i just found out that my mom’s voter registration “didn’t go through.” in new jersey and previously in maryland. and i wish i knew sooner but my parents and i don’t discuss politics. and this is what i found when i googled “2012 election monitoring nj”

my parents are both chinese-americans but my mom kept her chinese name and my dad changed his for professional reasons. they never realized this could be an issue until i talked to them.

you need to talk to your parents (family) about these issues, especially if you are a minority. especially if you know they only get their news from tv. especially if you know that they are small-c conservative.

THIS IS NOT OK.

what to do if you are denied registration:

1. contact your state or local board of elections pronto. you might not get through. you probably won’t get through if this is legitimately voter fraud.

2. go to the polling place early and seek out the student/independent election monitoring group set up there.

3. bring proof of residence and date of move (from a public utility or landlord move-in agreement.) anything you can think of.

4. last resort: contact your minority group legal defense organization at the most local level possible. be prepared with this number.

DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER. do not accept anything but a paper ballot and photograph yourself dropping it into the official deposit receptacle. make sure your camera/phone time is correct and imprinted on the image if possible.

if a paper ballot is “not available,” document your choices at every step. as many times as you can. upload them online ASAP. tell your story.