PSA for USA Mail-in Ballot Voters

[swampgrizzly]

Sooo, if you had the time to stand in line at the post office, why didn't you just go vote in person?

Assuming your comment is to me as the original poster, I did not have to stand in line at the post office to check if I had applied sufficient postage. Living in a small rural commnity, it's always a matter of driving up to the entrance door of the P.O. and immediately getting to see the post master or clerk on duty.

I start using mail in ballots 3 years ago during the initial CV pandemic conditions to avoid standing even in the short lines I usually experience at my voting precinct. I then discovered that having the ballot in hand with lots of time to read the details of propositions, tax laws, local charter amendments, state constitution amendmends, as well as seeing which candidates are actually on my ballot vs. being confused by the many tv ads for candidates for similiar offices, but not necessarily in my voting district. It allows me to research and evaluate who and what issues are most worthy of my vote.

 

[woodsroad]

I don't object to showing ID when I get a prescription because there is abuse of some controlled substances. I do object to a voter ID, because there has been no evidence of widespread vote fraud. All of these attempts to restrict voting and intimidate voters are suspect in my opinion. A neighboring county just had 3000 voter registrations challenged by a certain political party. After investigation, every single one of those registrations were found to be valid.

In fact, entire elections have recently been annulled due to widespread voter fraud. You may want to check out the gacts of the matter, rather than relying on talking points. Google can help you with that.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

As long as the ads and mailers stop I’m happy.

But definitely get out and vote like your life depends on it, because oddly enough, it is.

Ok so - the sentiment of "life depending on the correct vote" is shared by both parties.
They can't both be correct... right?

 

[warren]

They can't both be correct... right?

Sure they can. Each side appeals to a certain segment of the electors. Your "right" obviously is the opposite of another person. That's why we have these elections. The "theys" can both be wrong also, depending on what you believe.

 

[woodsroad]

Ok so - the sentiment of "life depending on the correct vote" is shared by both parties.
They can't both be correct... right?

Those are different lives.

 

[woodsroad]

“gacts”
Sheesh.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Sure they can. Each side appeals to a certain segment of the electors. Your "right" obviously is the opposite of another person. That's why we have these elections. The "theys" can both be wrong also, depending on what you believe.

But MY LIFE will be OVER if the WRONG team wins.

 

[lraisch]

In fact, entire elections have recently been annulled due to widespread voter fraud. You may want to check out the gacts of the matter, rather than relying on talking points. Google can help you with that.

How would voter ID have affected that case?

Besides, I grew up in Jersey so I have seen a lot of the "politics" there and could tell you any number of corruption tales. They typically did not involve "voting early and often" or other individual voter fraud.

 

[ssjones]

My father is deceased. We share the same name. Yesterday, I attempted to vote as him, because I knew his last street address. We asked he be removed as a registered voter. They almost gave me a card, until I said to check the birth date (his is 1927!) I said "you must have my father, he is deceased. If we had requested an absentee ballot, one would have been mailed and I could have completed (and committed voter fraud by doing so). But, it can be done, without ID. I know my neighbors on either side of me, we're close in age. As long as I knew their street address and birth date, I can say I am them, and vote for them. That is why I believe everyone should show ID to vote.

 

[kcghost]

I am going to vote on election day and am praying my candidates win. For the first time I feel our form of government is threatened.

 

[Briar Lee]

My father is deceased. We share the same name. Yesterday, I attempted to vote as him, because I knew his last street address. We asked he be removed as a registered voter. They almost gave me a card, until I said to check the birth date (his is 1927!) I said "you must have my father, he is deceased. If we had requested an absentee ballot, one would have been mailed and I could have completed (and committed voter fraud by doing so). But, it can be done, without ID. I know my neighbors on either side of me, we're close in age. As long as I knew their street address and birth date, I can say I am them, and vote for them. That is why I believe everyone should show ID to vote.

I talked for a few minutes with the clerk on all the possible ways she could cheat the public, if she woke up evil one morning.

The problem is that every aspect of the entire voting process in Missouri has required every polling place and every count of ballots have the local poobahs of the Republican and Democratic parties present since at least 1945.. No exceptions. Without a lot of Republican and Democratic poll watchers and election judges there is no election, and no count.

In recent years a bunch of worthless ^%##* with college degrees and who wear suits and ties and know this, have deliberately spread lies and fairy tales to the public otherwise. The same moral reprobates work for the dark angels of crony capitalism that have, through limitless contributions to their elected lackeys, driven down the salaries of Missouri’s public school teachers to the lowest in the nation, even after Arkansas.

Little Johnny can read, and read very well.

He just prefers to read lies spoon fed to him on social media and cable television.

Our county clerk is an honest lady who I don’t believe could be paid enough to cheat.

And if I tried to vote my dead mother, or my dog or cat, she’d almost certainly get caught by an election judge.

What’s wrong with early no excuse voting is I could pay and round up and register a lot of voters and then stand out in the hall and make sure I got my money’s worth.

The way around that is to be like Utah and Oregon and have the clerk mail ballots to every registered voter in a postpaid return envelope.

The counting would still be done by the same clerk in the same office with election judges to keep her honest.

But even then, she’d have to worry somebody unhappy with the vote count would hurt her or her family.

The only solution to this problem is public education.

We fortunate offspring inherited and were blessed to be born in the most stable and oldest democracy in human history,,,

If we can keep it.

 

[warren]

We fortunate offspring inherited and were blessed to be born in the most stable and oldest democracy in human history,,,

A Democratic Republic. We are not "majority rules" here in the US of A. Hopefully, we never will be. The "tyranny of the majority" is a real and serious threat to our way of life. Limits, roadblocks if you prefer, to "the majority rules" were purposefully put into place by the Founding Fathers. Those limits are eroded and then put back in place often over the years but, they are necessary for our way of life to continue.

 

[woodsroad]

How would voter ID have affected that case?

Besides, I grew up in Jersey so I have seen a lot of the "politics" there and could tell you any number of corruption tales. They typically did not involve "voting early and often" or other individual voter fraud.

You made a claim that no widespread voter fraud existed. I proved otherwise.

 

[Briar Lee]

A Democratic Republic. We are not "majority rules" here in the US of A. Hopefully, we never will be. The "tyranny of the majority" is a real and serious threat to our way of life. Limits, roadblocks if you prefer, to "the majority rules" were purposefully put into place by the Founding Fathers. Those limits are eroded and then put back in place often over the years but, they are necessary for our way of life to continue.

Yes, they were and we are blessed for those checks and balances.

The federal government insures that each state of the republic has a republican form of government.

The states are in control of elections, even for our county clerk, who in turn conducts them.

230 years ago only the privileged elite could read the Holy Bible, a newspaper, or a broadside pamphlet.

Those landed, educated, powerful men laid their nation’s future in the hands of the common man, who toiled each day for his living.

It is a curious omission that while they did forbid a Church of the United States and provided for freedom of religion and of the press, they did not require that taxpayer funded public education be the duty of the several states. Yet all those states voluntary have ensured each child receives a public education, first for eight grades until age 14, and now for 12 years until age 18.

Every democracy has and will always be subject to the rise of a demagogue. Some opportunist who promises to lower taxes, or free land, or to criminalize “the others” or anything else his listeners like to hear. Vote for him and the milk and honey will flow freely again, and the lion lay down with the lamb, he promises.

The only barrier to him (or her) gaining power is free and fair elections by an educated electorate.

Universal suffrage is the ultimate protector of every right we hold as a free people.

All the pretty words that Madison wrote are worthless if not followed, and the power to chose our own destiny by ballot and not by force, the most critical of those.

 

[Akousticplyr]

So in summary, mail in ballots don't need postage.

 

[lraisch]

You made a claim that no widespread voter fraud existed. I proved otherwise.

No, I made the claim that voter ID would not have affected an election by mail-in ballot.

If you believe there is "widespread voter fraud ", I suggest you check the Heritage Society website.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Once a year I take off my non-political hat , and look at everything through a political to perform my civic duty.

I will go for early voting like MSO.

To be perfectly honest voting is often a Hobson’s choice

This year for example choices for mayors are one who is allegedly corrupt and another who is openly bigot.

I have made up my mind though - Which of the two will get my mandate.

Surely there is a third option?

Duopoly schemes are upheld by the tendency that people hate losing control more than anything else no matter how much it hurts.
The average voter will say electing your favorite devil is better than allowing someone else to elect their devil into office, when really no one wants to vote for a devil, but people just hate losing even more than they hate corruption, so the most "popular" candidates will always take office no matter how unfit for the job they might be.

 

[stearmandriver]

In my current state, every registered voter is mailed a ballot. You can mail it back in (postage free), or drop it in a drop box. You can then verify via a web portal that your vote was counted correctly. If it wasn't, you can request a new ballot (which requires a positive ID) and cast a new ballot which invalidates the erroneous one. It's been like this for years here.

In my home state back in the midwest, we had to vote in person, day of. There was zero accountability; you never had any way of verifying that your vote was even counted at all.

It continues to amaze and confuse me, that some think that way is better.

 

[Briar Lee]

So in summary, mail in ballots don't need postage.

I grew up in a house with so many books, I was embarrassed then when I had company at all the books overflowing the shelves, under the beds, even in the bathroom.

As I get older I thank the Lord every single day my parents and grandparents and just everybody in my family were all Campbellites, waging the good fight against ignorance.

Little Johnny can read, and read very well. The problem is he won’t, or else he only reads what suits him.

Today he doesn’t risk having his face slapped for not finding out the right answer.

—

Table 12: States With Postage-Paid Election Mail

This table is part of NCSL’s Voting Outside the Polling Place report.

In most cases, it is up to the voter to pay for postage to return an absentee/mail ballot envelope to the election official. Some see this as a barrier to returning a ballot, or as a type of poll tax. One solution to this potential issue is to have ballot drop boxes widely available. In states that hold all-mail elections, returning by drop box or in person is the most common return method. Another option is for election officials to pre-pay postage for voters to return their ballots.

Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., require local election officials to provide return postage for mailed ballots. This is typically a business-reply mailing, so that local officials only pay for return postage for the ballots that are actually returned via the U.S. Postal Service. Note: New Jersey leaves it up to the discretion of county clerks to provide a postage-paid envelope (N.J.S.A. 19:63-12).

—-

It’s not that hard to find the truth today with these little phones that link to the internet and so many good reference books they are beyond counting.

Why, has universal access to the truth not meant more searching for, the truth?

 

[woodsroad]

No, I made the claim that voter ID would not have affected an election by mail-in ballot.

If you believe there is "widespread voter fraud ", I suggest you check the Heritage Society website.

You wrote:

“…there has been no evidence of widespread vote fraud.”

You are incorrect.

You are letting your ideology and adherence to talking points blind you to the facts on the ground.