VOTE MOB is a national network of mostly grassroots voter participation organizations working to ensure that the community, especially young people, get their voices heard through participatory politics. Below, you’ll find situations that occurred in real time yesterday concerning possible shady dealings at polling places around the country. Shout-out to Billy Wimsatt for the info.
GEORGIA
We heard from our VOTE MOB organizer Albany, Georgia, that approximately 25 Albany State University students were unable to vote for various reasons that did not appear not be entirely proper.
Our organizer has done a great job of getting Atlanta lawyers, student government, school administration and media involved (a local 6 p.m. TV news segment should be running soon). They are documenting everything and have negotiated to cast provisional ballots in the interim.
Update: Voters are getting harassed by an individual at the polls and told they will not be able to vote. They need a lawyer on site to help them!
NORTH CAROLINA
At NC State we have had students who were forced to vote provisionally and were told they were not on the rolls. I’m in the car, but folks are looking into it. There were right wingers at a few sites early in the day standing outside telling people they needed ID but we got them removed
In NC we have lines with wait times of 1.5 hours right now in several places as well. Keep folks in line y’all. Almost there!
At campus precinct we directed over 150 to the correct polling place who had shown up at the wrong precinct. Lots of confusion from folks on where to vote today with the new law but we are hearing that turnout has been huge in several counties.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
At UNH we’ve now had three independent complaints of fraternities forcing their freshman pledges to vote for Scott Brown (i.e., as a required pledge activity), and other references to this on social media. We’ve got a team pursuing more info, and the NH Citizen’s Alliance and NH Voter Hotline are on it. We’ve also contacted the university’s office of Greek life.
LOUISIANA
In St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, six polling places were moved and the people of those precincts weren’t notified until today when we got attorneys involved.
There have been a few incidents where we’ve talked to folks in New Orleans who were coerced into casting a provisional ballot when it was unnecessary.
We heard from one person who was told that the senatorial race wasn’t on his ballot because he wasn’t in the right parish.
Some folks are being turned away in many parts of the state and told that they cannot vote because they’re registered in multiple states.
We’ve had lots of folks who voted in 2012 show up as inactive but they’ve all been allowed to vote.
We’ve been grinding since 5 a.m. doing voter protection, resolving what we can and involving attorneys when necessary. Just a few hours left!
IOWA
Grinnell College students were being told they couldn’t register with an official billing statement because their mailing address is different than residency address. Voter protection attorney is in Powesheik County investigating now.
Adding to Grinnell College’s voting issues; they were accepting our registration schedules earlier today, but then decided to no longer accept these this afternoon in addition to not accepting our paycheck-billing statements, or the official campus directory. Currently at the polls matching voters with vouchers!
DMACC Urban and Ankeny students were told they couldn’t flyer or talk to students without them “approaching” the table, which is hella ambiguous.
“Same deal exactly at Luther College in Decorah Iowa as at Grinnell”
MINNESOTA
A number of canvassers who are homeless are being denied because they did not bring a voucher with them or a piece of literature with their home address in it. Does anybody have advice?
