PSA for USA Mail-in Ballot Voters

[swampgrizzly]

I mailed in my voting ballot today for the Nov. 8th. election. After sealing the mail-in ballot envelope, it felt like it might be over an ounce and the battery for my small food scale was dead. So I went to my post office to make sure I had enough postage on it and to avoid it getting returned to me due to insufficient postage being applied. My post master immediate said it didn't matter how much postage I had put on the envelope and how much it weighed. They are in receipt of an email from postal headquarters not to return any mail-in election ballots whether it has postage on it or even none at all. They are expected to deliver mail-in ballots as addressed regardless. This seems like an appropriate accommodation for one of our largest federal agencies to do in terms of election voting.

I'll start checking my Secretary of State's website in a few days to see if it has been delivered and is awaiting count.

 

[mso489]

We're going to do early voting in hopes of avoiding lines or drama at our usual polling place. I voted for the first time in Navy boot camp in San Diego. My company commander, the Navy version of drill instructor, gave me my mail-in ballot, and I filled it out in the front patio area of the mess hall.

I've voted regularly since, everywhere I've lived, in primaries, run-offs, mid-terms, general elections. I've been to the polls when I was the only voter there. As a kid, in 1956 and 1960, I watched both major party conventions almost continuously, and attended Boys State in Illinois in 1963, and won the essay contest but no elections.

 

[cshubhra]

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.

 

[bullet08]

Voting.. I don't know. I'll vote not because there is a candidate I believe in, but I don't like the other guy. It totally defeats the purpose to vote since there isn't a single bastard that represents me. But I don't want to stand on a bread line anytime in my remaining years.

 

[warren]

I'm personally opposed to another government entity being inserted between me and my ballot being counted. I vote in-person on election day. Like the above when in comes to candidates, I only vote for one and never pick the lessor of the two evils. Money issues, bonds, are something I studiously investigate before casting a vote. Any bond which includes maintenance moneys which should be addressed in the yearly budget gets a no from me.

Knowledgeable voting takes work. I hope each of you votes from a position of knowledge.

 

[captpat]

I did early voting earlier this week, short lines and no politicos harassing voters on the way to the polls.

 

[ashdigger]

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.

 

[cshubhra]

Civic duty done

 

[Terry Lennox]

We do mail voting here in California (in addition to in-person, voters choice), the ballot envelope is postage paid. No need to wonder about proper postage. Just drop it in the mailbox or any number of many convenient drop off locations. No fuss and participation levels are high.

 

[Briar Lee]

This year, Missouri allows in person early “no excuse” voting starting two weeks before Election Day.

We’ve always had that, except you had to make some excuse why you couldn’t vote in person on Election Day.

The circuit clerk required me to show her a government issued photo ID, although she’s known me for almost forty years.

I showed her my driver’s license, and voted for candidates that best support public education and separation of church and state, which I’ve done now for almost a half century.

Back when I was young, they all did.

 

[ssjones]

We've had some minor updates to early voting here in Maryland. I was an election official for our county for over 20 years, it was a very enjoyable experience and a unique way to be involved (in a non-political manner). My wife works for an elected state official, so she has to "campaign" for him, which I don't care for. Sadly, I had to leave my post in 2018, when my job changed. One of my colleagues at the election board, left his full time gig to become the Deputy Director, I always wonder if that's not the path I should have taken.

I voted yesterday, but always feel a little guilty, like I'm not doing my share. When I retire, I'll return to that service

 

[FurCoat]

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

 

[Briar Lee]

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

I felt like a slave in Georgia having to show a piece of plastic to a lady who knows my children, knows me, and registered every one of my family to vote.

But since I’m a law abiding sort I presented her my driver’s license, without protest. She’s only doing her job.

I understand there are legislators that don’t want our kind to vote, and that makes me doubly determined to vote.

Give me a chance and I’ll mail that ballot, but for now I have to go to the courthouse.

 

[bullet08]

I felt like a slave in Georgia having to show a piece of plastic to a lady who knows my children, knows me, and registered every one of my family to vote.

But since I’m a law abiding sort I presented her my driver’s license, without protest. She’s only doing her job.

I understand there are legislators that don’t want our kind to vote, and that makes me doubly determined to vote.

Give me a chance and I’ll mail that ballot, but for now I have to go to the courthouse.

Don't you get carded to buy alcohol? Tobacco? Medicine? I thinking voting is just a hair more important than those. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[Briar Lee]

Don't you get carded to buy alcohol? Tobacco? Medicine? I thinking voting is just a hair more important than those. Just my opinion, of course.

For the clerk who registers voters to be ordered (she didn’t used to) by law to require a separate piece of identification to “identify” the very people she registered is blatantly obvious government oppression.

Not to mention she’s going to be labeled a fraud by her own party if they don’t win, no matter how many years and elections she’s been in charge of.

I haven’t been carded in a beer joint for forty years. I seldom go, but I like knowing I can go to the Humansville beer joint if I want to, with just my gray head as proof how old I am.

When I was young the only documents an American was required to carry was a Federal Reserve Note, if he wanted to buy something.

We’ve sold our freedoms for nothing in return.

 

[Alejo R.]

An ID is the minimum that should be required to vote. How do you vote in my country?
A) Every citizen over the age of 18 is registered to vote and must do so.
B) One of the registrants of each table is previously appointed as president of the table and is the authority of the election in that table. He receives training and is paid. Political parties can put an inspector at each table.
C) Vote on Sunday.
D) You vote in schools.
E) Public transport is free on that day.

 

[lraisch]

Don't you get carded to buy alcohol? Tobacco? Medicine? I thinking voting is just a hair more important than those. Just my opinion, of course.

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.

 

[ssjones]

In Maryland, we do not show ID. I think we should need to show ID.

Interestingly, in the past two elections, in Maryland, there has been a huge surge in mail-in ballots.
In the past, they rarely needed to be counted to determine an outcome (so, yeah, your vote doesn't always count).
Now, with some many, they will need to be counted and the outcome of the Maryland elections may not be known until a week after election day.

 

[bullet08]

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.

So, ID should only be necessary if there is evidence of abuse? Otherwise, there is no need for checking person's identification? When the issue will decide how this country wii move forward for next how many years? You are a very trusting person.

 

[bullet08]

For the clerk who registers voters to be ordered (she didn’t used to) by law to require a separate piece of identification to “identify” the very people she registered is blatantly obvious government oppression.

Not to mention she’s going to be labeled a fraud by her own party if they don’t win, no matter how many years and elections she’s been in charge of.

I haven’t been carded in a beer joint for forty years. I seldom go, but I like knowing I can go to the Humansville beer joint if I want to, with just my gray head as proof how old I am.

When I was young the only documents an American was required to carry was a Federal Reserve Note, if he wanted to buy something.

We’ve sold our freedoms for nothing in return.

What that got to do with it? I knew a friend who had white hairs as early as 18. So we are going to trust anyone who goes to vote regardless of who they are? We are going to let your friends who you recognize in and others checked? There has to be uniform way of proving everyone is who they are. You can't profile them. Only way to do that is to check everyone. I really don't see why it is so much of an issue. I have ID on me at all time. So does everyone in my family, all my friends regardless of party affiliation. Sold our freedom? Wow. Maybe it's because I grew up in S. Korea. You don't know what you have if you think showing ID means we sold our freedom.