Voting

Voting Qualifications In order to vote in U.S. elections you must be 18 years old Resident of the state you’re voting in Citizen of the U.S. Registered to vote

Who Votes? People eligible to vote are called the electorate People’s voting rights will be denied if They are inmates in mental hospitals They have been convicted of a felony They do not meet the residency requirements in their state

Who Votes? Voter Residency Requirement Days

Who Votes? Effects of Felon Voting Bans on African American Males

Who Votes? Possible Effects of Voter I.D. Cards being required New law says a state-approved photo ID is required to vote in person, starting in 2016 Why Now? Starting in 2014, poll workers will ask in-person voters if they have one of the required IDs. You don’t need to answer or show an ID in order to vote. The State Board of Elections will help those without an ID get one for free Official NC documents needed to get an ID will also be available to registered voters for free

Reaching voters without id

poor elderly women non-college youth people of color Who Doesn’t Have an I.D. We can’t be sure how many people don’t have an acceptable government IDs, but research shows they are most likely to be poor elderly women non-college youth people of color

Free IDs for Voting If you are a registered or an eligible voter without a current, acceptable photo ID, you can get a free ID from the DMV (normally $10) You’ll need to sign a sworn statement that you don’t have any of the acceptable IDs. Lying is a Class 1 felony. You can go to a DMV office in any county to apply for the no-fee ID.

Who Votes? Possible Effects of Voter I.D. Cards being required This law was only used in one election before being overturned in a US Appeals Court. A federal appeals court overturned parts of North Carolina's 2013 voting law, including provisions that required voters to show a photo identification card, saying they were enacted "with racially discriminatory intent" in violation of the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act.

What Documents Do I Need? 2 official documents with your full legal name; at least one must have your date of birth. 1 document with your residential address if neither identity document has your address. A valid Social Security number. If DMV can’t verify your SSN, you need a document with it, like one of the identity docs. If you have trouble getting 2 documents, bring what you have to the DMV.

Why Should I Vote? The right to vote is considered to be our greatest freedom People should exercise their right to vote because it allows citizens to Choose their govt. leaders Elect new leaders if dissatisfied with performance of current leaders Express their opinions on public issues Smoking Ban in NC Rests.

Where Do I Vote? Precincts Each address is assigned to a specific precinct number Each precinct has specific locations where its residents go to vote (polling stations) Can find precinct number here: (if registered)

Sample Voter Info Card

How Do I Vote? Polling stations open as early as 5AM and close as late as 8 or 9 PM Each voting precinct decides the method of voting to use: Mechanical Machine - Levers Electronic Voting – Touch Screen / Optical Scan Paper Ballot – Paper/Punch Card

Voting Methods

Voting Methods Electronic Voting Opti-Scan Voting Machine Touch Screen Voting

Voting Methods Mechanical Machine

Voting Methods Paper Ballot Datavote Basic Paper Punch Cards (holes called CHADS)

Voting Methods

When Do I Vote? General Election Day 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in Nov. Could be voting for President of the U.S. Governor Senators Representatives State Legislators Any state, federal, or local officials Mid-term Elections (Same Day as Above) Elections in which members of Congress and some Governors are being elected, but not the President

Voting Types Straight Ticket Voting Voting for all candidates in one party Some states make it easy by having a column on ballot for each party

Voting Types Split Ticket Voting Voting for candidates of different political parties for different offices

Voting Types Write In Voting Voters can write in names of candidates they wish to vote for, whose names do not appear on the ballot Candidate has to be an officially endorsed candidate for vote to count

Voting Types Absentee Voting Voters who cannot get to the polls on Election Day can use an absentee ballot Can be requested from the local election board as early as 180 days before Election Day Ballots opened and counted in your precinct on Election Day

Voting Types Advance Voting Allows any registered voter to cast a ballot in person at the county voter registration office during normal business hours on the Monday through Friday of the week prior to an election.

Counting the Votes Election workers count votes after polls close Ballots then taken to election board and they count votes again News media and party workers try to predict winners as soon as possible through exit polls also used to deter voter fraud