Yes, we can.

[lashbear]

This just in from a political bear friend of mine in Texas....

"My office mate went to vote yesterday in South Austin, where he encountered a man with a clipboard outside the polling place, asking each voter if they planned to vote for Obama. If they answered in the affirmative, he advised them to please make sure to vote a straight democratic ticket, and then, in addition, to vote specifically for Obama.
On our voting machines, this cancels the ballot.

When confronted by election officials, the man fled in an automobile plastered with McCain-Palin and other Republican stickers."

[Tenigma]

Originally Posted by lashbear

"My office mate went to vote yesterday in South Austin, where he encountered a man with a clipboard outside the polling place, asking each voter if they planned to vote for Obama. If they answered in the affirmative, he advised them to please make sure to vote a straight democratic ticket, and then, in addition, to vote specifically for Obama.
On our voting machines, this cancels the ballot.

You need to go to http://truth.voteforchange.com/articles/straightticket and read what they say.

The Web site (maintained by the Obama team) tells you what's true and what's not:

The Truth About Straight-Ticket Voting

Not all states have straight-ticket voting. See list below to see if your state does.

Straight-ticket voting allows voters to choose a party’s entire slate of candidates. With straight-ticket voting, a voter can make one punch or mark on the ballot to vote for every candidate of that party on the ballot.

Your state may not have a “Straight Democratic” option – not every state does. If you don’t see one, don’t be concerned. Nothing is wrong with your ballot.

If you are in a “straight-ticket” state, you may have seen advice encouraging you to make two marks on the ballot: once for the Democratic “straight-ticket” AND once for Barack Obama. In North Carolina, this is correct. If you vote the Democratic “straight-ticket,” you must ALSO check an additional box to vote for Barack Obama for President.

In other states, the advice is incorrect. If you mark “Straight Democratic Ticket”, a vote for Barack Obama WILL be counted. In fact, in states other than North Carolina, to avoid problems, it’s better to ONLY push “Straight Democratic Ticket”.

(Note: You aren’t required to vote using the straight-ticket method. You can vote for Barack Obama and other candidates on an individual basis.)

So:
North Carolina – vote BOTH straight-ticket and Obama, OR vote for individual candidates like Obama.

Other states – vote straight-ticket by itself, OR vote for individual candidates like Obama.

Meanwhile, look for cards or mailed literature from the campaign in the days before Election Day, and at the polls. Campaign for Change will be handing out easy instructions to help make sure that you can vote, that you understand how to vote in your county, and that your vote counts.

You can learn more about voting in your state at www.VoteForChange.com, our Voter Information Center, or your state’s Secretary of State’s website.

If you have any further questions, please call your local Campaign for Change office — there’s a list at http://my.barackobama.com/statepages.

States that DO use straight ticket voting include:
Alabama
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Michigan
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
West Virginia
Wisconsin

[scaeagles]

First of all, if someone is going to do that - which I doubt, and these kind of things are so ridiculously easy to fabricate - I really, really doubt they're going to leave in a car described as such.

I got an email of a memo from ACORN which described how the voters they illegally registered were told to be sure to change their clothing and wait at least a half an hour between votes, particularly if they were voting in the same polling location.

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

First of all, if someone is going to do that - which I doubt, and these kind of things are so ridiculously easy to fabricate - I really, really doubt they're going to leave in a car described as such.

I got an email of a memo from ACORN which described how the voters they illegally registered were told to be sure to change their clothing and wait at least a half an hour between votes, particularly if they were voting in the same polling location.

May I assume you did not believe this email? (I certainly don't, at least not from your description of it. Nor does the story from lashbear's post sound at all likely.) Do you honestly believe that this is anything but lazy workers filling out bad registrations in order to collect a paycheck without actually working? If you are persuaded by the ACORN conspiracy accusations, could you guide us to some evidence? Is ACORN providing everyone with fake IDs? Exactly how is Mickey Mouse going to vote, and whose costume will he change into for his second and third trips to the same polling location?

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you find both stories bogus.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by flippyshark

If you are persuaded by the ACORN conspiracy accusations, could you guide us to some evidence? Is ACORN providing everyone with fake IDs?

I believe that scaeagles was pointing out how easy it is to make up stories (in response to the likely fictitious story lashbear posted -- I'm not clear why voting a straight Democratic ticket would cancel a ballot).

But regardless, in response to the quoted sentence, many states, including California, do not require providing any type of ID when you vote.

In fact, my local precinct went one step further when I lived in Oakland. Outside the polling place they posted the list of all the people who were registered at the location (public information anyway). I could easily have requested a ballot in the name of any person on that list. There would be the chance the person had already voted (one election they were crossing names out throughout the day to reflect who'd voted but that was just one) but if I'd been willing I could easily have voted several times a day.

I have no problem with ID laws but there also is no evidence that voter fraud is particularly rampant so I don't care much either way.

[blueerica]

Originally Posted by Alex

I believe that scaeagles was pointing out how easy it is to make up stories (in response to the likely fictitious story lashbear posted -- I'm not clear why voting a straight Democratic ticket would cancel a ballot).

But regardless, in response to the quoted sentence, many states, including California, do not require providing any type of ID when you vote.

In fact, my local precinct went one step further when I lived in Oakland. Outside the polling place they posted the list of all the people who were registered at the location (public information anyway). I could easily have requested a ballot in the name of any person on that list. There would be the chance the person had already voted (one election they were crossing names out throughout the day to reflect who'd voted but that was just one) but if I'd been willing I could easily have voted several times a day.

I have no problem with ID laws but there also is no evidence that voter fraud is particularly rampant so I don't care much either way.

Actually the list is supposed to be publicly posted outside the polling place and updated X number of times a day. It's been a while since I've worked at a polling place, but it is the case last I knew. I believe it is so that a party can see whether "Oh, wow, this whole block hasn't come out to vote yet.." and decide to walk down that block, knock on their door, and remind them to vote. I can't remember whether political affiliation was posted. I'm thinking it's not posted.

As an aside, I have yet to receive my absentee ballot stuff.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by blueerica

Actually the list is supposed to be publicly posted outside the polling place and updated X number of times a day. It's been a while since I've worked at a polling place, but it is the case last I knew. I believe it is so that a party can see whether "Oh, wow, this whole block hasn't come out to vote yet.." and decide to walk down that block, knock on their door, and remind them to vote. I can't remember whether political affiliation was posted. I'm thinking it's not posted.

As an aside, I have yet to receive my absentee ballot stuff.

Well, only once did I see the list being updated to show who had voted but maybe I just didn't notice. Still struck me as wildly reckless to post the exact information needed to commit real voting fraud:

1. Name
2. Address
3. Whether that person has already voted

Combined with no need to provide evidence of identification it just seemed lame. Still, there's no evidence of even a low level of widespread abuse, just seemed stupid.

I can't remember if party registration was posted, though it must have been for primaries since California has closed primaries.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Alex

I believe that scaeagles was pointing out how easy it is to make up stories (in response to the likely fictitious story lashbear posted -- I'm not clear why voting a straight Democratic ticket would cancel a ballot).

That's exactly what I was doing.

[scaeagles]

How much money did you get from the Clinton tax cut? Oh wait....it didn't happen. Silly me NOT to believe it. How many times has Obama voted to lower taxes in his political career? That's only half rhetorical....I really don't know, but I'd bet he's voted to increase taxes a whole lot more than he's voted to lower them.

And are you going to answer my question about how one can cut taxes for 95% of the people when only 65% of the people pay federal income taxes?

[wendybeth]

It must be hard to have such a crappy candidate. I'm good with Obama's plans, even though I know he will actually have very little control over whether or not they go forward. Every day I read the news, see the sleazy things the McCain side is doing and saying, and I am thankful that Obama is staying the course and rising above the merde. He's human, despite McCain's best attempts to present him as otherwise, and I'm sure he'll make mistakes- but at least he's trying to do the right thing.

I wish people could opt out of paying taxes for such things as Social Security, Medicare and such. By doing so, they would give up any claim or access to a system they so disdain. They could then shut up about it, and hope to hell the basket they put all their eggs in is going to be there when they need it.

Meanwhile, more and more Repubs are splitting from the McCain camp:McCain adviser votes Obama ticket.