I am from Mississippi and have been living in Sacramento for a year attending school.

My father arranged to have the absentee ballot sent to me here. Disappointingly, the ballot was the only straight-forward document of the bunch. The instructions were convoluted to say the least. The envelope required to mail the ballot was even more confusing. What was clear was that I had to fill out my ballot in front of a witness. The witness could be a notary public, postmaster, asst. postmaster or postal clerk.

In the last general election, the directions were very clear cut. It stated that a notary should be the witness and there was room for their seal. In the new and improved procedure, there was no space for the seal. Despite this fact, I went on a search for a notary. After calling several places, I found a notary I could see immediately at Downtown Mail and Shipping.

He was equally confused by the ballot instructions. It was clear he had to sign the envelope, attesting that he saw me vote without any aid from others. However, there was only room for a signature and not a seal. He scratched his head and said that he was reluctant to sign because he would have to also send a form to put his seal on. This, he worried, may factor against my vote (the instructions were very specific that only the ballot should be in the envelope) and he said he would hate to aid in not making my vote count. He recommended that I go to the post office on 801 I St. It was only a couple of blocks away and he felt I would have no problem.

His kind advice proved wrong. I waited nearly twenty minutes in line, frantically filling out the parts of the forms that I was allowed to without a witness. Finally, I was called to the clerk. I explained to her that I am an absentee voter and that I needed here to watch me vote as well as sign the sealed envelope. She, then, would sign the envelope as my witness.

She said that her boss was not there. I replied, "Oh, no. The asst. postmaster or a clerk could sign."

"I won't sign." She waved her hand dismissively.

I rifled through all the government documents in my hand, taking out the directions. I pushed the instructions toward her saying, "The directions clearly state that you are totally qualified to sign."

She did not look at the paper but at me with disgust, as if I was trying to con her. "I'm not signing anything."

I asked if she would at least look at the directions. She said, "You can wait as long as you want. I won't sign."

Dejected, I returned to Downtown Mail and Shipping and told my tale of woe to the notary. He was aghast that she had turned me down so blatantly and seemed to genuinely feel bad for me. He looked over the directions for the ballot and discovered that a clerk in charge of a contract postal station could sign as witness. He signed free of charge. I mailed the letter overnight, hoping that it meets the 11/03 deadline. I was glad to support his store and him, as well.

Most of the people I have told this story to are outraged and feel that the postal clerk was leaving me disenfranchised by not only refusing to sign, but refusing to read the government mandated instructions. I really do not believe that was her intent. I think she was clueless regarding absentee voting. What she should have done is to say that she did not feel comfortable signing any government documents and would prefer that I come back at a later time to talk to her manager.

Have any other absentee voters had similar problems out there? Or, for that matter, do any postal clerks have some advice to enlighten me as to what protocol is?