Vote/register/photo ID -- Be prepared!

One of the things I do in my retirement is work at the polls as an election judge. That's a fancy title for the men and women sitting behind the tables, checking your name off lists and handing you your ballot.

I assume that my readers (at least those in the States) take voting as seriously as I do. On behalf of all those men and women out there who will be staffing the polls in November, I want to take the time to remind you that many states now have photo ID laws in effect. There is a lot of confusion about it because in some places such laws have been ruled unconstitutional, in some places they have been ruled constitutional, in some places the courts have changed their minds one or two times.

Save yourself and everyone else a lot of trouble and do a few things before November 4.

1. First off, if you are eligible to vote, make sure you are registered to vote in the jurisdiction where you currently reside. In some places you can register the day of the election, but that slows things down for other voters and will make your own experience less pleasant. So make sure you are registered and, if you are not, register BEFORE election day. In some places, you may not be able to vote if you are not registered before the day of the election.
2. Make sure to find out if your state requires photo ID, and if so, make sure that you have an acceptable form of such ID to take with you to the poll. You will have to show the ID to vote. Please make sure the ID is up to date. If you have an expired driver's license, for example, you might discover that this will not be accepted. Many states have online sites detailing what will be accepted.
3. Because checking the photo ID will take poll workers a few moments for each person, your wait in line on election day may be longer, especially if you live in a large population center. Be prepared for this. Remember that the poll workers are there for long hours -- in my case, we will be there for about 14 hours. It will be better for everyone if we all have patience.
4. If you want to avoid long lines, vote early if that is permitted where you vote. Where it is permitted, early voting is usually a fast and easy process.
5. One last thing -- if you vote absentee, be sure to check to see if you need to provide more ID in order to vote. This is another area where the new laws have caused some confusion. People who routinely vote absentee because they are confined to home may discover that they have to make special arrangements. If this is the case with a member of your family or a friend, help them find out what they need to do.

If the lines are long, please, please, please do not get discouraged and go home without voting. No matter how you intend to vote, there are people who would be happy to know you decided not to bother.

It's your country, your state, your city, your town, your life. Choose wisely.

The poll workers are not the ones who made these new regulations. Our task has become a bit more difficult because of them. If you are unhappy about any of this, the people to inform are the legislators who made the laws. And one way to let them know what you think is to consider that when you cast your vote. I hope once this has become routine, things will go smoothly. But the first time around, there will be some bumps. Let's not be too surprised.