October 28, 2008
CONFIRMED: North Carolina Ballots/Procedures Are Costing Presidential Votes
McClatchy is reporting that the North Carolina ballot design is going to screw up the election.
North Carolina voters are more likely than those in other states to cast ballots in national elections without making a choice for president.Unlike many states, a straight-party vote in North Carolina does not cast a vote for president. A ballot expert says the split makes it more likely that voters, especially new voters, will leave their polling places failing, by mistake, to vote for president.
The split between presidential and straight-party votes has brought the state national attention this year because the margin between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain is expected to be close, and North Carolina's electoral votes would be a prize for either candidate.
An unusually high percentage of people in the state who voted in the past two national elections failed to mark a presidential selection.
Because of the confusion, poll workers are supposed to let voters know that they need to cast presidential votes separately from their straight ticket votes:
Last week, state elections officials instructed local workers to tell voters about the need for separate votes, and sent poll workers written instructions to distribute to voters.
I can state with absolute certainty that the notification is not occurring consistently. My youngest brother and his wife voted in Pitt County last week, and my brother overhead a poll worker tell his wife that they needed to cast votes separately, but they were not addressing every individual. Likewise, they didn't say anything in earshot of me when my wife and I voted last week in Wake County, though that hardly mattered as I wasn't voting straight ticket anyway.
I think, however, that hyping North Carolina as "the next Florida" is a bit much, and in my opinion, a fear-mongering attempt to "prep the battlespace" for a legal fight if North Carolina's electoral votes become decisive.
The thing is, this is really only going to affect people who don't read instructions, and that is a non-partisan issue, isn't it?
Update: Just talked with my father, who votes in another Pitt County precinct. Poll workers did not explain the need to cast a separate Presidential vote, just that if they wanted to vote straight ticket, there is a spot of that on the ballot for that.
CY, there are sample ballots for viewing here:
http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/content.aspx?id=93
Click Sample Ballot link and then click on a county to see one. It's not rocket science and only those who can't read will make the mistake. Even so, the structure, as I first looked at it and if in haste was to execute my vote, would cause me to mark my vote for president before I even knew I had the option of straight party voting.
That's not to say the voting inspectors shouldn't follow the guidelines for their job. If they should be informing those signing in to vote, then they should be doing it.
Posted by: Dusty at October 28, 2008 10:38 AMJust saw your update. If they are informing voters there is a straight party option, that would be cause for concern, particularly since it is a lie. The Presidential candidates are in parties, and since they are not included in the voting option for straight party, it is not "straight party", it is a partial state party option.
Posted by: Dusty at October 28, 2008 10:43 AMWhy is "straight party voting" allowed anyway.
Let's force the voters to at least THINK for a second about who they are voting for.
Posted by: SSG Jeff (USAR) at October 28, 2008 11:08 AMIsn't that why people belong to parties--conservative GOP or leftist illuminati? So they don't have to think? Kidding, kinda.
Posted by: jeanedcrusader at October 28, 2008 11:12 AMThey didn't tell me at the early voting place either. However, since I am not a complete and utter moron, I followed the printed instructions and acted accordingly.
Posted by: HKpistole at October 28, 2008 01:46 PMWell, having looked at a sample ballot, that was different. Having only voted in Nevada, I would've assumed that "straight party voting" simply meant you went through the ballot and selected all of the $YOUR_PARTY candidates. It wouldn't have occurred to me that there would be a separate part of the ballot where you could do the same thing with just one selection.
According to the linked article, it was the Democrats who separated the presidential election from other races in time for the 1968 election. It now appears that they may be hoist by their own petard.
Ain't schadenfreude great? :-)
Posted by: salfter at October 28, 2008 02:33 PMWell, having looked at a sample ballot, that was different. Having only voted in Nevada, I would've assumed that "straight party voting" simply meant you went through the ballot and selected all of the $PARTY candidates. It wouldn't have occurred to me that there would be a separate part of the ballot where you could do the same thing with just one selection.
According to the linked article, it was the Democrats who separated the presidential election from other races in time for the 1968 election. It now appears that they may be hoist by their own petard.
Ain't schadenfreude great? :-)
Posted by: salfter at October 28, 2008 03:00 PMCrap...didn't mean to double-post, but my post didn't show up at first. One of the dupes needs to go away (and this post with it).
Posted by: salfter at October 28, 2008 03:02 PMIt's a sad day when the future of the country rests of the dumbest constituents of the dumbest party. But isn't it always so?
Posted by: vanderleun at October 28, 2008 04:14 PMI know what ya mean, vanderleun. It's a shame when a national party runs a ticket whose members between them:
* think there's 57 states (maybe more)
* think that "JOBS" is a 3-letter word
* think that Roosevelt was President in 1929
* think that TV was widely used in 1929
...I could go on, but there seems to be no need.
Truly a shame, tho.
Posted by: C-C-G at October 28, 2008 06:41 PMFollowing Rusty's advice, I found after pulling up the ballet for my former county it is readily apparent that the good folks in that county do not know what the common definition of "Straight Party" ticket is.
Posted by: Drive By Druid at October 28, 2008 07:04 PMI early voted in Chatham County, NC and if not instructed by my poll worker, would have most likely not caught this and just voted straight Republican. You're right, it's a recipe for disaster in a very important swing state. I cannot believe how many northern liberals have moved into this state and brought their rotten politics with them. Not to mention those liberals in academia who infest the UNC Campus in Chapel Hill.
Posted by: Hillman at October 29, 2008 06:19 AMI voted in Wake Co (NC) yesterday and the poll workers were handing out little slips of paper that state straight tick did not include the presidential vote.
Posted by: keg at October 29, 2008 11:51 AMI voted yesterday in Asheville and they also provided me with a slip of pink paper that explained that straight party vote did not include voting for president and vice president.
Posted by: Matt at October 29, 2008 04:00 PMI'll be voting in Union County Tuesday and I think I'll be able to figure it out without any help. If I needed help voting I wouldn't waste my time.
Posted by: Capitalist Infidel at October 29, 2008 10:40 PMI live in wake county but am registered in davidson county. I voted yesterday and they passed a piece of paper that explained everything
Posted by: Brandon at October 30, 2008 04:33 PM
