What You Must Do Before Voting in the Wisconsin, New York & Pennsylvania Primaries

If you plan to vote in the upcoming primaries in Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania here is a list of things you should do to make certain you can vote and that your vote will be counted.

General Info on Checking Your Registration Status, Party Affiliation and Polling Place

First off, because of reports of potential voter purging in New York and Pennsylvania (similar to what occurred in Arizona) registered voters in all the upcoming primaries should confirm that they are registered, and in states with closed primaries (New York and Pennsylvania) check that your registration indicates your party affiliation is Democrat.

If the information is correct, print a copy of your confirmation or a screenshot as proof to take with you to the polls on election day. Bring a friend and a phone that can record video. Be prepared to wait, if necessary to ensure you are allowed to vote. Don’t take no for an answer.

Now let’s look at the specific resources available to ensure your right to vote in each state.
Wisconsin

Wisconsin is an open primary state.

Voter registration.

Wisconsinites who wish to register … can do so until April 1, 2016 by bringing proof of residency to the office of their municipal clerk. You can also register at your polling place on election day by bringing proof of residency and certifying that you've been a resident of Wisconsin for 28 days.

Proof of residency. Here is the official site which provides you with the information as to what constitutes proper proof of residency in Wisconsin:

A short list of documents that can be used to show proof of residency include, without limitation, “a current utility bill, lease, bank statement or other official government document showing the voter’s name and current address. The document can be paper or on an electronic device like a smartphone or tablet.” All proof of residence documents must include your name and address.

Voter registration status. To check your voter status in Wisconsin go to My Vote Wisconsin or check with your local municipal clerk’s office.

Find Your Polling Place. The My Vote Wisconsin site can also be used to find your correct polling place.

You can also call the Toll-Free Voter Help Line: 1-866-VOTE-WIS (U.S. Only) or 1-866-868-3947.

A good resource overall is this Wisconsin Accountability Board’s webpage “Top Ten Things Wisconsin Voters Need to Know for the April 5 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary.”
New York

Voter Registration Status and Polling Place.

To check your voter status in NY, first go to The New York State Board of Elections Page and click on your county on their county map to find your local Board of Elections information. For example, I live in Monroe County, so I clicked on Monroe on the map and the following page with all the information I need to contact my local Board of elections to check my registration status and find my polling place:

What to do if you were purged from the voting roll, or your party affiliation was changed.

Should you find that your name is not included as a registered voter or your party affiliation has been changed since the last election in which you voted, here are some things to do, if you find that your name is purged.

1. Contact the New York State Attorney General’s Office to report the purging of your name.

2. If you recently registered to vote, check to see if you have a copy of the letter sent by your local Board of Elections. Then take it down to their office and demand to be reinstated. Here is an example of the type of letter you might have received:

3. Go to your local Board of Elections and ask them “Can you please retrieve my voting record and print it for me?” Make sure you have proof of residency with you, if their records show that you indeed voted in the last Presidential election as a Democrat.

Pennsylvania

Voter Registration Status and Polling Place.

To check your voter registration in Pennsylvania, go to this PA Department of State webpage ,“FIND VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS” and fill in all the required information.

You can also search the following site, votesPA to find contact information for your county’s election and voter registration officials.

To find your polling place, please check this PA Department of State webpage — Find your Polling Place.

What to do if you were purged from the voting roll, or your party affiliation was changed.

Again, your options are limited. But I would, again, recommend you contact the PA Attorney General’s office.

Also: If you have a voter registration card or driver’s license, go to your county’s Voter Registration Office, and ask for them to retrieve your voting record and print it out for you.

Don’t Take Your Right to Vote for Granted

Please take the actions I recommend above to ensure that you will be able to vote in your state’s upcoming Democratic primary.

Thank you.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

jiordan's picture

although I wish circumstances weren't such that this post is necessary.

I've also seen reports (on reddit) that people's registrations are vanishing and/or party affiliation getting switched in Oregon, California, Kentucky and Connecticut.

up
0 users have voted.
Alison Wunderland's picture

Excellent, Steven.

Voters! Make goddamed sure you're registered and your party affiliation (in PA or NY) is showing.

I got deleted. And just in the nick of time manages to re-register.

Follow Steven's links above for your state.

up
0 users have voted.
Steven D's picture

Not good at dealing with that.

Thanks

up
0 users have voted.

"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

Lookout's picture

But the state controls the voter registrations. Scary on both counts.

Let's help everyone hop through those hoops. Elect Bernie. And change this absurd voting system. They can keep track of your bank account with your ATM card - certainly we could have a saner way to vote without all the arcane rules that change from state to state.

Thanks for your info and good work Steven!

up
0 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Borkrom's picture

Steve, once again you are on it- thank you for sharing this vital information. We need to ensure people have and understand their rights. We must expose these voter suppression efforts.

up
0 users have voted.
Borkrom's picture

Steve, once again you are on it- thank you for sharing this vital information. We need to ensure people have and understand their rights. We must expose these voter suppression efforts.

up
0 users have voted.
Borkrom's picture

Steve, once again you are on it- thank you for sharing this vital information. We need to ensure people have and understand their rights. We must expose these voter suppression efforts.

up
0 users have voted.
dance you monster's picture

. . . that the PA Department of State webpage linked in the diary may not work well for you.

I entered my info, and it did not recognize my status of any sort. I called the county office, where voter registration is determined and recorded, and found I'm definitely registered. The county voter registration folks told me the state website has been giving many people problems.

Just a heads-up, that you may need to follow up locally to be sure you are eligible to vote in the closed primary.

up
0 users have voted.
Alison Wunderland's picture

That happened to me too. Being in Phillie I've given up on the telephone thing. No.One.Ever.Answers.
Re-registered anyway.

up
0 users have voted.
Steven D's picture

Sorry to hear that.

Means people need to look up their local county election offices.

up
0 users have voted.

"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

Alison Wunderland's picture

I just wish I had the attention span to achieve what you write.

up
0 users have voted.
Tommymac's picture

It most likely will faill. I posted the link in a comment below - sorry missed this thread Sad .

Apparently from comments on another site there is a parsing issue with the way the web site code handles the optional fields when a search is implemented.

If it fails using the required info only then contact your county in person.

up
0 users have voted.

FEEL THE BERN: "But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing." - Thomas Paine
"Here I Stand, I can do no other." - Attributed to Martin Luther, 1521

GreatLakeSailor's picture

the new Wisconsin voter ID requirements. The Feb state primary was the first one that required ID and I saw no reports of widespread problems, but the state primary is generally a very small turnout. That will not be the case for the Presidential Preference Election on the fifth of April.

Wisconsin ID requirements here: http://bringit.wi.gov/

And just to reiterate, Wisconsin has on-the-spot/day-of-voting voter registration. In addition to the documents you cite, one must also bring qualified ID!!!

up
0 users have voted.

Compensated Spokes Model for Big Poor.

So if you live downstate and use an online database checker in NY and you get a message sayin you don't exist DONT FREAK OUT.... You are probably on the NYC voter list. Check there.

Sorry don't have a link but you can go to VoteNYC.com (org?). Smile

up
0 users have voted.

Orwell was an optimist

Tommymac's picture

PA Voter Registration Status

Make sure you DO NOT fill in the Middle Name or Suffix fields - it will fail and tell you that your record cannot be found. Just fill in the Required fields: County, First Name, Last Name and DOB.

============
Sad I missed Bernie in Pittsburgh this morning - short notice and I had to work

I work downtown so my employer let us work from home today...they were scared we would get involved in "all the violence surrounding recent Bernie Sanders Events"... that really pissed me off but I could not say anything as I am a consultant and really need the paycheck.

Oh well, only my teammastes (about 10 peeps) heard it (who are mostly for Trump or Cruz) but still berns me up when I hear the real world lies and innuendo being spread about Bernie by Establishment surrogates and trolls.

up
0 users have voted.

FEEL THE BERN: "But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing." - Thomas Paine
"Here I Stand, I can do no other." - Attributed to Martin Luther, 1521