The lamestream media says that next month an angry, motivated army of tea baggers will vote in a right-wing regime that will make the Bush II crowd seem like a bunch of sane and cuddly Care Bears. But someone may want to remind these disgruntled patriots that they can't just walk into the polling site and vote—the big bad guv'ment requires everyone to register. And according to the New York State Board of Elections, the surging rage you see on the tee-vee hasn't translated into a surge in registration. more ›

Over the weekend Rock the Vote was accused by the New York Times of botching the registration of possibly 40,000 would-be New York voters. According to the article, the online registration forms for New Yorkers on Rock the Vote's website are addressed to the New York State Board of Elections, which does not handle voter registrations. As a result, the Board of Elections has had to redirect over 100,000 forms to the county election boards, and now there's a huge backlog. Today Rock the Vote is firing back at the Times, declaring in a statement that "they got the story dead wrong":

Twice in writing the Board of Elections confirmed that Rock the Vote gives registrants the correct mailing address. See the emails here. And today, the EAC again confirmed that our system is "current and correct."...A modest journalistic effort would have revealed what Rock The Vote has been warning for some time: elections officials nationwide are not prepared to process the enormous number of new voter registrations that have been submitted in this election cycle.

If you are one of the 100,000 people in New York who attempted to register to vote this year via Rock the Vote, you may want to check in on the status of your registration. The Times reports that each and every one of those forms was sent to the wrong address, leaving the state's election board in chaos as they attempt to get the forms to their home county, where they should have been sent originally. While Rock the Vote denies responsibility, the Times does little to veil cynicism toward the organization on everything from the bravado they use in taking credit for getting out the youth vote to their corporate partnerships with AT&T and XBox. With real concern that "if anyone is not going to follow up on this, it would be the younger demographic,” we strongly recommended that anyone who used Rock the Vote to register check in with the NYC Board of Elections site to find out the status of their registration. Election Day is only ten days away! more ›

Bucky from ANIMAL New York just emailed us about registering to vote in Brooklyn today:

I just went to 345 Adams Street [pictured] to register to vote. Today is the absolute last day for walk-ins. Yesterday was deadline for mail-in registration. more ›

The voter registration in NY State is today. If you haven't registered yet, the AP explains, "Only completed voter registration forms postmarked by midnight and received no later than October 15th will be valid for the upcoming general election." Additionally, if you've moved to a new county you need to reregister from your new address (and if you've moved within the county, you don't need to reregister by you should update your address with the board of elections). Here's the state Board of Elections website, the NYC Board of Election website, and the postal service's website so you can look up post offices. Additionally, the NJ deadline is October 14 (state Division of Elections website; more info) and Connecticut's is October 28 (state Secretary of State website). more ›

WNBC reports that voter registration in the tri-state area is soaring, what with 33 days till the election. NJ's Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin is expecting big voter turnouts and long lines on Election Day, "We're used to seeing long lines on the news in Ohio and Indiana and Florida but I think in New Jersey we're going see long lines for this election for the first time." At any rate, don't let lines deter you! The deadlines for voter registration are: October 10 in New York (state Board of Elections website; NYC Board of Elections website); October 14 in New Jersey (state Division of Elections website; more info); and October 28 in Connecticut (state Secretary of State website). more ›