Presidential election voter registration push

September 27, 2004 4:59 PM

You have less than a week to register to vote in the US Presidental Election. Please take a moment to check out this voter information guide to help register. If you're already registered or don't live in the US, click here.

That's a great public service announcement, except there's one word wrong. It should be: "If you're already registered or don't vote in the US". Some people live in the US but can't vote, and some don't live in the US but can vote.

Also, I checked that link, since I live in France and want to vote, but it didn't help. There's a bunch of sites for registering, but most of them assume you live in the US. However, overseasvote2004 was very helpful (mentioned here). Help is useful, because it's all a bit complicated.
posted by Turtle to bugs at 4:59 PM (10 comments total)

There are a lot of expat members, so it would help. Matt, can you adjust the links?
posted by amberglow at 5:12 PM on September 27, 2004

I admire what Kottke is doing but the sentence "Google for.." really a) makes some assumptions about the audience and b) doesnt belong there since the optimal results of that google are all contained in the previous -your state election officials- link. Still, great to have this out there!

Each state also provides assistance on the telephone in a variety of languages. These numbers can be found at the state elections sites. In California for example you can call:

# English: 1-800-345-VOTE
# Spanish: 1-800-232-VOTA
# Chinese: 1-800-339-2857
# Vietnamese: 1-800-339-8163
# Japanese: 1-800-339-2865
# Tagalog: 1-800-339-2957
# Korean: 1-866-575-1558

for assistance in the registration process and filling out your forms.
posted by vacapinta at 5:24 PM on September 27, 2004

Links for Living Overseas may also be of some use for expatriates registering.

Please vote.
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 6:25 PM on September 27, 2004

"don't live in the US"
"don't vote in the US"
"are not elligible to vote in the US"

I don't think we should have an option for people who just don't vote, out of apathy or whatever.
posted by scarabic at 9:09 PM on September 27, 2004

elligible (but while I approve a little nagging, I'd refrain from actual bugging).

Also, I'm an idiot: the correct link is http://www.overseasvote2004.com/. The reason why I like that link is that it's relatively simple. "Links for Living Overseas" still seems too complicated for this lazy overseas American. I don't need 20 methods of voting, 19 of which are confusing or don't work. Just one, that works.
posted by Turtle at 12:20 AM on September 28, 2004

Out of curiosity, does this thing collect any stats when you click it? I suppose there's some way I could tell if it did, but I'm mostly a techno-goof.
posted by Shane at 6:29 AM on September 28, 2004

my friend Sarah is voting from Antartica this year. She has a teeny little page with some bare-bones info about how you may be able to vote by fax or other ways.
posted by jessamyn at 7:40 AM on September 28, 2004

how about an option:

"If you've previously clicked these links, you don't need to visit them AGAIN"

for us anal-retentives who are traped in a vicious circle blindly following instructions.
posted by DBAPaul at 8:07 AM on September 28, 2004

It's Karl Rove's plan to keep us talking about the copy in the MetaFilter voter registration link, instead of the *REAL ISSUES*

Misdirection, people, misdirection.
posted by scarabic at 8:42 AM on September 28, 2004

I don't think we should have an option for people who just don't vote, out of apathy or whatever.

Uh, there are some religions/cults that don't allow people to vote, like the Jehovahs' Witnesses. Yes, I know, WTF are you here instead of worshipping your leader, but they do exist.
posted by calwatch at 10:33 PM on September 28, 2004