Voter Registration, In Depth

Left to right: Joan Gibson, Ann Prokop, Diane Hoffman, Donna Bouffard, Judy Lhamon, Ana Rodriguez-Robles, Dan Smolnik, Jim Redman, Janet Robinson, April Beichner, Helen Spencer. Not in the picture, Alden Mead and Elona Vaisnys.

Left to right: Joan Gibson, Ann Prokop, Diane Hoffman, Donna Bouffard, Judy Lhamon, Ana Rodriguez-Robles, Dan Smolnik, Jim Redman, Janet Robinson, April Beichner, Helen Spencer. Not in the picture, Alden Mead and Elona Vaisnys.

Joan Gibson, state elections officer from the Secretary of the State office, reviewed questions that can come up when registering people to vote. League members learned that a person who is on probation retains the right to vote and that ex-felons who have done their time, paid their fines, and finished their parole can register as if they were a new voter.

A homeless person can register to vote, even if he/she sleeps on a park bench or at a different house every night. To be registered, the homeless person needs only an address where they can pick up their mail, because the registrar needs an address to send them a letter saying that they are a registered voter. Someone who has no driver’s license or utilities bills addressed to them can use that registrar’s letter as their identification at the polls.

Note to everybody: You have to fill out a new voter registration card every time you change your address, even if it’s in the same town.

The League of Women Voters welcomes as members men as well as women. Contact elvais@comcast.net to discuss joining the League, or call 203/248-8035.

Posted by Chris

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