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Keywords: election 08, voter registration, new voters, absentee ballots, Florida, "No Match No Vote" law, disenfranchisement, vote

We're just 26 days away from what many are calling one of the most important elections in American history. We're a nation with a struggling economy. We're a nation divided over the war in Iraq. And each election seems to be rife with election irregularities and voting issues. As we've also seen before, problems can arise during a presidential election that take more than just a day to figure out. Google the words "hanging chads in Florida" or the U.S. Supreme Court case "Bush v. Gore" if you've forgotten.

With those issues in mind, DiversityInc has several important election notes to share that hopefully will help voters feel less disenfranchised come Election Day.

Are you really registered to vote?

VotePoke.org is a web site that allows U.S. residents to enter their current domicile and name to check to see if they're properly registered to vote. If a person is not properly registered, the site, which pings countless voter-registration databases, offers the necessary information to get registered.

You're running out of time to register to vote or to get an absentee ballot--now what?

Longdistancevoter.org offers comprehensive information about voter-registration deadlines and the absentee-ballot application process for all 50 states. If you're unsure how to register, or if you're unsure how to obtain an absentee ballot, click here for the most comprehensive information available (according to the site, information comes from each secretary of state's office).

For Florida residents: The new "No Match No Vote" law could prohibit you from voting.

Meanwhile, for our readers in Florida, there's a new law that takes effect with this election. It's called the "No Match No Vote" law, and it's one every voter in the state should know about. The new law can be particularly damaging to the overall election results in the Sunshine State because, according to CBS News, tens of thousands of newly registered voters could be turned away at the polls.

Here's how the system works: When voters head to the polls on Election Day, their Social Security number or driver's license number must match a federal database that includes both numbers. The system was designed to prevent voter fraud; in other words, it's designed to stop anyone who tries to register as someone else for the purpose of voting.

But according to CBS News, all it would take is one simple typo--an error made by a clerk entering a new voter's registration information into a computer--to disqualify a voter. It doesn't matter if the number is off by just one digit. If it happens, that voter cannot vote. (Florida has seen more than 230,000 new voter registrations this campaign season alone, by the way.) And it's the same for previously registered voters; if their numbers were mistyped, they won't be able to vote.

The law had been on the books in Wisconsin already, but state election officers dropped the "No Match No Vote" requirement because it was discovered during a test run that one in four voters would have been prohibited from voting because of typos or minor mistakes.

What's the solution?

Voters in Florida should immediately contact their county's election board to confirm that they're properly registered to vote. Not sure where to call or whom to contact? Click here for Google's comprehensive voting information, which includes a search box to find out whom to call to get registration information.

Conversely, if you're not properly registered, you might want to consider doing what one woman in Florida did when she was told her signature was wrong (if your state's registration deadline hasn't already passed, that is). She simply re-registered to ensure her vote counted on Election Day.

"Now I feel like I have to go and vote in person, just to make sure it counts," said Tameka Collins.

Click here to read the full story about the "No Match No Vote" law from CBS News.

Keep up to date with DiversityInc's Election '08 coverage by clicking here.

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