Something that happened to me at the Voting Poll

I have a question about voting laws and if they vary state to state, which I'm guessing they do, but I'm curious about a particular event that happened to me.
All my life I was one of those people that didn't vote. I wasn't going to waste my vote on the lesser of evils and I just couldn't get behind anyone to bother.

The last election that changed. I could get behind Ron Paul. I knew he wasn't on the ticket, but I figured I would finally go and at least write him in which I have heard about for years. Figured finally I could exercise my right.

I went to my polling place in Providence RI.. My turn came to cast my vote. The first problem was there wasn't any place to write in Ron Paul. This ballot had many people running for many different things, not that I really gave a two cent thought about, except one lady whom I did vote for. Figured I waited in line might as well put something down.

When I went to hand in my ballot, the controller told me I could not cast it until it was complete. Not being a regular voter I really didn't know the protocol for this sort of thing. So back I went to finish.

The thing is, this left me to guess at major things that I really just wasn't comfortable with and it basically became a crap shoot of picks. Almost like picking a football team to win because I liked their Jerseys.

Granted, I suppose I should have been more in the know, but still, what that even legal for them to require me to do that? I mean how many others in the line really knew all the issues and all the people on the ballot trying to win their seats or stay on their seats? How many people picked a name just because they had heard it enough on the radio or wherever? Yes I knew some of the names, some I kept some I didn't. I'm not illiterate by any means. Some of the others in the line though may have been a bit questionable.

So, is this how it goes in all the states? Is it a law you must complete the ballot? Should I have been able to have the option to write in the vote for president?
I know it is a little late to bring to the table now, but with the elections rolling around again, I am curious to know the answers, not that I'm thrilled with anyone this round either, but you never know.

Well that's kind of strange. I thought that there had to be a place for a write-in candidate. And because of secret ballot requirements whoever you handed your ballot to should not have even looked at it. I know of no reason why you should have been required to vote for every position.

Very strange indeed....

-dex

originally posted by: onehuman
I have a question about voting laws and if they vary state to state, which I'm guessing they do, but I'm curious about a particular event that happened to me.
All my life I was one of those people that didn't vote. I wasn't going to waste my vote on the lesser of evils and I just couldn't get behind anyone to bother.

The last election that changed. I could get behind Ron Paul. I knew he wasn't on the ticket, but I figured I would finally go and at least write him in which I have heard about for years. Figured finally I could exercise my right.

I went to my polling place in Providence RI.. My turn came to cast my vote. The first problem was there wasn't any place to write in Ron Paul. This ballot had many people running for many different things, not that I really gave a two cent thought about, except one lady whom I did vote for. Figured I waited in line might as well put something down.

When I went to hand in my ballot, the controller told me I could not cast it until it was complete. Not being a regular voter I really didn't know the protocol for this sort of thing. So back I went to finish.

The thing is, this left me to guess at major things that I really just wasn't comfortable with and it basically became a crap shoot of picks. Almost like picking a football team to win because I liked their Jerseys.

Granted, I suppose I should have been more in the know, but still, what that even legal for them to require me to do that? I mean how many others in the line really knew all the issues and all the people on the ballot trying to win their seats or stay on their seats? How many people picked a name just because they had heard it enough on the radio or wherever? Yes I knew some of the names, some I kept some I didn't. I'm not illiterate by any means. Some of the others in the line though may have been a bit questionable.

So, is this how it goes in all the states? Is it a law you must complete the ballot? Should I have been able to have the option to write in the vote for president?
I know it is a little late to bring to the table now, but with the elections rolling around again, I am curious to know the answers, not that I'm thrilled with anyone this round either, but you never know.

Something is wrong here. Many times I leave items blank if I am not familiar with either person, but this is usually some local position that I failed to keep up with. So, I don't fill it in. I would contact the Board of Election Commissioners in your area and talk to them about it. I think you should have been able to write in a name for sure.

varies from state to state but in a primary it may be that the candidates for that party are set in stone and you only have those choices. remember a primary is governed by party rules not federal rules.

You can only write in for the general election, right now it's party candidates.

At least you get to vote. Since I am an Independent. I don't get a choice.

We get sample ballots. When I am allowed to vote, I research all the issues on the ballot, and all the people that running for office. I even take my sample with me so I have a reference if I forget who is who.

Anyway. It works for me.

a reply to: onehuman

No offense meant, but if you don't know how a candidate sits on issues, you shouldn't vote.

Voting at your local level is where the very vast majority of issues related to you, is most important.

If you can't be bothered to pay attention to your local politics, where laws affect you personally, I cringe at the fact that your vote potentially affects EVERYONE.

Rhode Island's primary in on 4/26/2016. It appears to me that the last election held there was in 2014. OP may be talking about the presidential election of 2012.
source

Write-in candidates are permitted on all general elections and presidential primaries. source


The voter colors in the arrow on the paper ballot. Then the voter feeds the ballot into an optical scanner. If the scanner sees that the voter has not voted, then it will indicate an error and the Warden/Moderator will instruct the voter how to correct the problem. Only if the voter insists that the ballot be processed as marked will it be counted. So the voter needs to understand before voting that it is their option to vote for as few or as many positions they want. Apparently the Warden/Moderator is not required to tell this to the voter.
Poll worker's manual

-dex

originally posted by: KawRider9
a reply to: onehuman

No offense meant, but if you don't know how a candidate sits on issues, you shouldn't vote.

Voting at your local level is where the very vast majority of issues related to you, is most important.

If you can't be bothered to pay attention to your local politics, where laws affect you personally, I cringe at the fact that your vote potentially affects EVERYONE.

I agree and I didn't want to either. I was just caught off guard. It isn't that I cant be bothered, it is the point that I don't like the choices and I wont vote for someone I don't believe in. I could probably safely bet though, that a good quarter if not more of the people in line behind me were a lot more clueless then I was. That scared me as well.

a reply to: DexterRiley

Thank you. That was exactly when I voted and exactly how the ballot was in 2012 presidential election. Thank you for letting me know for future reference that I can be adamant. Of course now I'm back in Florida so it will probably be a new way of doing things.

a reply to: onehuman

Yeah, it's probably a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Florida voting procedure before going to the polls in November.

The interesting thing with voting in RI is that it's possible that a lot of people don't understand that you don't have to vote for all candidates on the ballot. Until I referenced the actual poll workers' manual I didn't understand why you were instructed as you were. They should make sure that the voters understand all of their options, not just a simplified set of instructions.

FWIW I believe that we should always exercise our right to vote. Even if we go to the polls and select none of the candidates on the ballot, in other words leave it completely blank, we have exercised our right.

-dex