Guide to Troubleshooting Voting Problems

at the Polls on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2^nd

You may bring this document into your poll site with you.

Useful Election Day Phone Numbers

Board of Elections: 1-866-VOTE-NYC or 311

For legal issues, Election Protection: 1-866-OUR-VOTE

Information was taken from The New York Public Interest Research Group. (NYPIRG)

Pain is Pain no matter where it comes from, But I never thought I would die alone. Never at one point did that though cross my mind, there was always an inclining of hope the idea that maybe something would be done about this and the day’s that began to be numbered the moment I was born, would be reset and I would have a new lease on life. But I have had no such luck. While most people my age look in the mirror and see youth, I stare at my reflection and confront this sad fate. One which was written for me long before I had the opportunity to intervene. This is my destiny, and this is my experience…….

Skin Sticking to the bones, the weakness in my body is so strong, its even a struggle to open my eyes, fourteen years old, and while most of my friends are starting their first year of High school, my nervous system is finally calling it quits, after losing a war with a virus that had us both ambushed from day one. With a chest that resembles nothing containing life, I resemble a skeleton. My face is sunken in and the glow that once filled my bright skin has now dwindled to nothing. I try to smile on the outside, but am bombarded by coughing fits, they leave my body trembling, and I convulse from head to toe, DNA shooting from inside of me onto the hospital sheets. The Air conditioning is on at full blast, but every night I’m Haunted by the fever that takes a nonstop toll on my body, swimming in my own pools of sweat, but everyday I open my eyes to repeat this oh so painful Process.

Its not easy to know that you will die someday, in a way we all know that death is not to far away; but for people like me I have been given the sad news that while some peoples life may be a marathon which will someday end with death. Mine’s will just be a short blurb followed by a not so pleasant conclusion. Aids, the other gift that was given to me by my parents. They chose not to stay, but left their poison flowing through my veins. They rejected my life, then gave me a postponed abortion, I never chose to be born and they now were making sure that I couldn’t choose to live. I wonder if they share the same fate as I am now forced to experience. I wonder if there is a loved one in sight to ease the pain from the swollen glands on their bodies, will their be someone to hold them when they are scared for what tomorrow may not bring. For I on this death bed have none of those things. Just a motherless child with no love to engulf him, and a fatherless son with no strength to support him.

I am over come by these thoughts, it is clear that my demise is only moments away, death hovers over me, I can feel his coarse breath prickling the back of my skeletal neck. With darkness as my future I so badly want to regret all of the things I will miss. I will never fall in love, never make it to college, never learn how to drive, there is so much that I will miss. When this darkness comes, I would have said goodbye to my last sunset, wherever I go, I hope the pain can never match up to what I’ve already experienced. But even in my darkest hour the regret just cant stay, I want to slosh in the pain, but my blessings wont go away.

The truth is, while I lay in this hospital bed my body slowly withers away, I have no strength to breath, and these dry coughs eat away at me, I cant even begin to explain this pain, but I’m still thankful for it all. I almost regret my guilt, when someone else has it so far worse. Everyone experiences pain, some physically some mentally, but in the end it effects us all even if on a different level. I’ve had a chance to live a life, there are those who took their last breath before their first, those who had their innocence taken, then were killed for it. If I close my eyes, I can hear the cries coming from the millions of little boys and girls, not even half my age, who will die a more painful death then me. No hospitals to treat them, their corpses rotting in the streets. No teary eyes on their behalf, their bodies are thrown into a pile, dead child, crying mother, fatherless son another dead victim. How could I ever feel like I’m the one with the biggest problems.

They will bury me with a smile, my death will be a blessing I no longer need this hospital room and someone more deserving can get it. I cant cry about my pain this life was meant to finish. In the end I just thank my Maker for the opportunity to even have lived it…. Beautiful Problems.

I’ve stayed glued to CNN since this incident occurred, but I have also had the opportunity to take a look at other media outlets. It was upon looking at these other outlets that I noticed that some of the reports did not just focus on the Earth Quake. There have been some that constantly highlight the negative aspects of Haiti. One reporter in particular seemed so disgusted with the Haitian people, that it gave off the impression he felt the Earth Quake as well as the damages where their fault.

I have also seen people who have expressed their frustrations with the reaction to the earthquake, they find anger in the idea that the U.S. would react so fast to the a foreign country, but either stumbled or were not as efficient during other Crisis that effected the United States directly, I.E. Hurricane Katrina. Than there are my fellow Haitians who are upset that it took a natural disaster of this magnitude for people to finally pay attention to the many issues that citizens of Haiti face every day.

For those of you who may not know much about Haiti, and can only go off of the information given to you via the Media. Please know that despite this disaster and some of the things that are going on, Haiti is a beautiful country with beautiful people. In times of darkness it is always easier to focus on the negative aspect of things. But I want you to know that Haiti was, and is a great nation of fighters and survivors.

We fought for our freedom, and became the first free Nation of African Decent, We paved the way for the freedom for many, and have continued to birth great leaders. The issues that Plague Haiti now are not all self inflicted, and because we were the first free black nation we have been made to suffer for it in many way’s (check your history). Despite this, we have and the citizens of Haiti have continued to survive. For those who are religious you know that Gods people will always be tested,we are being tested now, I know we will come through stronger than ever.

For my fellow Haitians who are mad that it took this incident to bring attention to our country, as well as my fellow Americans who are upset that the United States attention is diverted away from home and focused on Haiti. Know that I understand and respect your feelings, but this honestly is not the time to focus on such issues. Right now the people that need us the most are in Haiti and Dominican Republic, let us all work together and help them. Once that goal is accomplished we can get together and discuss how we can be more conscious and proactive towards other issues. The entire world is hurting and for far to long we have all been appeased with just putting the proverbial band aid on it, but now it is time that we all make an honest and heart felt effort to make our entire world a better place. It just so happens that Haiti is the starting point.