A Call to Action: Vote & Complain

Posted by Mary Mancini on October 24, 2006 under Uncategorized |

An email sent to us from Lisa Zhito was a much needed reminder that those of us concerned with the integrity of our elections can do something during this election season.

She writes: “I know many of you have been active on this issue and spoken before the Election Commission. But only until the complaints start flooding in from actual voters on election day will anything change. It won’t happen for this election, and it may not for the next one, but we have to keep letting our voices be heard to create change.”

So, when you go to the polls to vote either during early voting or on November 7, please ask for a complaint form so that you can complain about a lack of a paper trail. If you are told that complaint forms are not available, ask to see a poll captain. If you are still not given a complaint form, then call or visit your the Division of Elections in your County to complain in person. A complete list of Tennessee Counties can be found here (click on the link for your County info). Other State info can be found on the web (use “the Google” like President Bush!)

Please spread the word and tell everyone you know to VOTE & COMPLAIN!

As Lisa says, “I could tell I was the first person to raise this issue with the poll captain, which surprised me, what with all the talk about problems with electronic voting machines. So I urge everyone to please, please, please, VOTE, vote EARLY, and then COMPLAIN to the poll captain about these machines.”

UPDATE: Another astute listener, Marga M., says “Be sure to make a photocopy of your complaint form before you leave the voting station or there may be no evidence that you filled one out.” A few weeks after the primary she someone at the Election Commission and was told that they had not received any complaint forms from that election.