Liminal states

The Voter Suppression Wiki has issued our second action alert, this one focused on preparations for election day at the polls, along with a video that’s already been featured by YouTube. As Baratunde Thurston says in our media release, “All of the debates, research, organizing and enthusiasm can be undermined if people don’t head to the polls prepared.”

Maybe you already know all this — you’ve stored the hotline numbers on your phone (including the Spanish and Asian language ones just in case you run into somebody who needs help), you’ve printed out information about your rights, and you’ve got a six-pack of bottled water and a spare umbrella ready to bring with you to the polls. You can still help by passing the word on to your friends and family, online and off. Get the word out online via email, Facebook, MySpace, Black Planet, Twitter, and other social network sites … and then get the word out offline too, to reach people such as seniors most at risk for voter suppression.

A special note to any bloggers and journalists who are reading this: please provide similar information to your readers. You can cut-and-paste from our action alert and media release; or you can roll your own post from the other great information out there — the Election Protection Resources page on SourceWatch’s Election Protection Wiki is a great place to start. Please take the time and invest the effort to help protect voting rights. While you’re at it, take some of the space you usually reserve for running ads and promoting your site, and use it to promote democracy instead. Please feature election protection information like hotline numbers on your blog’s front page.

And to anybody reading this, please digg the action alert and the video — and pass the links around!Here’s the current version of the action alert — see Action alert #2 on the wiki for additional updates.

BEFORE YOU GO TO VOTE

• confirm polling location: not always same as primary / caucus location. Check @ http://govote.org
• print out voting rights: know phone numbers, rules, etc. Check out http://bit.ly/print-voting-rights
• save election protection numbers in your cell:
  • 866-OUR-VOTE / 866-687-8683
  • Espanol 888-VE-Y-VOTA / 888-839-8682
  • Asian languages: 800-966-5946
• check weather
• get the information for Twitter Vote Report and other ways of reporting your experience
• note nearby public bathrooms

VOTING DAY PACKING LIST

• avoid political buttons or campaign-related clothing
• bring I.D. just in case — see your state’s ID requirements here

(for yourself or others)…

• bottled water. snacks
• umbrella / trash: bags in case of rain.
• sweater / jacket: in case of cold or to cover campaign clothing
• folding chairs: for the tired, the injured, the elders
• camera: to document fraud or simply history. share with Video The Vote or YouTube’s Video Your Vote project.

ACTIVITIES TO PASS THE TIME WAITING IN LINE

• be alert for scams! for example, if somebody suggest you can “vote by phone” to avoid the line, they’re lying — call the hotline to report it
• play six degrees of kevin bacon
• remember favorite campaign moments
• sing civil rights songs
• make up new dances
• meet your neighbors!

FINALLY…

• if you have problems voting, call the hotline numbers (1-866-OUR-VOTE / 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA)
• remember that voting with a provisional ballot is better than not voting at all
• if you are in line when the polls close, you are still allowed to vote