If the recent primaries and caucuses are any indication, voter turnout for the 2008 General Election will be HISTORIC. Unfortunately, as you will see by reading the many ARTICLES and RESOURCES on ElectionPreparedness.com, most polling places and systems will be overwhelmed by the numbers of voters, and there is a great risk that you will either be unable to vote or you will experience extremely long wait times at the polls on November 4 - regardless of whether you are a newly-registered or long-time voter.
More often than not, the main reason to turn away voters is because names are not properly listed on the official voter roll - whether it's a misspelling of your name, you've moved and your address has changed, or your polling place has changed, even though you've been voting in the same location for years.
That said, the most simple, yet amazingly productive action you can take is to CONFIRM YOUR VOTE.
Other issues will surely arise on election day, mostly due to a lack of resources or foresight, and sometimes incompetence and/or honest mistakes. By any account, the credibility of the election results rests in the fairness, transparency and accountability of our voting process.
ElectionPreparedness.com makes every attempt to provide non-partisan information. Ensuring that every eligible voter can have their voice heard on election day is in the interests of all parties. However, there is widespread evidence that the results from the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections did not accurately reflect the will of those who voted. And regrettably there are domestic forces who make claims of "voter fraud" that focus on unquestionably rare instances of those who intentionally impersonate voters or who make a mistake, thereby resulting in election-changing, "vote-denying schemes. These include vote 'caging,' improper photo ID requests, blocking registration drives for disabled vets, unaccountable purges, unreliable touch-screen machines, and outright intimidation and deception." Especially vulnerable are racial and ethnic minorities, low-income voters, new voters, the elderly and college students.
To combat these kinds of issues before Election Day, concerned citizens should start to ORGANIZE LOCALLY, whether you sign up to be a poll worker or you gather a group of other interested individuals to discuss your concerns with local election officials.
We cannot afford to wait until just days before the election. We must act NOW - get the word out, confirm your vote, and mobilize individuals at the grassroots level!