American Views Abroad

 
I hate to bump Gloria's excellent post from the top of the blog but I promised this update on my adventures with registering to vote and receiving the absentee ballot. I called the toll free number for Germany. They couldn't really tell me anything except the number to call in my home town, Cincinnati, in this case. After several calls to several different people there, mostly to see if I'd get the same information each time, it came down to this: They had no record of my registration. My name wasn't in their system. I asked them if there were any possible reason why a correctly filled out application may have been rejected. No, they told me, there was not. I could still register and apply for the absentee ballot but it all had to be postmarked before Oct 4th (or was it the 6th - I wasn't hearing straight anymore). This can be done with the federal "Registration and Absentee Ballot Request" which I've filled out and will mail via registered post tonight. Sorry for not looking up a link, but it's all over the Internet.

No one could tell me what went wrong. My speculations: 1) The consulate sent my forms to some central Ohio address, possibly Columbus, and it all just got lost at some point in passing it on to the county of my former residence. 2) Filling out Democrat as party affiliation was not too wise. I'm filling out Republican this time, and will change it later. BUT NO! this idea 2) is cynical and I refuse to believe that had anything to do with it, still, in these times...

My advice to anyone who has no confirmation yet whether or not they are registered. Call that toll free number (0-800-1007-428), press 3, get the number of your home town Board of Elections, and call them for a confirmation of being in their system. I realize I should have done this months ago. I wouldn't feel so frantic about it now, if I had.

- posted by Fred @ 2:50 PM