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I paid $34.77 to vote in Election 2012

Let me start with a few facts:

  1. I have voted in every election since I turned 18.
  2. Most of these were in college, I had my mom forward my ballot to me. While I considered myself a bit of a New Yorker, my home of record is Arizona.
  3. As a military spouse my home of record is still in Arizona. And my driver’s license is still AZ, it doesn’t expire until I’m 65 so I’m keeping that baby as long as I can.
  4. My ballot arrived on Saturday, November 3, 8 days after it was printed and put in the mail. But that is the story. Why was this such an issue?

When we moved we set up a mail forward to my parent’s house in Phoenix because we didn’t have a Washington address yet. Once we moved in we changed the mail forward from their house to where we are now. Well, ballots aren’t mail forwarded. Mainly in case you move within the state and you should re-register and vote for your new districts. Well, since my parent’s address is my home of record, I want to maintain my residency there, at least for now.

I got a letter this summer informing me of this issue. If I failed to comply I would be deactivated as a voter. After consulting my mom, who works in elections/politics, I called my local county recorder’s office and explained my situation. They understood and told me to write a letter asking for my ballots to be sent to my temporary WA address and it’d get fixed.

On August 2nd I mailed my letter in. About a week later I got a call from someone in the Recorder’s office asking to clarify that I wanted both my primary and general election ballot sent to WA. I said yes. A few weeks later I voted in the primary election. No problem.

Then October rolls around. I knew when ballots were mailed out and waited about a week: nothing. I called on Wednesday, Oct. 24 and the woman told me I had been deactivated. But could be reactivated in the morning when her supervisor was in, and a ballot could be sent to my Phoenix address. Great. Friday, Oct. 25 shows up and my mom checks my status–ballot still not mailed. It was the last day to request an early ballot. I call immediately. Speak to a guy that reactivates me, confirms my WA address, and reminds me to vote as soon as I get my ballot and mail back so they receive it by 7 pm election day.

My mom checked again that Wednesday when it had yet to show up, and indeed my ballot was mailed according to their records on Friday, Oct. 25. But why is it taking so long? A card mailed from Phoenix on Monday, arrived in my mailbox on Thursday. My ballot finally arrived on Saturday afternoon, and I was gone all day, you know I have a life while all this is happening, so I voted Saturday night. At this rate I know that mailing it Monday morning from Washington, it will not get to Phoenix by 7 p.m. on Tuesday. So I went to FedEx Sunday afternoon but the envelope obviously couldn’t go out until Monday morning. I paid $34.77 to ensure that my ballot got to AZ by Tuesday morning. And to be even more sure that it gets turned in, I sent it to my mom’s office, and she will then drop it off to the polling station or elections department directly for me.

As someone that immensely cares about this election, this is completely disheartening. And if I didn’t care as much, or my mom didn’t have access to that information, or was able/willing to help me turn my ballot in, I would have never even gotten a ballot or had my vote count. Will I be changing my voter registration after this election to WA? Probably. I’m completely disappointed in my home county. There are so many important races, from President, Senate, Congress and Sheriff, that I want to voice my opinion for. All I want to do is vote, it shouldn’t be this hard. For anyone.

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Make sure you vote this year!!

Today I was filling up my car with gas and I heard a guy ask his friend, “Are you voting this year?”

I was so appalled that I almost interrupted their conversation, or inserted myself into it, to tell them that they have no excuse not to vote! For one, the state of Washington mails ballots to every registered voter, so “can’t make it to the polls” is not a valid excuse. My husband voted from a war zone, so you can vote from your house.

Secondly, I’m a firm believer that if you don’t like the way the country or state or city government is working, you have to vote. I don’t care your party affiliation, you can’t complain if you didn’t input your opinion in the basic right we have as citizens. If it doesn’t go your way, it sucks, but at least you let your opinion be known.

I think I have voted in every election since I turned 18. Including small local races. Yes, I am a political junkie, and if you follow me on Twitter, you can probably figure out my political leanings, but this isn’t about who you’re voting for. I won’t preach on why you should vote for a certain person, this is about getting your voice heard. Sure the electoral college is kinda a pain in the butt, and you may know what way your state will go, but what about your local Congressman? Honestly that person is a better resource if you ever need anything, be it an expedited passport or federal benefits. And they will do it whether you’re the same party as them or not. It’s part of their job. And all the budget issues in every state, and federally, are debated and voted on by representatives, so vote for that person.

I care so much about voting that it looks like I’ll be paying extra postage just to get my ballot in on time. See, I’m still registered at my home of record in Arizona. Growing up in Arizona politics I have a really strong tie to my home state. I live in a new Congressional district, and the state is a borderline battleground state, although not nearly as much as Ohio. BUT because I have a mail forward it’s been a hassle to deal with my local elections office to get my ballot to Washington. I’ve called 3 times and sent a letter. But it’s coming. And the moment I get the ballot, I’m filling it out and mailing it back, probably in a priority envelope. So yeah, I care about voting.

This country needs leaders that will work with one another, from the executive branch on down to city council. People with the best interests of the whole country at heart. So vote. Vote for who you think is best. Just don’t give me an excuse for not voting, with early voting in a lot of states, I have very little sympathy for you not figuring that out or taking the time on your way to work to go to your polling station. (For those displaced by Sandy or still without power, I hope the local elections department figure out some ways for people to vote, I really do, but restoring power, oil, and water is definitely a top priority.) The Internet is a great resource. So use it. And use the voice that you have as a citizen, that so many of our immigrants wait years to use.

Have you voted yet? Or are you going to straight to the polls?