Know Your Voting Rights

We are only five days away from the election and things are going from bad to worse in some cases. So much so that many people out there are resorting to trickery and tomfoolery as a way to get people to either not vote or vote on the wrong day. Let's be clear on one thing; no matter what, you will vote on Tuesday, November 4th 2008. Now that that has been made clear (or hopefully clear enough) then we can talk about the different ways in which people are being deceived when it comes to your rights as a voter. Apparently in various parts of the country there are fliers of different kinds being circulated which have been spreading faslisities about who can vote when and how. I have included on here which was found in Ohio but similar flyers have poppped up here in Virginia as well.

Now I'm not pointing the fingers as Republicans per se but I have not been able to find a similar flyer which tells Democrats to vote on November 4th and for Republicans to vote on November 5th. What's the reason for it? I suppose to keep people from turning up at the polls. I can say one thing honestly and that is in the last few elections (be they primaries, congressional or gubernatorial) there has been an increased turnout and I guess the fear is that long-held beliefs about the political affiliation of certain states or areas has shifted so dramatically that it's near impossible to declare how certain states will vote compared to another or the past. I guess that may be part of the reason why some are resorting to this sort of deceitful act in order to help change the polls in one direction or another. It's sad that we are stooping to this level to ensure victory for whichever candidate we support. But these are by no means the other falsehoods being spread by rumor-mongers to sow the seeds of doubt.

Another flyer found in another part of Ohio (in crime-prone areas in particular) indicated that voters who had voted in any election this year would not be elligble to vote. That's not true. Your right to vote is not restricted to only one election per year. That's stupid because then why would we have record turnouts at the primaries if we weren't going to be able to vote at the general election? Don't believe that one for a second. Another is that if you have ever been found guilty of anything including traffic violations then you will not be allowed to vote. Not only that but if you have family or relatives that have been found guilty of anything (again including traffic violations) then you won't be allowed to vote either. Rumors run rampant of how police will be standing at polling stations to arrest anyone if they attempt to vote in violation of these laws. Again, this is a major falsehood meant to deter people from pushing their luck.

But not only do they attempt to scare you with arrest, they claim that you will be arrested and your children will be taken away from you. Now if that isn't a lowdown dirty way to scare someone away from the polls then I don't know what is. I think it's terrible that people are being misled this way to prevent them from exercising their constitutional right. According to some of the flyers found, violation of these rules can mean up to ten years in prison. Ten years! Now I've gotten a speeding ticket before and a toll violation but I'll be damned if I'm going to be denied to have my say in who runs this country for the next four years. One would think that this childish attitude would have been left behind when we outgrew diapers but I suppose that for some winning at all costs is not just a philosophy, it's a requirement.

No matter if you believe the polls or not, whether you think the election doesn't need your vote or not, you can't stand idly by and not take an interest. If you have the right to vote, it's your duty to do it. I can't abide people who have the right to vote but don't simply because they don't want to spend the time needed to vote. Then they are usually the first one hears complaining about the state of the nation. If you didn't vote but could have then shut the Hell up because you didn't take the opportunity to exercise your right. Your vote could have changed the result. As we saw in Florida in 2000, every vote counts. If things are as close as many polls claim they are then you need to be sure to be out there. Last I saw we were living in a democracy and not a police state so for the law to come in and take your right away is a falsehood. Remember, we all vote on Tuesday, November 4th 2008!!