Tips for voters experiencing problems

By Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON - Since the controversial 2000 presidential election, civil rights organizations and government watchdog groups have established procedures for voters to register complaints and concerns.

The U.S. Department of Justice has a hot line and Web site for voters to lodge complaints. While rules and procedures vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, there are some general steps voters can take if they experience problems on Election Day:

• Contact local election offices.

• If your name cannot be found on the registration list, but you are sure you're eligible to vote, ask for a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots allow voters to vote even if their names aren't on the registration list. The ballots are verified later. Follow up to make sure the ballot was counted. Civil rights officials say provisional ballots should be a last resort. If you're at the wrong precinct, ask poll workers to direct you to the right one.

• Call 1-866-Our Vote, a hot line set up by a coalition of national civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law, for voters to lodge complaints.

• Call the U.S. Department of Justice at 1-800-253-3931 or go to www.usdoj.gov, to file an election complaint.

• Contact the hot line of the Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union at 1-877-523-2792.

• Call 1-866-MYVOTE1, a hot line launched by a coalition of nonpartisan groups, including Common Cause and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, for general election information and to report concerns.

• Be prepared to make an issue of a problem when you call the hot lines and give your name and number so the groups can follow up.

• Before going to the polls verify your polling place and confirm you are registered. The League of Women Voters offers a brochure on "5 things to need to know on Election Day" at http://www.lwv.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Library&CONTENTID=6410&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

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Originally published November 02. 2006 1:18PM