Sunday: Where did the Week Go? and Voter Registration Information

iPod morning commute music: N/A

Here I am, at home on Sunday afternoon. It was one helluva week. Tests began on Saturday the 4th, with both of my levels (9th and 10th grades) falling on Monday. While on paper I was on a half-day schedule, the reality was pretty much full days. I did cook more meals than usual, making sloppy joes on Monday, when I also started some beef stew, which we could just add the veggies for Tuesday's meal. I also made chili from scratch, with chunks of beef instead of hamburger. Last night, Kaoru and I made a Paprika Chicken together.

I got the tests all marked and grades recorded, attended umpteen meetings, and finally got the time to go through the new voters Assistance Guide (I am the Vice Chair in charge of voter registration, Democrats Abroad Japan-Kansai, motto: "I'm so liberal I even register Republicans"), my overview reported below.

The main reason I failed to post last week is that the computers at work were all being used all the time for legitimate school work! Hogging by blogging would NOT have been appropriate nor appreciated by my co-workers. My home computer is pretty much being used by other members of the family as the second trimester winds down at the international school. But hey, it was a pretty boring week, and this week promises to be the same.

The following is US voter registration information. If anyone reading this in Japan isn't registered to vote and needs assistance, please leave a comment including (for once, though I hate making a practice of this) your e-mail address. If you live in the Osaka area, I can meet with you and help you through the process.

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I finally had a chance to sit down and read over the 2006-7 Voting Assistance Guide (VAG). A lot of improvements have been made since the 2004 version.

First off, it appears that overseas voters from EVERY state and territory can register to vote, though a few still require a notary (available at the Osaka Consulate) and one, Alaska, requires photocopied proof of residency. Second, the Federal Post Card
Application (FPCA) has been greatly simplified, especially the section (now at the top of the form) identifying what category of overseas voter you are. However, individual states and territories still require varied information to fill out the rest of the form; you wouldn't want to help someone fill out an FPCA without being able to consult with the VAG.

Most states and territories now allow you to send in your FPCA by fax (and a couple by e-mail), some will fax you your absentee ballot, and a few will allow you to return the ballot by fax as well. Anyone who wants and is allowed to fax in either the FPCA or ballot can use this toll-free Japanese number: 00531-1-20833.

As I've mentioned before, most states and territories require annual filing of the FPCA, and the VAG recommends this even though a single filing should now be good for two years (hence the 2006-2007 in its title). Many states and territories provide ways to apply for permanent registration through the VAG, but this greatly varies from state to state, and even if
permanently registered, the voter will still need to submit the FPCA to get a ballot.

I've also checked out (but not thoroughly) the Democratic Party's voter registration site below:

http://www.democrats.org/registertovote

It appears that when choosing your 'state' in the drop-down menu, overseas voters should choose 'living abroad'. It then directs you to a page stating that if you don't have a legal residence in the States, you should use the FPCA, NOT their website, and give you the following link to the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefpca.html

Been here/done this two years ago: this is NOT a user-friendly site. You can click to fill out an on-line form to be printed out and sent in if you don't have access to the FPCA, but they advise you to check out the VAG (linked) before you write anything.

Hopefully, Democrats Abroad or some other group will create a better way to register on-line, though it doesn't appear there will be any way to submit the forms on-line; they'll probably need to be printed out and mailed in or faxed, if allowed. If anyone out there knows of such a site, please let me know.

Finally, all of the following upcoming primary elections allow you to fax in your FPCA.

MIDTERM ELECTIONS: UPCOMING PRIMARIES
April 11: California Special Primary to fill the seat
vacated by Randy Cunningham. (Registration Deadline
March 27)
May 2: Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio
May 9: Nebraska, West Virginia
May 15: Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania
May 23: Arkansas, Idaho