So I just got back from voting. I went to the polling place where I voted in the primaries and I wasn’t on the roster. They gave me a provisional ballot, but I find those things alarming. They also gave me a slip of paper with a list of phone numbers to call to find out what was up with my voter registration. I thought that perhaps my polling place had been changed to my work address from my home address or something like that. Basically, I did not want to submit a provisional ballot, if I could drive across town to another polling place and do a normal one.

The poll workers told me that I did not need to call because my vote would absolutely, definitely, no-question be counted. I called the registrar election day number anyway. A nice woman named Karen went over everything and told me that actually she couldn’t find me in the voter rolls. She gave me a more official State of California Registrar of Voters number to call and told me I should definitely call next week to get it all straight, but that it was doubtful I’d get through calling today.

I was literally shaking at the idea that my vote might not count, so I was going to be sitting in front of the polling place, with one eye on my ballot inside and the other on my finger hitting redial on my Blackberry, until I got through. There was no cell phone reception inside the polling place and it is illegal to remove the ballot from the polling location. Happily, the voice prompts and wait time for the California number were user-friendly and pretty prompt, given that it is election day.

Another nice woman named Whitney helped me this time and she told me that actually I was not currently active in the voter rolls because my registration was flagged for lack of birth location. I had changed something minor on my registration before the primaries, so there was a recent registration form, even though I’ve been voting in the same district for approximately eight years. I actually voted at the same polling place in the primary, but, at that time, they had not processed the new info on my new registration. Of course, I did fill out my birthplace when I registered again, but I was born overseas to American parents, so it is probably that whoever was doing the data entry just did not feel like looking up how to enter a European birth. At any rate, Whitney updated my information and activated my voter registration.

The significant thing here is that, because my registration had been flagged, my vote would not have been counted, if I had not gotten through to the registrar. So, for those of you with the polls still open, please call your local voting registrar, if there is anything off about the way you are or are not listed in the voter rolls. The poll workers will assure you that your vote will be counted, but it may take a little extra effort on your part for that to be true. Please make it.

As a bonus, lots of American businesses are offering presents for those who vote. Here are a few links to free stuff for Americans who perform their civic responsibility:

Ben & Jerry’s will give voters a free scoop of ice cream today between 5pm and 8pm. Krispy Kreme will give those with I Voted stickers a free star-shaped doughnut today. And from now until November 11, Babeland will give those with proof of having voted a free sex toy. Starbucks is giving away a free brewed coffee to anyone who tells them they voted. I don’t think they are requiring proof, like the other vendors, so I guess you can just claim to have voted there, but you really should vote and they do have a kind of inspirational commercial.

I’m going to be honest and say I love coffee, but I love an iced latte with organic non-dairy milk and artisan-roasted gourmet beans. The ice cream site has a nifty store locator feature right on the election promo page, but the nearest location is in the Valley and I’m in Hollywood. Also, I remember when everyone was excited that they opened one of those ice cream shoppes near my college and I found their ice cream overly sweet. One of my neighbors owns a doughnut shop across the street from where I live, so, if I feel like eating high carb and high glycemic index, I think I’ll just give him the few cents a doughnut costs. A sex toy seems like a better gift, but I get tons of cool sex toys free for product placements and reviews as is. So none of the free stuff is really jumping out at me.

I voted because it matters to me as a patriotic American to vote, because it is my responsibility as a citizen. And I did the follow-up necessary to make sure my vote would be counted for the same reason. I voted.

I know Blue Blood members are from all over the world, so this won’t apply to everyone. But, if you are an American, it is your patriotic and civic responsibility to vote. Please don’t forget. With the current state of the American economy, how you vote for both candidates and issues will impact you directly. This is not an election where you can just think one vote does not matter or assume that the outcome will only impact strangers in foreign lands. Whether you will be able to take care of yourself personally is on the line.

This year, in addition to the much bally-hooed presidential race, there are many really important referendums on many state ballots. In California, the fight over Prop 8 has been a more expensive campaign than any other campaign in 2008, except for the presidential race. This includes senate seats and everything. Proposition 8 is “Shall the California Constitution be changed to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry providing that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California?” Personally, I tend to be opposed to just about anything which includes anything about changing the Constitution of either the USA or California. I do not believe the government should be involved in defining the spiritual aspects of civil unions, so I think, as far as the government is concerned, all legally-binding romantic partnerships should be civil unions. Whether specific couples are a particular combination of genders or religions should be none of the state’s business. Nonetheless, one has to vote on the referendum one is offered.

Get your ballot! Street Address: Zip Code: Your address is confidential. From the League of Women Voters of California

If you live in a state other than California, New York, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, key in just your zip code or state postal code and it will return information about election information for your state. If you live in California, New York, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, use the Smart Voter form above. Zip code:

Please read your local referendums carefully. Sometimes, it may be obvious to you what your position is on a hot-button issue like abortion or animal cruelty, but you need to parse out whether that means you want to vote NO or YES. If, like me, you fervently support the right of same-sex couples to marry, for example, then you need to vote NO on Prop 8.

You can confidentially type your street address and zip code into the box at the right to find out what is on your local ballot. The League of Women Voters have provided a site which lists off what is on each ballot. By looking at this site, and also reviewing more sites with information on issues important to you, you can determine how you wish to vote before you arrive at the polls today. Most polls are open from 7am to 8pm in your local time zone’s time. Don’t forget about daylight savings time having happened over the weekend. You can find your voting location via a link off your ballot page on the Smart Voter site provided by the League of Women Voters. For states not listed on the Smart Voter site, Vote Smart has a lot of state referendums listed on their useful ballot measures page too.

I know Blue Blood members are from all over the world, so this won’t apply to everyone. But, if you are an American, it is your patriotic and civic responsibility to vote. Please don’t forget.

I normally do not bother to vote in primaries, but 2008 has brought primaries with candidates possessing drastically varying policies and outlooks. This year, it really makes a difference which candidates get votes in the primaries. More than 40% of the Democrat and Republican delegates will be assigned today. The following chart will let you know if your state is part of the so-called Super Tuesday round of primary votes. Many states also have referendums on the ballot today on issues which may impact you directly. With the odd exception of West Virginia, most polling places are open until 8pm in the time zone where they are located.

Primaries:
Alabama Primary
Arizona Primary
Arkansas Primary
California Primary
Connecticut Primary
Delaware Primary
Georgia Primary
Illinois Primary
Massachusetts Primary
Missouri Primary
New Jersey Primary
New Mexico DEM Party Run Primary
New York Primary
Oklahoma Primary
Tennessee Primary 6
Utah Primary

Caucuses:
Alaska Caucuses
American Samoa DEM Caucus
Colorado DEM & GOP Caucuses
Idaho DEM Caucus
Kansas DEM Caucus
Minnesota DEM & GOP Caucus
Montana GOP Caucus
North Dakota DEM & GOP Caucus

Conventions
West Virginia GOP Convention

Total Delegates in Play Today: 1681 Democrat and 1023 Republican
Delegates Needed to Win Nomination: 2025 for the Democratic nomination and 1191 for the Republican nomination

By the way, if you are wondering what the difference between a caucus and a primary is, I don’t think most people know. A primary is technically a sort of preliminary election, while a caucus has a more general meaning which can encompass many gatherings of political allies to determine various courses of action. For all practical purposes, for the average voter today, both mean you should head to your local polling place and exercise your right to have impact on the system.