I don’t write much about my homeland, the US, but it’s always there in the background, shaping how I have entered and how I see the world. Instead, I tend to write about where I sit and what I see around me. I spent much of last year writing about Congo’s drawn out and tumultuous elections process, hoping to draw to eyes to what was one of the most dramatic political events in Africa in the last decade.
The US elections certainly don’t need any more publicity. And I’m not going to plug any candidates here, because the truth is that I’m an undecided voter. But I do believe strongly in personal responsibility to take part in the political process.
Which is why it has been so frustrating to me that I have found myself a disenfranchised voter in the last 3 major US elections. My applications for absentee ballots have been completely botched, from receiving ballots for the wrong congressional districts to responding to my application for an absentee ballot with another absentee ballot application. A courteous letter to the state Board of Elections explaining my predicament yielded no response.
Excusing my kvetching, but I sit here, I can’t help but feeling just a wee bit disgruntled. After all, I am an eligible voter who will have to live -whether domestically or abroad- with the outcome of the next election. And since my job is funded by a federal government program, I have a decent-sized stake in the outcome of both the Presidential and Congressional elections.
I have written to my Congressional representative, whom I like very much and would certainly vote for had I the chance, in the hopes of some help in jumping on the voting bandwagon.
I’m not sure if I find it distressing or comforting that poor countries are not the only ones who have trouble running fair and transparent elections. Either way, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, don’t bother to give the NYS Board of Elections my regards.
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I have always done my best to cast an absentee ballot but have nevertheless often been thwarted from having it actually count — generally by mail delivery services. While I recognize the concerns about the secrecy of the ballot, I would also welcome the opportunity to fax my vote in, as this would ensure — if nothing else — the timing of my vote’s arrival, making it more certain that my ballot would be counted. Each state has different regulations, which makes it complicated for voters abroad to cross all their ts . . .
That said, your first stop should always be the Federal Voter Assistance Program (FVAP) website, which lays out or links to all of the information for each state. It is targeted primarily at service folks abroad, but the information is valid for all.
If your absentee ballot itself goes absentee, you can always vote on a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB). It is necessary both to have registered in your home state as well as to have requested an absentee ballot in order for a vote on such a form to count. You, however, will have to write in all the races and candidates you want to vote for — so if you don’t know the judges or dogcatchers running, you won’t be voting in those races. You will still need to be aware of how your state handles absentee votes — do they need to be postmarked by a certain day or have arrived by the election? Are military mail or pouch-delivered ballots handled differently? (Sometimes it is possible for civilians to turn in their votes at bases or embassies for transport back to the U.S. — check with your nearest American presence abroad if you may need to avail of their services.) So it’s definitely not easy, but I encourage you to keep trying!
As for recourse, writing your senator is good, but writing your state senators or representatives might make a bigger difference in terms of legitimating other (easier, though less private) forms of voting for you and other citizens of your state. You’re perhaps more likely to see meaningful change occur at that level as well.
Comment by poetloverrebelspy February 7, 2008 @ 3:36 pm