Mail-In Voting

[Minimalist]

Fuckface's bullshit aside, the State of Arizona mailed out ballots on 10/9, mine arrived on 10/11 ( so even the post office was on the ball!) and we filled them out over the weekend.  They were actually two pages long because of all the ballot proposals and assorted crap.

Nonetheless, we waded through them and I hand-delivered them to the nearest drop box today.  I could have mailed them but I was curious to see if some Magatard had staked out the drop box.  It turned out to be inside of City Hall so that wasn't a problem.

As a result I can now say that as far as I know, Harris is leading Fuckface 2-0 and Gallego is leading Lake 2-0.  Also Prop 139 is up 2-0 to give women rights to determine their own health care in this state.  

Also the two shithead justices of the Supreme Court who voted to reinstate the 1864 abortion law and who now face a retention vote are down 0-2 as the day begins.


Let's see what the rest of AZ does.  I've done my bit.

[c172]

I did my mail-in yesterday. Yes on all state props except for 34 (Require Certain Participants in Medi-Cal Rx Program to Spend 98% of Revenues on Patient Care Initiative))and 36 (Drug and Theft Crime Penalties and Treatment-Mandated Felonies Initiative).

I left a couple of schoolboard votes (school district and community college district) unanswered. I didn't know the people and just didn't feel invested, never having had kids myself.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I wish I could do mail-in or drop-box. That's okay ... I'll go down in person, as I have, all my life. If they're counting on me to be lazy they're betting wrong.

[TheGentlemanBastard]

I wish I could do mail-in or drop-box. That's okay ... I'll go down in person, as I have, all my life. If they're counting on me to be lazy they're betting wrong.

Those of us in enlightened states will be lazy on your behalf.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I wish I could do mail-in or drop-box. That's okay ... I'll go down in person, as I have, all my life. If they're counting on me to be lazy they're betting wrong.

Those of us in enlightened states will be lazy on your behalf.

... and I'll drive twelve miles on yours ....

[Minimalist]

I wish I could do mail-in or drop-box. That's okay ... I'll go down in person, as I have, all my life. If they're counting on me to be lazy they're betting wrong.

Those of us in enlightened states will be lazy on your behalf.

I'll have a glass of chianti and quietly applaud your sacrifice!

[SYZ]

Coincidentally we dropped off our mail-in votes yesterday
at the local post office counter. It's for local council elections,
so not really all that critical. They're all in it for their own
benefits anyway .

[pattylt]

My husband and I filled out our ballots three days ago and dropped them into the ballot box two days ago. Colorado has had mail in voting for years and, if you want to, you can drop them off on Election Day at a voting center or vote in person (they check to see if you voted twice). Our drop off site is just a few blocks from home at the community college…it’s a drive up so I don’t even leave the car.

We will get a text when they’re received and another when they’ve been counted. We don’t seem to have ever had problems and most people love it. My grandson and granddaughter will be voting for the first time.
Republicans have been all over the place on having mail in voting…some in favor and others opposed and never a good reason to oppose it. Do it right and it’s easy peasy.

Now, any phone calls trying to determine how I voted or encouraging me to vote can be hung up after saying “I voted”. Click.

[Dānu]

I don't trust the post. They have early voting already. I'm not going today, but maybe next week.

[pattylt]

I don't trust the post.  They have early voting already.  I'm not going today, but maybe next week.

I don’t either…that’s why I drop off my ballots in the locked voting box.  Never goes through the mail system.

[Fireball]

I don't trust the post.  They have early voting already.  I'm not going today, but maybe next week.

I don’t either…that’s why I drop off my ballots in the locked voting box.  Never goes through the mail system.

Why do you not trust the USPS? The people don't have any idea of your politics when you mail something. I'm interested because that's how I've sent in my ballots.

[SYZ]

I don’t either…that’s why I drop off my ballots in the locked voting box.  Never goes through the mail system.

Why do you not trust the USPS? The people don't have any idea of your politics when you mail something. I'm interested because that's how I've sent in my ballots.

(my bold)

Good question.    

[Dānu]

I don’t either…that’s why I drop off my ballots in the locked voting box.  Never goes through the mail system.

Why do you not trust the USPS? The people don't have any idea of your politics when you mail something. I'm interested because that's how I've sent in my ballots.

I have a low tolerance for uncertainty.

[pattylt]

In the last presidential election, ballots were delayed in several areas and some even lost. The Republicans assumed that early voters tend to vote Dem…which has changed a bit from four years ago. I live in a red county and I just don’t trust all the postal workers to properly process my ballot.

It may be a negligible problem but it’s also very easy for me to drop mine off to the lock box a few blocks away.

[brewerb]

My wife and I will go to the polls on the 5th. I'll be curious to see if any shenanigans are going on.

[mordant]

My wife and I will go to the polls on the 5th. I'll be curious to see if any shenanigans are going on.

Same here. All 3 of us here prefer to physically cast our vote and if you go early on Election Day the lines here aren't bad.

Here in NY state the vote by mail system can be cumbersome and confusing, especially for primary elections, so we have steered clear of it so far.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I don’t either…that’s why I drop off my ballots in the locked voting box.  Never goes through the mail system.

Why do you not trust the USPS? The people don't have any idea of your politics when you mail something. I'm interested because that's how I've sent in my ballots.

I've had shit lost in the mail showing up a month or two later. I don't want that happening to my vote.

[Alan V]

Our usual voting place was closed at the time of the pandemic. Instead of going to the new, more crowded place, my wife and I opted for mail-in ballots.

Our ballots are already turned in this year, and we mailed them through the USPS. The drop-off box which we used before also disappeared this year. Our ballots only have to travel ten miles or so to arrive where they will be counted, and we mailed them weeks ahead of time. We are notified by email when they are received. We could always vote provisionally on election day if we didn't receive such notifications.

The less we have to interact with the general public, the better in our eyes.

The only problem in all this is that, unlike other states, Pennsylvania does not begin counting mail-in votes until election day. That means that the final vote count in our crucial state will likely not be known until days after the election.

[SYZ]

... The only problem in all this is that, unlike other states, Pennsylvania does not begin counting mail-in votes until election day.  That means that the final vote count in our crucial state will likely not be known until days after the election.

And this is how our Federal elections work with postal votes.

I have no idea why.    

[Alan V]

... The only problem in all this is that, unlike other states, Pennsylvania does not begin counting mail-in votes until election day.  That means that the final vote count in our crucial state will likely not be known until days after the election.

And this is how our Federal elections work with postal votes.

I have no idea why.    

Specific voting rules vary from state to state, within certain bounds set by the federal government.  Other states count their mail-in ballots earlier.  I wish we did too.

[Gwaithmir]

I began voting by mail a few years ago on account of my increasing mobility issues.

[Minimalist]

... The only problem in all this is that, unlike other states, Pennsylvania does not begin counting mail-in votes until election day.  That means that the final vote count in our crucial state will likely not be known until days after the election.

And this is how our Federal elections work with postal votes.

I have no idea why.    

One "theory" ( quote marks because it is a wild-assed guess not a scientific "theory" ) is that the idea behind Pennsylvania's rule is that they do not want "leaks" of an early vote count to influence election-day voters.  As far as I know states with extensive mail-in balloting ( Washington, California, Oregon, Arizona ) have never had such a problem.  

Personally I think this is a mere holdover from the days when absentee voting in Pennsylvania was highly restricted and there simply weren't enough of them to make much of a difference.

Much changed as a result of the pandemic.

[pattylt]

Our votes by mail are counted as they get them but no results are given. I suppose it could be leaked but because it’s an ongoing process, any leak would already be inaccurate. The numbers will be dumped on Nov 5th…I’m not sure what time of day, though…perhaps after elections close so influence ( or motivations) don’t occur?

[c172]

I began voting by mail a few years ago on account of my increasing mobility issues.

Same. I thought I'd miss actually going to the ballot, but I'm not quite that peoply, anyway.

[Minimalist]

Just verified that our ballots were received, signatures confirmed, and counted.

System works perfectly as far as I'm concerned.