A challenged voter's guide

The New York Times is reporting about Republican efforts to intimidate voters in Ohio by challenging voters rights to cast their vote. Democrats have struggling to match the large number of Republicans hired to challenge voters on November 2nd.

Democrats worry that the challenges will inevitably delay the process and frustrate the voters.

"Our concern is Republicans will be challenging in large numbers for the purpose of slowing down voting, because challenging takes a long time,'' said David Sullivan, the voter protection coordinator for the national Democratic Party in Ohio. "And creating long lines causes our people to leave without voting.''

The Republican challenges in Ohio have already begun. Yesterday, party officials submitted a list of about 35,000 registered voters whose mailing addresses, the Republicans said, were questionable. After registering, they said, each of the voters was mailed a notice, and in each case the notice was returned to election officials as undeliverable.

In Cuyahoga County alone, which includes the heavily Democratic neighborhoods of Cleveland, the Republican Party submitted more than 14,000 names of voters for county election officials to scrutinize for possible irregularities. The party said it had registered more than 1,400 people to challenge voters in that county.

Republicans will stop at nothing to win this election, and moves like this smell of cheap desperation. So help get out the vote if you can in crucial states. They can't cheat if it's a landslide.

Equally important is to familiarize yourself with what will happen if you get challenged on election day. Here's a guide, taken from the Dayton Daily News:

What are challengers? Ohio law allows political parties, groups of candidates or issue nominating committees to appoint their own representatives to watch over voting in any precinct. They can challenge, "for good cause," the right of anyone to vote.

What is a witness? Witnesses are allowed to observe the counting of ballots only. They cannot be in polling places unless ballots are counted there.

Where will the challengers be? They are supposed to stand behind the table where poll workers are seated.

What will happen if my right to vote is challenged?

1. The challenger will have to state why your right to vote is being challenged. The four reasons they can challenge are that they believe you are either not 18 or older, not a U.S. citizen, not a Ohio resident for the past 30 days or not a resident of the county and precinct in which you are trying to vote.

2. One of the poll workers and you will move no less than 10 feet from the challenger.

3. You will be asked to take this oath: "Do you swear or affirm that you will fully and truly answer all of the following questions put to you, touching your place of residence and your qualifications as an elector at this election?"

3. You will be asked a series of questions about one of the four areas in which you are being challenged.

4. If you refuse to answer fully all questions or are unable to answer them fully, or your answers indicate you are too young, not a resident or a citizen, you will not be able to vote.

5. If you answer the questions to the satisfaction of the poll worker, you will be given a ballot and will be allowed to vote.

What if you want to appeal? The decisions of the poll workers are final.

What if the challenger appears to be attempting to cause delays or intimidate voters? The chief poll worker, the presiding judge, can expel them from the polling place.