[EL] An Election Day Report from New Jersey

[Lori Minnite]

Lest anyone doubt it couldn't happen to you...Today is Election  Day in 
New Jersey.  We are voting for governor, assembly and state senate 
seats, township committee, as well as for/against amending the state 
constitution to raise the minimum wage, and to allow some of the 
proceeds from "games of chance" to be used to support veterans' 
organizations.

In the summer of 2012, I moved to New Jersey from New York City.  I 
spent days driving around and visiting federal and state government 
offices to obtain a certified copy of my birth certificate and a new 
Social Security card, to change my driver's license and do all the other 
things one must to do to establish legal residency in a new state.  I 
attempted to register to vote via the drivers' license process; sometime 
later (about a month of two later, I can't remember exactly when it was, 
but it was well after I changed my license), I went to the county Board 
of Elections to check on my registration, only find that it had not gone 
through yet.  I kept on top of things over the next several weeks 
because I wanted to be sure I could vote in the fall.  Finally, I showed 
up in the registered voters database and received my voter registration 
card in the mail.  As it turned out, I had to be out of town on election 
day, so I applied for and voted an absentee ballot.

Today, I realized I did not know where my polling place was, so I drove 
to the county Board of Elections to find out.  With voter registration 
card in hand, I was told that my registration had been "deleted" because 
I had moved to New York.  I explained that I had moved FROM New York, 
not TO New York and asked how it was that the sample ballot they said 
they mailed to me in January got forwarded to New York City where I no 
longer live.  I asked them why I get all of my other mail at my new home 
address, including tax bills and water and sewer bills - they don't get 
forward to New York City.  I asked them why they didn't call me to 
verify whatever strange information they had when they got it.  They had 
no explanation.  They told me that my polling place is a fire hall about 
.1 of a mile from my home, and that I could vote a provisional ballot 
there.  I drove back to the fire hall - it was fairly empty, and I voted 
my provisional ballot.  I asked how I could be sure that it would be 
counted, and was told "I don't know."  Before I was given the ballot, 
the poll worker called the county Board of Elections to find out if he 
had permission to give me the provisional ballot.  He asked them how my 
registration would get straightened out and was told the county Board 
would fix the problem based on the information I submitted with my 
provisional ballot.  He told me to follow up again in about a month with 
the county Board of Elections since "they make so many mistakes."

In the meantime, despite having notified the New York City Board of 
Elections three times - once through the voter registration process in 
New Jersey, a second time by personal letter sent First Class mail, and 
a third time by phone - I continue to be listed on the rolls there, 
although my registration is now coded "Inactive."  This has not stopped 
the campaign literature from going to my old address (where a friend 
saves it for me).

Just thought I would share.

Lori Minnite