Today is election day and I made the mistake of thinking it was going to be quick an in and out process and boy was I wrong! I’m going to share my experience with you in the hopes that you don’t make the same mistakes I did for future elections. I decided to go and vote on my lunch break which is an hour long. I went to the main Board of Elections office where I had cast my ballot for the presidency election. It’s really convenient to my job, and made the most sense. Here is where the drama began!

Mistake #1: I wasn’t able to vote at the main Board of Elections Office because “Early Voting” was complete! I had to go to my assigned neighborhood polling station. I provided my name and date of birth to make sure I was going to the correct location. Well, since the last election I have relocated and I didn’t update my address with the board of elections. That’s mistake #2! They don’t automatically update your address if you move, you MUST contact them and submit the proper “change of address” form to have your address updated in their system.

I had to go to my previous voting station and get a transfer to my current voting station where I would be able to cast my ballot. I hope you’re keeping up with me! At this point I’ve been to THREE different locations trying to cast my vote and I’ve exceeded my hour long lunch break! Now, I could have used a provisional ballot and voted at my old location but, I didn’t want to do that! This is why… 1st of all let me explain what a provisional ballot is: it’s a ballot used to record a vote when there are questions regarding a voters eligibility to vote. Some of the things in question might be if someone doesn’t have ID or refuses to show it. If a voters name doesn’t show up on the electoral list for that particular precinct. If the voter’s registration had inaccurate or outdated information or if the ballot in question has been recorded already.

If you choose to vote on a provisional ballot, it isn’t guaranteed that your vote will be counted! Many people don’t realize that the provisional ballot is counted 7-10 days after the election and the vote doesn’t have any baring on the immediate results. So, I did all this running around today for good reason! I wanted to be counted and try to make a difference.

I was standing behind a man that was going through a similar situation but, he didn’t want to do all the running around and decided to use a provisional ballot. He also inquired about voting at his previous polling station but, it’s against the law to use an old address and vote. You may think it’s convenient to just go to your previous polling station and cast your ballot but, if you have relocated “You’re breaking the law” I just thought you should know! So, the lesson here is to update your voters registration whenever you relocate! That is all!