Texas DPS Screws Up Motor Voter (Automatic Checkoff for Voter Registration Doesn't Work)

Paleo Conservative ^ | 11-08-2006 | Paleo Conservative

[Paleo Conservative]

I worked as an election clerk yesterday on election day. It was a heavily Republican leaning district. Several voters who had recently moved into the district had checked the box indicating they wanted to register to vote at their new address when they updated their drivers licenses through the DPS (Department of Public Safety). In most cases these people had to fill out provisional ballots that probably will not be counted. The Republican poll watcher is going to file a complaint. The election judge said she had been told by workers at the county courthouse not to rely on the DPS to forward voter registration information.

[Paleo Conservative]

Admin Moderator. I know this may be a "vanity" thread, but I am reporting events that I actually witnessed.

[MineralMan]

The Motor Voter thing doesn't work very well here in Minnesota, either. When I moved here, I checked the box when I got my MN driver's license. It was quite a while before the election. I never got a registration card.

I called the registrar of voters and asked about it. The person I talked to said that the Motor Vehicle people sent those registrations in about once a year, to the Secretary of State's office, and that I should register again. I did, and got my registration card a week later.

The more people in the loop, the worse the results, it seems.

[FNG]

This happened to me in White Oak, TX. I was not allowed to use a provisional ballot, but told to register for next time. I filed a complaint with the state office last night. This needs to be investigated. I posted this earlier here and the thread got pulled. Maybe because I posted this last night in chat, but meant to put it here. Anyway, the polling official said this happened to "a lot of people."

[Bigun]

I am an election judge in another part of Texas and can testify to this as well.

I did more provisional ballots yesterday than I ever have in more than 20 years of doing this and EVERY one of them were caused by this BS. After the folks who had to endure this process had voted, I told every one of them that even tho this provisional ballot process you have just completed is supposed to ensure your being registered at your new address, DON'T count on it! Go physically to the voter registrars office and make SURE that you are registered.

[LB4BUSH]

This is not related to your subject, but thank God Texans still have enough sense to vote Republican.

[Paleo Conservative]

Here's another thread from last night about a Freeper who was denied the right to vote due to screw ups by the DPS. It wasn' just the precinct I was working in yesterday that had problems.

FREEPER DENIED RIGHT TO VOTE (TX)

Posted on 11/07/2006 8:19:26 PM CST by FNG

I just stood in line an hour to vote here in TX, and I was denied a vote because I was not registered. I put in for registration when I changed my TDL address, but it was never processed. The official at the polls told me it happened to a bunch of people. I live in Gregg county, and the DPS office is in Longview. I'm planning on calling the state number and complaining. If I were not a Caucasian Republican, I'd have an army down here tomorrow and make the news. This SUCKS. FNG out.

[deport]

This isn't the only thing that ought to be automatic in todays computer age. There should be an automatic notice filed with the registrar of voters when a death certificate is filed with the county, same with any felony conviction via the courts, etc. and probably others that should be automatically reported.

[deport]

There shows to be the following with 8498 of 8510 precincts reporting.

6902 ... total provisional ballots
6147 ... Early voting provisional ballots

Thus 755 provisional ballots were issued on election day, Nov. 7......

http://207.200.23.22/06novgen.htm#3

[ridesthemiles]

I called the registrar of voters and asked about it. The person I talked to said that the Motor Vehicle people sent those registrations in about once a year, to the Secretary of State's office, and that I should register again. I did, and got my registration card a week later. ""

Do I get to guess that the ONCE A YEAR forwarding of info occurs about end end of December----well AFTER elections??

[anymouse]

Learn to fill out and mail in a Voter Registration Card!!!! Anyone who relies on Motor Voter to do their job of registering to vote doesn't deserve to vote. It is not DPS' job to register you to vote - it is your responsibility.

New drivers are added to the system, but just filling out a change of address form for your drivers license does not change your voter registration. You can blame the Dems for wanting to sign up 18 year olds, but Motor Voter is the default choice of the lazy wouldbe voter.

[pax_et_bonum]

Learn to fill out and mail in a Voter Registration Card!!!! Anyone who relies on Motor Voter to do their job of registering to vote doesn't deserve to vote. It is not DPS' job to register you to vote - it is your responsibility.

New drivers are added to the system, but just filling out a change of address form for your drivers license does not change your voter registration. You can blame the Dems for wanting to sign up 18 year olds, but Motor Voter is the default choice of the lazy wouldbe voter.

Wow.

You must be perfect.

Thank you for helping to lead the little people.

[anymouse]

Well if you consider yourself little, I can't help that. If you rely on the government to do what you ought to do yourself, then you deserve what you get.

You are entitled to attempt to vote. You are not entitled to be assured that no matter how little you try that you will get to vote or that vote will count.

In totalitarian countries you absolutely vote - for the only candidate on the ballot or you will be shot. Here you have to do a little bit of work to get to vote. Frankly it should be harder to vote, in order to weed out the lazy and stupid.

[pax_et_bonum]

I voted.

You're condescending.

Your point would be more effective if you could find it within yourself to be more humble and to phrase your comments accordingly.

[Paleo Conservative]

Learn to fill out and mail in a Voter Registration Card!!!! Anyone who relies on Motor Voter to do their job of registering to vote doesn't deserve to vote. It is not DPS' job to register you to vote - it is your responsibility.

I personally went to to the county courthouse to change my voter registration. I have lots of reservations about "Motor Voter", because it is a way for non-citizens to regisiter to vote.

[WildBill2275]

Having drinks with neighbors last night while we got depressed anticipating results.
One of my neighbors had renewed his drivers license and indicated register (motor voter). Unfortunately our post office had changed (to another county) but not our physical addresses . He had to file provisional ballot because it messed up his registration.
Motor voter -- may be good idea in urban areas but messed up in rural areas where post office town may not match physical address town.

[anymouse]

Yes, moderation worked so well for us in this election. /sarc

[DrewsDad]

I worked as an election judge and heard this over and over. We probably had about 80 Change of Address Forms and had to send several voters to other precincts to vote. Every change of address gets called in and the number was busy for up to 15 minutes sometimes. When you actually got through, you were put on hold for up to 10 more minutes. Meanwhile voters have to sit there and wait.

After the line started stacking up we went down the line and tried to process as many address changes as we could while we were on the line. We ended up with 8 provisional voters who already had enough and didn't want to be sent elsewhere. Anyone who moved between counties was pretty much denied the right to vote on anything.