electronic" county, contact
your local County Clerk's office to find
out if people who vote early in person at the Clerk's office
will vote on paper. If early voters in your county will get to
vote
on
paper, then VOTE EARLY !
In Monroe County, early
voting will be held at the Monroe County Clerk’s Office
Annex in the Curry Building (on 7th St. behind the Justice
Building). You can vote
8 AM to 4 PM Monday
through Friday, beginning October 10th through November 3rd.
The Clerk’s Office Annex will also be open Saturday October
28 and Saturday November 4 from 8 AM to 4 PM and on Monday, November
6th from 8 AM to noon.
3. REMEMBER YOUR PHOTO
ID
You need a photo ID to vote! In most cases, an Indiana Driver's License
or Photo ID Card, US Passport, or Military ID is sufficient.
Your photo ID must (1.) show your name; (2.) show your photograph;
(3.) include an expiration date indicating the document has not
yet
expired or expired after November 2, 2004;
and (4.) Be issued by the United States or the State
of Indiana.
What if you are registered to vote, but your name does
not appear on the poll list? Indiana
Voters Rights indicates that if your name does not appear on the poll list
because of an error by the county,
the county must issue a Certificate
of Error and you must be allowed to cast a regular ballot. (Important:
The Election Day Handbook indicates
that most counties will allow the voter to vote on a standard
ballot after a call to the Clerk's
office. You should not have to wait long to vote.)
More Documents:
5 Things You Need
to Know on Election Day
Indiana Voter's
Bill of Rights
Chute Posters
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More Detail: REMEMBER
YOUR PHOTO ID
Your photo ID must
meet the following requirements:
1. Show your name, which must conform to the name
on your voter registration record; (Conform does NOT
mean match exactly*)
2. Show your photograph;
3. Include an expiration date indicating the document
has not yet expired (or expired after November 2, 2004, the date
of the last General Election); and
4. Be issued by the United States or the State
of Indiana.
NOTE: The address on your photo ID does NOT
need to match the address on your voter registration record.
In most cases, an Indiana driver's license,
Indiana photo ID card, US Passport, or Military ID is sufficient.
A student ID from an Indiana State school may only be used
if it meets all of the 4 criteria specified above. (A
student ID from a private institution may not be used for voting
purposes.)
The name on the voters' photo ID must conform
to the name on their voter registration record - what does
'conform' mean?
The following is excerpted from
a 5/1/06 memo from Dale Simmons and Cody Kendall, Co-Counsels,
Indiana
Election Division, and posted as "Election
Division Photo ID Frequently Asked Questions" on the
Indiana Secretary of State's website.
People not only use their given first name or
common nicknames for their first name but also substitute their
middle
name for their given first name or a common nickname for their
middle name as a substitute for their given first name. People
also commonly substitute an initial for their given first or
middle name. For example, common variations of the name "Robert
John Crew" that are similar or conforming would include:
Robert John Crew
Robert J. Crew
Robert Crew
R. John Crew
Bob John Crew
Bob J. Crew
Bob Crew
John Crew
J. Crew
What about individuals who have changed their name so that their photo
ID does not appear to conform to their name on the poll book?
Another issue that should be clarified has to do
with individuals who have changed their name so that their photo
ID does not appear to conform to their name on the poll book.
For example, it is not uncommon for an individual to take their
spouses last name after marriage. However, the person may have
registered to vote under a maiden name and subsequently obtained
a Photo ID that contains their spouse's last name instead of
their maiden name.
For example, if a person registers to vote as Patty Jones and then subsequently
marries Ricky Nelson and obtains a driver's license under the name Patty Nelson.
On Election Day Patty presents her Photo ID with the name Patty Nelson which
does not appear to conform to the name on the poll book, Patty Jones.
Nonetheless, in our view, Patty's Photo ID does conform if
she utilized the fail-safe provision described in IC 3-7-41-2,
which provides, in relevant part: "A
voter who wishes to indicate that the voter's name has changed may...write
the necessary information concerning the name change on the poll list...before
the person receives a ballot...." The person who has written the information
concerning the name change: "may then vote if otherwise qualified." If
the voter does so, IC 3-7-41-3 directs that: "the county voter registration
office shall change the name of the voter on the registration record of the
precinct."
Under these circumstances, the voter has been permitted to
legally vote under the newly changed name and, therefore,
must be considered to be registered
under the newly changed name as well. There is nothing further the voter
needs to do after signing the poll book to change her voter
registration to "Patty
Nelson" and, therefore, once she has signed the poll book, her Photo
ID would conform to the name on the poll book.
More Documents:
5 Things You Need
to Know on Election Day
Indiana Voter's
Bill of Rights
Chute Posters
