I’ve got about nine elections under my belt, the upcoming one will be my tenth. So, ask away Dopers! Some specifics:
I’m in Indiana, the great land of voter fraud and ‘pioneering voter ID laws.’ I’ve worked as Inspector and Judge, and have also filled in during the day as clerk. So I’m familiar with all positions of the board. Your question can be as mundane as how we get fed, to how we deal with problem voters that won’t present an ID. I’ll be checking in tonight and over the weekend to provide responses.
what are the registration and voting regulations in your state?
Do you have any stories of voter fraud, someone trying to get away with something?
What area of Indiana are you in? I was asked to testify in front of my county Election Board last year because someone was attempting to disenfranchise a large portion of voters by calling them and sending them to the wrong polling place - I had been the first to report it. At the hearing, there were a number of other issues on the docket. The most interesting was that the Republicans had listed several hundred individuals they were designating as potential voter challengers. Well within their rights, certainly, but I’d never heard of it. Ever had to deal with challengers before?
I worked one election in Indiana, one in Idaho, another in Oregon, and every place, every time, we asked for ID and people presented it. Never had a problem, or someone without ID.
So my question is: Is this that odd that it’s an issue NOW?
if a utility bill or library card was proof then it is not an issue.
the new laws require photo IDs which are things like a driver’s license. lots of people don’t have those and don’t need them (e.g. in a city with good mass transit).
Johnpost-- A little broad in scope there. In brief: There is a registration deadline, which is October 9th for this election. You must register in the county you reside in, and when you vote, you must show a conforming ID. If you are newly registered, the pollbook will instruct the worker to verify the registration info the voter provided.
Control-z-- As for voter fraud, not really. I’ve had parents drag their adult children in and swear that they are registered to vote and should be at my precinct. I don’t argue with them, I call the courthouse and provide the office with the information the voter gives me. Never has the office told me my pollbook was incorrect. Usually the office tells me to send the voter to another precinct, and sometimes the office has no record at all of the person in the county. This happens alot with people with out-of-county IDs. They plug in the info and come up that the person is registered in another county, and may vote there if they wish to drive over there. I don’t know if these people thought they could drive down and be allowed to vote twice, or if they truly don’t know they have to register in the new county they move to. These are the ones that get really crappy about it.
Munch-- I am in South Central Indiana. I read about a lot of fraud in a nearby county (Jennings) that has occurred the past year or two. Candidates taking absentee ballots from the voters and delivering them to the office, all sorts of shady things. We have only had challengers in the Presidential, they pretty much sit there and don’t cause a stir. I had one come over to me when I was inspector and tried to sic me on the republicans by claiming they were campaigning within the chute (they must respect that there is no campaigning within 50 feet of the entrance) and when I went to investigate, everyone (dems and republicans together) was sitting in their lawn chairs, everything nice and calm. I’ve never had anyone challenge a voter, even though I am allowed to challenge someone in the primary that I believe is requesting the ballot of the party they are not affiliated with. I don’t understand that rule, since we have open primaries. Seems like a holdover that wasn’t written off the books. Probably happens more in areas outside of Chicago or in Indianapolis.
Taomist-- It’s an issue now because you must have a state or federally issued ID, with an expiration date, it may be expired, but expired no earlier than the last general election. It must have your photo. The name must conform to the name in the poll book, meaing Robert A. Smith = Bob Smith = Bob A. Smith, etc. There are some exceptions. A valid Military ID (no expiration date on these) is acceptable. But your ID from work or my college ID with no expiration date is not acceptable. A state college-issued ID would work, if it has the photo, conforming name and an expiration date. I understand the uproar over IDs. There are some people here that do not drive, live in subsidized housing, walk everywhere (have been buying their cigs and beer at the same store for years, so they need no ID), and they have no acceptable ID for voting. They may not understand how to get the required documents such as birth certificates, SSN cards, or the money or transportation to get the documents together. They’ve made a law requiring some voters to jump through several hoops in order to vote. Not all of them can do it. I don’t understand how there’s not more assistance available to some of these people in helping them prove their identity. There are exemptions to the ID law, and I am more than happy to give the voter a provisional ballot, with directions to visit the courthouse within ten days to prove their identity or exemption there, or else their ballot is discarded.
How do you get fed?
We get paid a flat fee for election day, sheriffs, clerks and judges earning slightly less than inspectors. On top of that, each person is allotted $12 (in my county) for meals. The money may be pooled and paid to a caterer, church, or other organization that will cook and deliver enough food for X amount of people. I don’t like the church route because it clear that using their ‘catering services’ is an act of charity on your part. You pay them $12 x 15 head, and you’re not getting $180 worth of food, but allowing them to make a profit. I’m not there to make a donation to a church, so I would never let them have my stipend. Or the money may be claimed and paid directly to the worker, providing we all agree to bring our own food. There has been talk of going the catered route, but with 15+ workers in our polling location, we could see it would never work. “I don’t like Pizza.” “I’m diabetic.” The list goes on. So we all bring our own food or make arrangements for friends or family to deliver mid-day McDonalds. Most of us bring in a couple bags of chips, cookies, and someone brings the coffee, and we all just contribute to the communal snack table without worry of reimbursement, then slink off to the corner to eat the good stuff we brought for ourselves in private.