Did You Know?
This message is going around and is close enough that it's worth sharing. You may know this information, already, but just in case.....
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADVISE EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS, PINS OR HATS. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW AND WILL BE GROUNDS TO HAVE THE POLLING OFFICIALS TO TURN YOU AWAY.
THAT IS CONSIDERED CAMPAIGNING AND NO ONE CAN CAMPAIGN WITHIN X AMOUNT OF FEET TO THE POLLS. THEY ARE BANKING ON US BEING EXCITED AND NOT BEING AWARE OF THIS LONG STANDING LAW THAT YOU CAN BET WILL BE ENFORCED THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THEY ARE BANKING THAT IF YOU ARE TURNED AWAY YOU WILL NOT GO HOME AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES. PLEASE JUST DON'T WEAR OBAMA GEAR OF ANY SORTS TO THE POLLS!! PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION.
OH, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ALREADY AWARE THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE, JUST TRYING TO COVER ALL GROUNDS.
To find out more about the accuracy and details of this message, click here.
September 24th, 2008 - 09:09
Good God…
Thankfully, those of us in Oregon and Washington (and I assume some other states?) have the mail-in ballot option, so it won’t be an issue. But something tells me that isn’t the case for some of the battleground states.
And thanks for including the Snopes link, too. Soon as I saw reactionary-message-in-all-caps-making-the-rounds, my first instinct was to ignore it.
September 24th, 2008 - 09:16
what a stupid law
September 24th, 2008 - 10:37
Interpretation and enforcement of this law varies wildly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Ohio, for example, (which is also notorious for long lines and too few voting machines, particularly in urban areas) is notorious for expelling people for electioneering.
The best way to avoid any issues like this is to request a mail-in ballot (if you don’t live in Oregon where we have all vote by mail)—that way you can wear all the campaign flair while you vote and there’s no one to stop you but your dog… The Obama campaign has set up a web site that will help you verify your registration and request an absentee ballot to use to vote by mail: https://www.voteforchange.com and Go Vote Absentee (a non-partisan non-profit) also has a web site that can help you request one as well: http://govoteabsentee.org/
September 24th, 2008 - 11:50
I will be mailing mine in for Obama. Please tell everyone to forward their Obama newsletters (e-mail) on to their undecided friends and family for additional Obama votes and support. Thanks for helping with the campaign, Channing! Go Blazers! Go Cubs!
September 24th, 2008 - 14:38
It’s things like that which make me glad I’m in Oregon.
September 24th, 2008 - 16:18
mail-in ballot FTW. sorry johnny, georgie defeated you once in ‘00, and it looks like he’ll be the cause of your defeat once again in ‘08. i’m running as far away from the republican party as i can this time. i hope we put the Dems in there for the next 8 years. if they crash and burn, it’ll only expeadiate the process of a third party becoming a more realistic option.
September 25th, 2008 - 10:53
Another Republican trick is to mass mail poor districts with very few Republicans. If there is a problem delivering a piece of mail to you, the mail is returned to the sender, who then reports this as evidence that you’re not a resident of that district. Your vote is nullified. This is a common trick in some parts of the country, though it’s probably a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. For more info, Google “caging” or “voter suppression”.
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This is a two party system: Republicans and everyone else.
September 25th, 2008 - 11:02
The are several other more devious methods being used to restrict voters from voting. RFK, Jr. deos an interview and discusses several other problems voters should be aware of. THe artical is here
http://www.truthout.org/article/rfk-jr-and-mike-papantonio-is-your-vote-safe
One of the best election integrity blogs out the is http://www.bradblog.com. He has been diligently covering election issues and other politcs since at least the 2000 election (the time I’ve followed the blog).
Thanks for bringing these issues up Channing. We must stay informed as voters not just on issues but in our elections too.
September 25th, 2008 - 11:23
Let’s not pretend that the Republican party is the only one that in one way or another tries to affect votes on election day. Democrats have some pretty spotty voting rights records themselves. What we should all push for is that everyone that wants to vote can vote without obstacles from either party. Let’s also hope that we can get voter turnout over 50%.
September 25th, 2008 - 12:38
This viral e-mail simply isn’t true. The facts are as such:
You can wear your button, T-Shirt, and be carrying a piece of campaign literature into the polls with you. It is a 1st Amendment right.
What you CAN’T do is “loiter” or “electioneer” in the polling place. That means: don’t hand out literature, tell other voters to vote for a candidate or hold up a sign, as this would constitute electioneering. Waiting on line IS NOT loitering.
Unfortunately, poll workers read these viral e-mails as much as anybody else and they don’t necessarily understand the difference between electioneering and wearing a “Go ‘bama” button. So if you are confronted by an election official who doesn’t know the rules and objects to a button, hat or literature, just put it away and VOTE THERE AND THEN. (A T-shirt may be more difficult to put away, but it will be November so just zip up the jacket.) You should not have to leave and come back.
I always look at these e-mails with a skeptical eye, and this one is particularly sneaky. It pretends to be about preventing voter intimidation, but in fact it is just another attempt to make going to the polls a little scarier.
September 25th, 2008 - 13:00
Channing, thanks for being engaged. Here’s the real skinny in Oregon, straight from Multnomah County Elections.
People can wear campaign garb. They just can’t engage in electioneering within 100 ft. So, no signs or campaigning, but wearing buttons or shirts while engaging in election business is not prohibited.
http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dbcs/elections/
Let me know if you ever want a tour of the elections facility. Fascinating stuff.
September 25th, 2008 - 13:37
If you really support a candidate, why in the world would you think that wearing a button or t-shirt in support of them would be worth more than your actual vote? Take off the shirt, cover up the button, and vote your conscience.
The ALL-CAPS nature of the email makes it sound like it’s some kind of plot. Just put on a jacket and you’ll be fine, and free to wear whatever you want when you head to work, or the grocery store, or wherever else you’ll be spending election day.
And before all the negative reaction, just think how you would feel if someone was wearing a t-shirt with something *really* inflamatory on it. It’s that kind of electioneering, which could even devolve into outright intimidation, that these laws are trying to prevent. I’m thrilled that people are excited about the electoral process this year, but part of that is embracing the intellectual civility of the process.
September 25th, 2008 - 14:40
Joel, when almost all voter suppression is done for the benefit of Republicans, I think it is fair to put the blame on them. Let’s not “Fox” the truthiness of it. Vote suppression is real and a serious threat to our government and our country.
September 26th, 2008 - 08:16
MC, the problem is that the e-mail (which is not from the Obama campaign) mistates the rules.
The plot isn’t that people are scheming to throw voters out of the polls, it is that the e-mail itself twists the rules in an attempt to make going to the polling site an unpleasant experience that scares people away from polls.
Voter intimidation tactics have become a lot more clever and nuanced than having a bunch of thugs hanging the polls around intimidating people (although that still does happen, surprisingly). Its about subtly discouraging voters from showing up or sticking around at the polls. This false warning against intimidation is itself a piece of intimidation.
September 26th, 2008 - 12:21
Thanks for sharing. It is important that every voter is able to vote. Also, if your interested in supporting Obama, you should check out dance4change.com. It should be alot of fun.
September 27th, 2008 - 19:09
I don’t know if you were in Tucson when Basha, the guy from the grocery stores, was running for something (governor?). Through some weird twist of events I found myself working at a polling place as the deputy. It’s a long story.
Anyway, I was instructed by the person overseeing the polling to ask a person wearing a Bashas uniform to leave due to it being construed as an “ad.” Seriously.
I can’t remember if it was a man or a woman, but I remember they were pissed and I felt stupid doing it. They finally turned the shirt inside out and voted. They weren’t happy.
September 29th, 2008 - 13:29
Why must every Oregonian bash on the credibility of all Republicans. I can respect your decision to be a Democrat, please respect my decision to vote for who i want to vote for. I feel like ever place i look i see people bashing the other political party instead of campaigning what is good about their party.
September 29th, 2008 - 14:08
I’m going to wear my Channing Jersey to the polls.
October 4th, 2008 - 23:51
The ALL-CAPS nature of the email makes it sound like it’s some kind of plot. Just put on a jacket and you’ll be fine, and free to wear whatever you want when you head to work, or the grocery store, or wherever else you’ll be spending election day.