Vote!

I voted yesterday... because I was afraid I would not be allowed to vote. It wasn't because of malice, just incompetence. Here's the story...

When we moved, I went to the California DMV website to change my address. There's a check thing there to change your voter registration. I clicked it and forgot about things. As the election neared, I got to thinking that I should call the county to make sure I am registered. I did and told the person on the phone what I had done. Her answer: "Oh, that doesn't work. You have to re-register."

OK, I had time so I went online to the voter site, printed out the form and filed it in. It was 10/17 and registrations had to be complete by the 20th so we decided to carry them to the registrar. "Oh, you got this form online? It is incorrect. We need more information." Good thing we hadn't just mailed it in. So we gave the extra information.

You can check online to make sure that you're registered so last Monday, I checked. I wasn't there. I called the office. "That's strange. You're in the system but there is no zip code entered so you weren't assigned to a polling place." She took my zip code and assured me that we would be able to vote and encouraged me to check online again at the end of the week. Friday night, I looked again... and guess what. I wasn't there.

So, we made the extra drive to Santa Barbara yesterday, waited in line, and were able to fill out absentee ballots and turn them in.

When we got home, our voter registration cards were in the mail so we would have been able to vote today without problems but it sure felt good to have it done.

I do wonder about those who wouldn't have followed up like I did and who would not have been able to vote. I don't think there was any malice anywhere along the line but it would have been very easy for an overly complicated and inept system to keep me from voting.

If you haven't voted yet, do it. It is the central right and the central responsibility in our country.