Voting: How's It Going

[SilverBeach]

I requested my mail ballot on July 7 using the county clerk's website. My request was acknowledged on July 20.  Ballots were supposed to start going out on September 24.  Absolutely no information is going out about ballot status, no one answers the phone, nothing is on the website, nada, zip, zilch. I am losing confidence that this process will work, as I am in suburban Cook County, which plays second fiddle to Chicago. I suspect the clerk's office was overwhelmed and instead of admitting it, is evading accountability.  Truthfully, I'm not surprised, as county government is a shitshow. 

So, I've decided to suit up and go to the county courthouse on the first day of early voting, Oct. 7, and get it over with, I'm tired of worrying about it. I have never been stressed about voting and at 65 I have voted many a time. But even if I have to crawl up those courthouse steps, I will not allow myself to be disenfranchised. There is too much at stake, the very soul of this nation. I feel badly for those who cannot physically go to the polls, as their voices may not be heard. 

I'm wondering how's it going in your various locations? I'm thinking maybe the process works better in less populated, more experienced areas. 

Edited October 7, 2020 by Coconut Flan

[Snarkasarus Rex]

We (VA) have a statewide tracking system now that you no longer need a reason to vote by mail. I requested my ballot mid Aug, I received it around 20 Sep, and it was received by the county registrar 28 Sep. I can see all of those dates by looking at the website. So far so good...

[SilverBeach]

4 minutes ago, Snarkasarus Rex said:

We (VA) have a statewide tracking system now that you no longer need a reason to vote by mail. I requested my ballot mid Aug, I received it around 20 Sep, and it was received by the county registrar 28 Sep. I can see all of those dates by looking at the website. So far so good...

I'm jealous. Illinois is a blue state, but government is a mess.

[Terrytime]

Also from Virginia and went to the courthouse for early voting last week. Our county has a great setup and it was very quick and easy. 

[front hugs > duggs]

I'm in FL and requested my mail in ballot a while ago. There was a tracking website, and saw they were scheduled to get shipped 9/30. I checked my mail this morning and received my ballot! But I'm having the most DIFFICULT time trying to figure out WHERE I can drop it off in person, because that's how I chose to vote this year. I'm waiting to officially fill it out until my husband gets home from work later today. I'm obviously against the far right wing viewpoint of "one vote per family" as it is patriarchal bullshit. However, my husband is not a citizen and can't vote, so I want to wait for him because I am voting for "us". 

[K'Z'K]

Not yet happening here in Massachusetts. Ballots should start going out in the next week or so. The state has a web site where you can check your ballot's status. One housemate and I requested our ballots months ago (same request form as for the Sept 1 primary); the other housemate was not registered at this address but I nagged him until he fixed that, and he then requested his. All of us now have a ballot status of "pending", which means the request is in but the ballots have not yet been sent. We all plan to drop ours in one of the 10 dropboxes our city has installed. The election commission will be emptying those boxes daily, so our ballots will get to them right away, with no postage cost for the city to pay (hey, it adds up!). They regularly send data to the state, so we'll be able to see when our ballots are accepted.

Side note: Massachusetts doesn't really have county-level government (some have been abolished entirely, others still exist but don't do much), so elections are handled at the city/town level. I lived in Illinois for 10 years, and never got used to the county thing.

Our votes won't make a lick of difference in the electoral college, and local races will go overwhelmingly to Democrats (in those races where there is a Republican running at all), but we can add to the popular vote.

 

[CTRLZero]

5 minutes ago, K'Z'K said:

We all plan to drop ours in one of the 10 dropboxes our city has installed.

We've voted by mail for so long that we kind of forget there are other options, such as in person or drop off.  Due to Trump's USPS shenanigans, we drove to the courthouse to drop off our ballot in the primary, and will do so again in the upcoming election.  Our county has drop boxes all over the place, but we'll drive a few extra miles to drop ours off at the courthouse, which has additional security around.

[ADoyle90815]

All registered voters in California will be getting mail-in ballots this week, and there are several locked drop boxes. Also, when early voting begins on the 24th, we have the option of dropping it off at a nearby polling place. There's also a way to track the ballot as well. My plan is to go to a nearby polling place around the 24th to drop it off as the other boxes are outside. Another option is to go to the county records office. The convention center downtown for me is one of those polling places, as are stadiums. The state made the announcement about mail in ballots not to long after my county did, as this is done to ensure people can vote safely.

[Loveday]

Another Virginian here, and I'll be voting in person (properly masked and social-distanced, of course!) on November 3rd as I can just walk over to my polling place. I'm prepared to go to the courthouse and vote early, though, if it looks like we might have a serious upsurge in Covid cases by election day. I don't want to be at any higher of a risk of exposure than we have here right now as I visit my mother several times a week and she certainly doesn't need to be put at risk.

Speaking of whom, she's waiting for her mail-in ballot to arrive; I sent her application in over a week ago. I'd take her to her polling place, but she can't stand in a line more than about a minute, so she decided mail-in was the best option. She had originally said she wasn't going to bother voting at all this time, but I told her that of all the votes she's ever cast in her 84 years, this one would likely be the most important one ever, and between that and the Cheeto's ever-increasing insane behaviour, she changed her mind! She wants to vote for Biden, she's always liked him. So now she's anxiously awaiting her ballot and reading up on all the local and state candidates while she waits. 

[Audrey2]

2 hours ago, front hugs > duggs said:

I'm obviously against the far right wing viewpoint of "one vote per family" as it is patriarchal bullshit.

As a single woman, who will probably always be single, this terrifies me. To me it is a slippery slope between one vote per family and only the male head can cast the ballot. I know we have the constitutional amendment that was ratified in 1920, but if we go to a one vote per family plan I can see the expectation that if the votes are opposite that the man's vote is the one that would be placed on the ballot and I could see these far right wing men getting rid of my right to vote.

Edited October 3, 2020 by Audrey2

[smittykins]

New York here.  Requested my absentee ballot two weeks ago, received it last week.  I’ll have to wait until Monday to mail it out because it requires postage and I’m out of stamps.

[WiseGirl]

Connecticut here. Just got my ballot today. My parents live in New Jersey and had theirs last week.

[Bethella]

I'm in Michigan. I requested my ballots for both the August Primary and November back in June (they were on the same form). Ballots were supposed to be mailed on Thursday, 24 September but my township was running a few days late and it was mailed on Tuesday, 29 September. It arrived in the mail on Thursday, 1 October. I've been waiting for the online candidate forum for one of the local races before I vote but I'll probably turn it in to the drop box next week.  

[CTRLZero]

My daughter reported in after voting outside the Philadelphia area.  She took her mail-in ballot to the county courthouse.  She said there were dozens of people carrying their ballots through security and down the hallway into the actual elections office, which was apparently an option.  She decided the lobby was secure enough, and dropped off her ballot there.  She was very pleased at the numbers of people hand carrying their ballots into the courthouse.

In Washington state, we just received our voter pamphlet and are awaiting our ballots.  As mentioned earlier, we also plan to drive our mail-in ballots to the courthouse in our county.

[clueliss]

I dropped off my absentee ballot tonight after work.  County clerk’s office is open until 7 on Tuesdays for absentee ballots, so I took advantage.  
 

and opted to vote absentee due to Missouri’s rules about notary required on mail in and some absentee ballots.  But for 2020 if you are at risk for covid (personally I declare anyone alive at risk) one is not needed.  So I cited that reason (Ummmm nobody is checking).  Voting done.  And since I dropped it off at the clerk’s office, I grabbed an I voted sticker to wear on Election Day.

[47of74]

I got my ballot from the county auditor today so I filled it out and dropped it off at the courthouse today.

Straight fucking D.

Fuck you Donald, that's one vote you'll never get you piece of shit.

[clueliss]

My county sent an email confirming that they have my ballot (dropped off Tuesday evening in person) - means they verified my signature etc.

[onekidanddone]

Sent my request via e-mail a week ago and got this today. I won’t relax until I drop my ballot in the drop box. 

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by onekidanddone

[47of74]

Mine's also now showing up on the Secretary of State website as being received by the auditor.

[SilverBeach]

Finally got my ballot! Thanks everyone for commenting.

On 10/3/2020 at 3:10 PM, smittykins said:

New York here.  Requested my absentee ballot two weeks ago, received it last week.  I’ll have to wait until Monday to mail it out because it requires postage and I’m out of stamps.

I read somewhere that needing to put a stamp on a mail in ballot is effectively a poll tax, and is forbidden in some jurisdictions. 

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by SilverBeach
Forgot to add, onward and upward to victory!

[Loveday]

Dropped my mom's ballot off at the post office today. She was so excited to get her ballot, and checked it over and over again to be sure she'd filled everything out exactly the way she wanted it. She anxiously watched me fit it into the envelopes (an inner one for the ballot, the outer one for the mail. ( @SilverBeach, that outer envelope was pre-stamped, so I guess it's illegal in Virginia to require the voter to provide their own stamp! ) Then she decided she didn't want to risk putting it in the outgoing mail slot downstairs in the apartment complex lobby and asked me to drop it off directly at the post office. I told her it would be my honor. ❤️

Come on, November 3rd!! 

[haroldtheyrefundies]

I voted at the start of this month! I'm in college so I voted absentee. In my county I had to drop it off at the post office. Voted for Biden and voted blue down the ballot! I'm positive that Biden will win the popular vote. Knowing that almost 7 million people have already voted makes me feel okay about being more hopeful about a Biden win. I am in Mississippi so I'm one of the few people who voted blue down the ballot. 

[SassyPants]

In 1999 we moved to an absentee only rural community in the Sierra Nevada region of CA. Since that time and despite relocating several times, we have maintained permanent absentee voter status. I voted last week. I like voting at home. It’s quiet, I can take my time and it saves me a trip.

[Marmion]

First of all ,  I  wanted to point out that when requesting an absentee ballot , and then changing your mind , and deciding to vote in person instead ,  you do have to be careful to make sure that the Secretary of State doesn't think you voted twice .  

https://www.usvotefoundation.org/Can-I-Change-My-Mind  Otherwise , you could end up getting falsely accused of election fraud , such as what had happened to this congressional candidate , whom I voted for , by the way .   https://www.wonkette.com/ohio-gop-demands-investigation-of-dem-congressional-candidate-who-didnt-vote-twice  As I had posted in the most recent presidential election thread , I have already voted early a couple days ago .  The only Republican I had voted for , in a contested race ,  was this candidate for sheriff .  

https://billniemiforsheriff.com  The reason for this was largely due to this one lawsuit that has been filed against the county sheriff department .   { 

https://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/civil-suit-filed-in-assault-by-ashtabula-county-sheriffs-deputy/article_3205ec3d-eaf2-5ad8-ad7c-5603b4a26577.html  ,  

https://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/ex-sergeants-request-to-postpone-jail-sentence-denied/article_5b348d30-7112-5778-861d-cff7c35cc952.html  }   No disrespect is meant towards the incumbent sheriff , who is a Democrat ,  but I just feel that we as a county could do even better , in my opinion .   

Edited October 11, 2020 by Marmion

[clueliss]

watch out California - the Rep Party has 'official' illegal voting boxes floating out there.