Randal Pinkett, Ph.D.

On Nov. 4, 2008, Americans of all races, creeds and colors voted for change—and we poured into the streets with absolute joy and pride in what we accomplished as a nation. It was a proud and profound moment for America.

But we cannot rest on the laurels of 2008 and expect that to sustain our objectives into the future. The mission was not accomplished on Nov. 4, 2008– it has only just begun. The most powerful thing we have as Americans is our voice and we must ensure it is heard loud and clear in the upcoming elections. Do not think that what you voted for nationally will be enacted locally.

It is critical that voters go to the polls on Nov. 3 in full force to continue the momentum gained in 2008 and empower the local leaders who will support our President and our ideals.

The Yes We Can 2.0 campaign was created to ensure that the success of the 2008 election is carried out in policy and practice by electing local and state officials who share those same principles. Based on respect, empowerment and inclusion, the campaign reminds Americans of the power of their own voice.

Critical issues such as economic growth, accessible and affordable healthcare, tax relief for the middle class and quality public education for all are being debated in real time.

I encourage all of us to be a part of the conversation and to speak with our vote on Nov. 3. I will speak with my vote in my home state of New Jersey. Like Virginia, we will be electing a governor. These two gubernatorial races will set the stage for the mid-term 2010 elections when 37 governships, 38 Senate seats, and the entire House of Representatives are up for re-election. We all should think about our future and VOTE.

We don’t want “Yes We Can” to turn into “Too Bad We Didn’t.” Think globally and nationally, but, remember, you can also affect change by voting locally.

See you at the polls!

Randal Pinkett, Ph.D., is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar management, technology and policy consulting firm based in Newark, NJ. He was also the Season 4 Winner of NBC’s hit reality television show The Apprentice with Donald Trump.

If only hanging chads were the country’s biggest headache this election year. Instead, voting irregularities in 2008 are taking the form of faulty voting machines, confusing ballots, hours-long waits in line, missing absentee ballots, and unfiled voter registration forms.

Long lines were the most exasperating problem affecting early voters for this election. States that allowed early voting saw record waiting times, some lasting more than five hours. Many states instituted early voting as a solution to long lines on Election Day, only to find that lines before Election Day can be just as worrisome.

With 10 million extra voters descending on polls this year compared to 2004, early voting seemed like a plausible remedy to the long lines. However, voters who can’t physically stand for long periods of time, who need to return to work, or to care for a small child or elderly relative are still finding that voting is a huge inconvenience.

These long lines can be a result of faulty voting machines; a problem that still plagues some states four years after the voting machine debacle of 2004 that left some predominantly democratic areas in Ohio with only one working machine for thousands of voters.

This time around, instead of just breaking down, machines are also flipping votes. For example, in West Virginia’s Jackson County, voters are reporting that voting machines are recording the wrong vote.

Workers who tested voting machines in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, found that the vote for president was not being logged. Election officials said that real voters never used the machines and attributed the problems to screen calibration issues, which once calibrated disappeared.

Experts are predicting that voter turnout will be higher this year than the 2004 turnout and it may be the highest turnout since 1960, reported the Associated Press on Friday. A higher voter turnout means that these isolated problems might be much more widespread on Election Day. More than 29 million people in 30 states have already voted, according to partial state and county data provided to the Associated Press.

In an effort to get a handle on all of the voting irregularities and help voters who are confused about their registration status on Election Day the Election Protection Coalition created a “Hot Map” at www.OurVoteLive.org. The site collects, analyzes, and projects data from call centers across the country onto this live map, which provides detail about the location and nature of problem calls. In addition to the thousands of calls they’ve already been receiving on a daily basis, the organization expects over 200,000 voter requests for information and assistance on Election Day.

As of Election Day eve, almost 5,500 problems across the country have been reported to the Web site. Some of the more recent ones feature newly posted reports that Indiana voters have been turned away as voting centers are closing at noon, robo calls or automated calls were made in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, deceptively informing voters to vote on Nov. 5 instead of Nov. 4, and in Ohio voters were falsely told that they can send in absentee ballots as late as November 14.

According to Jonah Goldman, an election protection spokesman, some states including voters in California, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Ohio and other places have not yet received their absentee ballots. Many of these states have a backlog of registrations and have failed to mail out absentee ballots in time. In New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Florida reports says that registrations have not been added to the database due to understaffing of election administration workers. These backlogs could mean that new voters may not get on the rolls.

Voters are reporting problems with registration status in states like Louisiana and Texas that experienced natural disasters. Galveston County election officials advised displaced voters to avoid Election Day problems by taking advantage of early voting or by casting an absentee ballot. However, officials stopped short of creating “super precincts” which would have allowed Galveston’s 187,000 registered voters, many who have been displaced, to vote at any county precinct on Nov. 4.

Victims of recent hurricanes aren’t the only voters who find that their location might prevent them from voting. Electionline.org, also a project of the Pew Center on the States, reported yesterday that even some U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan may not get to vote because they received the wrong type of ballots.

Florida A&M University students look over a sample ballot while standing in line to vote at the Leon County Courthouse. (Source: campusprogress.org)

With less than 30 days left in the presidential race, voter registration drives are in full swing, especially on college campuses. But for students who leave home to attend college, registering in some states may not simple as voting eligibility rules can be vague and confusing.

“It’s up to students to determine voter residency,” says Jennifer Rosenberg, fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice. “Most of the time, if students consider their college address their home they shouldn’t have a hard time voting there.”

But some students have had a hard time. In September, students at Virginia Tech were told by the Montgomery County elections registrar that they’d lose their right to be claimed as dependents on their parents’ tax returns and lose financial aid eligibility if they registered to vote in Blacksburg, where the school is located.

“[Registering] definitely won’t affect federal financial aid. In only a very small number of cases can it affect your state-based aid,” Rosenberg says.

Situations like what happened at Virginia Tech don’t just arise from nowhere. Often they are the result of murky voting laws that lead to twisted interpretations. “The problem with Virginia [codes] is that they are poorly written and very confusing so you have different registrars applying it differently,” says Sujatha Jahagirdar, program coordinator for the Student Public Interest Research Groups’ New Voters Project.

Voting Check List

Find out what your city and state requires before heading to the polls. Stephanie Brown, the national director of NAACP’s youth and college division, recommends students look up identification requirements before heading to the polls. She says students who don’t have ID reflecting the city or state they’re in could face problems.

Also, “people need to do their part and make sure their registration is filled out correctly,” Brown says. Even if you’re trying to fill out the registration form between classes, take your time.

Make sure you’re registered by checking the county’s voter registration rolls. This can be done by logging on to www.866ourvote.com or calling 866-OurVote (866-687-8683). “If you’re not on the rolls go directly to registrar” and find out why you’re name doesn’t  appear, Ronseberg says. Remember, there is some lag time between registering and being placed on the lists.

If there is a challenge to your registration status on Election Day, students can fill out a provisional ballot. “In the even that everything checks out they can count your provisional ballot,” Brown says. The Brennan Center’s Our Vote phone number  (866-687-8683) will serve as a live hotline that day.

Check out the Brennan Center’s student election guide to learn about voting rules in your school’s state.

 Today, Oct. 4, is the last day to register to vote in many states.

Renita Burns is the editorial assistant for BlackEnterprise.com