How to Vote Web Quest
Part I. How to Vote
Voting in the United States and in Alabama is a voluntary activity that is dependent on the voter to register, gather information about the issues and candidates’ positions, locate their polling place, and vote. All citizens who are registered to vote, and are not felons nor have been declared mentally incompetent are eligible to vote. The American form of democracy requires much of its citizens, who must be active and informed to make decisions about who should lead.
It could be said that voting in the United States is an “American Pastime”. We elect more offices in the United States than any other nation in the world. We elect representatives at every level of government- local, state, and national. In fact, there are over 500,000 elective offices in the United States. It’s been said by foreign observers that we never make a decision that does not require voting on it!
The process of voting is not difficult once you are registered. Voter registration is controlled by the states so there are some variations in the requirements. North Dakota is the only state that does not require voter registration. There are nine states that allow same day registration. Identify these states using the following site. http://ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/archive/2008/07/28/states-find-success-with-election-day-voter-registration.aspx ______
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of same day registration. ______
What are the most often cited requirements for registering to vote nationwide? What makes the state of Hawaii different from most states in voter registration? Use the following site to aid you in answering these questions: http://usgovinfo.about.com/blvrbystate.htm ______
In Alabama, the government office in charge of maintaining the voter rolls (lists) and enforcing the registration and voting procedures is the office of the Secretary of State of Alabama. http://www.sos.state.al.us/Elections/VoterReg.aspx Visit the site and explore what the office does to protect the vote in Alabama’s counties.
Describe the duties of the Secretary of State’s Office. Which of these do you believe are the MOST important? LEAST important? ______
The state office is assisted by three voter registrars in each of Alabama’s sixty-seven counties. The County Board of Registrars consists of three members appointed bythe Governor of Alabama, the Alabama State Auditor, and the Alabama Commissionerof Agriculture and Industries. The Board of Registrars is appointed for four-year terms.
Visit the Secretary of State’s web site at http://www.sos.state.al.us/Elections/VoterRegistrationInfo.aspx and gather the following data:
Qualifications to vote: ______
Registration Deadline ______
Where may a citizen obtain voter registration services? ______
Where may a citizen obtain a voter registration form? ______
When must a voter vote with a provisional ballot? See http://www.sos.state.al.us/Elections/VoterID.aspx ______
Use the Voter Registration Statistics found at the link on http://www.sos.state.al.us/Elections/VoterReg.aspx to answer the following questions:
Active voters are those who have consistently voted in previous elections. Inactive ones have not voted consistently in the past.
Which county has the greatest number of active voters? ______Which county has the greatest number of inactive voters? ______
Which county has the greatest number of Hispanic voters?______
Based on the Help America Vote Act passed by Congress in 2003, any county with non-English speaking populations greater than 5% must provide an election ballot in that group’s native language. In Alabama there are three counties that currently print their ballots in Spanish as well as English. That number could increase as the Hispanic population is quickly growing in Alabama.
Using the data for your county, summarize the demographic challenges that your county faces. ______
Go to the Secretary of State’s web site http://www.sos.state.al.us/Elections/VoterReg.aspx and download a copy of the Alabama Voter Registration form and complete it.
If you are 18 or older and are not already registered, send it in to the Voter Registrar’s office for your county. The address is located on the last page of the forms.