Some students who requested absentee ballots for the Nov. 2 national election during the WesDem’s Dorm Storm may not receive their ballot because they did not submit a proper photo ID with their request, the WesDems have warned.
Several states require photo IDs for absentee ballot requests, particularly if a voter did not provide identification during registration. According to WesDems president Betti Packman ’07, whether a student receives a ballot will largely depend on the laws of each state and could even come down to the decision of a town clerk, who oversees absentee ballot requests.
Although the WesDems were aware of the photo ID requirements, not all representatives from the group obtained photo IDs from students who registered during the Sept. 19 Dorm Storm, an extensive voter registration drive, according to Packman. Some representatives of the group also took blurry digital photos that may be unacceptable for the ballot requests.
On Tuesday, Sept. 28, after seeing the photos, Packman held an emergency meeting. Concerned that some of the ballot requests would not be accepted, the group sent out an e-mail notifying students of the issue and encouraging them to come to the Campus Center the following day to retake their photos.
According to Packman, most students did not show up to the Campus Center.
Kevin Beling ’07 was among this group.
“I’m really not in the mood to follow up at this moment,” Beling said. “One of the dorm captains lives in my building so I’m just going to check in with her.”
Despite this, the WesDems chose to mail out all the applications so they would at least have a chance of being accepted, Packman said.
Packman said that the ordeal has made her think that the absentee ballot system is unnecessarily tough to navigate.
“It’s very frustrating. Voting is such an integral part of democracy. You’d think there’s an easier way,” she said.
Others who helped with the process said they had similar sentiments.
“It’s definitely frustrating. The process was unbelievably complicated,” said Andy Sampson ’08, a “dorm captain,” who went door to door registering students.
According to Packman, students who requested an absentee ballot through the WesDems should now either contact the WesDems for help or confirm their absentee ballot request with their local town clerks.
“The hope is that if they got [an absentee ballot] request and they need an ID, they’ll contact us,” Packman said. “The biggest thing now is that we need people to call their counties and make sure.”
In addition to the mass email, the WesDems made around 50 phone calls to students registered in swing states, especially those that need requests for absentee ballots by Oct. 3. Those states include Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida and Louisiana.
At the same time, not all states require photo ID, according to Packman. The problem lies more in the fact that some students did not provide any photo ID when they registered, making requests for absentee ballots more difficult.
Students will find out in the next couple of weeks whether their requests were successful or not. If the requests were unsuccessful, students can choose to vote in Connecticut, which has a registration deadline of Oct. 19.
“While it would be unfortunate for them not to be able to vote in their home state, it’s better [they vote in Connecticut] than their vote not counting,” Packman said.
According to Packman, the WesDems are also trying to organize a teach-in on Connecticut politics. They hope to bring in Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, a Middletown resident, to give some background on the different electoral races in the state.
Some students, like Hunter King ’08, will be forced to vote in Connecticut anyway because their states do not allow first-time voters to vote absentee. King, who is from Louisiana, said he wanted to vote in his home state but was happily surprised to hear he could vote in Connecticut.
“What are you going to do,” King said.