I Voted

[harllee]

In-person voting started here in Virginia on Friday. Brother, SIL, cousin and aunt all voted yesterday. I'm waiting for a week or two so the lines will go down. Plenty of time.

I have seen pictures of the long lines to early vote in Virginia.

 

[RunningBum]

I have seen pictures of the long lines to early vote in Virginia.

Definitely saw pics long lines in Richmond. But with spacing, it probably looked worse than it really was. That happened to me at a line to get in Trader Joes. With each person who got in, you moved up ~6 feet, a lot more than in pre-COVID lines.

 

[Sunset]

We are waiting for our mail in ballot to arrive.

One thought is we can make a more informed choice on EVERYONE running, as we can sit at home and check off the names after checking them out on the internet.

Some elections, we have to pick from 40 people for various things, and while I know the big names, many of the other electable folks are a mystery to me.

Politicians and Judges at least the bad ones, probably fear the informed voter.

 

[Chuckanut]

Politicians and Judges at least the bad ones, probably fear the informed voter.

Thomas Jeffereson was supposed to have said something to this effect:

"When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny."

 

[MichaelB]

 

[Gumby]

.

 

[Dtail]

We have early voting in FLA soon. I will most likely vote in person even though I did request a mail in ballot.

Mail in ballot for me in FLA.

 

[RunningBum]

.

Diverted off-thread by those darned admins.

I don't even get how Simon's song is even remotely related. Hidden song meaning? Random post?

But seriously, we were on track before this.

 

[harllee]

Diverted off-thread by those darned admins.

I don't even get how Simon's song is even remotely related. Hidden song meaning? Random post?

But seriously, we were on track before this.

I agree RunningBum-- the posts I have seen have been on topic and I appreciate everyone staying on topic. Maybe there have been some posts that the Mods had to delete that were off topic?

 

[cyber888]

DW and I also voted using Absentee ballot in NC .. tracker said Board of Elections received it and it's all good.

 

[geeky_grrl]

Oregon ballots aren't mailed until mid-October. I'll drop mine at the drop-box in front of the courthouse within a day or two of receiving it and check online to make sure it was received.

 

[Tiger8693]

Politicians and Judges at least the bad ones, probably fear the informed voter.

Yes. It's amazing to me how many have decided to go ahead and vote early before hearing anything from debates. I guess those are not the "swing votes" that will probably be the decision makers.

 

[travelover]

Oregon ballots aren't mailed until mid-October. I'll drop mine at the drop-box in front of the courthouse within a day or two of receiving it and check online to make sure it was received.

Ditto in Washington state. I'll drive the ballot to the election office, bypass the post office.

 

[Ronstar]

Diverted off-thread by those darned admins.

I don't even get how Simon's song is even remotely related. Hidden song meaning? Random post?

But seriously, we were on track before this.

I think the reference to Simon's song "Slip Slidin' Away" could be seen as meaning that the thread is "Slip Slidin' Away". As in off topic. As in off topic toward an area of closure. Just speculation on my part.

 

[gerntz]

Our ballots will be mailed to us during the first week of October, so we cannot vote until then.

Usually I drop it off at the library, which is one of the official drop-off locations; but this year I have signed up to be a poll worker myself. I'll be working at one of the "super polling places" that will be open for 4 days, so I'll probably just bring it with me and turn it in there.

So who assures election officials have continual custody of drop-off box locations? Is there an election official present with the boxes? Are they taken to the votes-counting location each evening by an election official or police?

 

[gerntz]

I have seen pictures of the long lines to early vote in Virginia.

They could start early voting in June & there'd be long lines the first day. It's the way some folks are.

 

[braumeister]

By coincidence, I got a mailer in today's mail from one of the political parties that was an "official" request for an absentee ballot.

The only problem was that it was correctly addressed to me but required me to mail it back to the county elections office where we lived six years ago (in another state).

 

[gerntz]

After a few days, I check with my county website which will tell me if my ballot has been received. EZPZ.

What happens if they don't tell you?

 

[gerntz]

Ditto in Washington state. I'll drive the ballot to the election office, bypass the post office.

Smart move imo.

 

[REWahoo]

So who assures election officials have continual custody of drop-off box locations? Is there an election official present with the boxes? Are they taken to the votes-counting location each evening by an election official or police?

I understand they are collected at the end of each day, hermetically sealed in a mason jar and stored on Funk & Wagnalls front porch.

 

[gerntz]

I'll do in-person voting, probably early. Don't want anyone/thing between me & the paper ballot being fed into reader & stored. Less than 10 minutes drive to county administration building & clerk's office where early voting machines are kept.

 

[harllee]

What happens if they don't tell you?

The way I understand it works here in NC --if the tracking shows that your mailed ballot has not arrived at the Elections Office within a reasonable amount of time after mailing you are to contact the local board of elections and they send you another ballot. If the first ballot eventually shows up in time that is the one that is counted and the second ballot is destroyed. If the first ballot does not show up they use the second ballot.

 

[smurray5991]

Virginia opened early in-person voting last Friday September 18th. I stood in line for **3.5 hours** (!!!) that day (in a socially distanced line) to cast my ballot! It was just like election day voting here where you fill out the scannable ballot and personally put in the machine to see that it registers.
It certainly wasn't easy, but I wanted to get it done early and without the uncertainty of mail delays, etc.

 

[Midpack]

We intend to vote in person early, available here starting Oct 15 thru Oct 31. We’ll probably go Oct 16, so we can go again another day if lines are too long the first day we try. We made sure we were registered long ago, and voted in the primary to be sure. We’ve found where early voting is available, similar but not all the same locations as Election Day.

I agree it’s important for everyone to vote, but that’s true every year.

 

[RunningBum]

So who assures election officials have continual custody of drop-off box locations? Is there an election official present with the boxes? Are they taken to the votes-counting location each evening by an election official or police?

Unlike the unhelpful reply you've already gotten on this, yours is part of the question I have about the absentee drop-box process. If one party or candidate decides to appeal votes based on lack of custody, will my vote be nullified because the process wasn't sufficient?

I'm less worried about people trying to illegally submit absentee ballots as I am someone trying to destroy them or having them thrown out on a technicality.