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Post by mollycoddle on Aug 18, 2020 22:29:43 GMT
Until now people in the U.S. have mainly voted in person, right? Why is there this big issue about mail in voting this year? If it’s covid, We go to the grocery store but can’t go vote? I honestly don’t get it. By the way if people don’t want to walk inside to vote, put a ballot box outside. I feel sure I must be missing something, so enlighten me please. Oregon went to 100% mail in voting before I moved from there in 1997, so they have successfully done it for 23 years now. Other states, such as Hawaii, Washington, Utah and Colorado are also all mail in voting states. So 10% of states do all mail in voting. I don’t understand why if it has been perfectly fine for 10% of our states to vote this way up until now, why it is such a big issue this year to deny it to the other 90%, especially since there are a variety of valid issues related to in-person voting and COVID. I honestly don’t get it. Enlighten me, please. It would be a good thing, but not to Republicans, I guess. Most of the people I know here in Ohio tend to vote in person. Voting by mail makes more sense IMO, but with the current mail situation, I plan to vote early.
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Post by christine58 on Aug 18, 2020 22:31:34 GMT
I’m planning to vote early, in person. Me too
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Post by bc2ca on Aug 18, 2020 22:48:17 GMT
I wonder if it depends on the district or something. I’ve been voting by mail for about as long as you, and it is only in the last ballot or two that they included a sticker. San Diego County included them in the ballot package for the first time this primary based on voter feedback. I would never trust the post office with my vote. Lobby for a method where you don't have to go near a post office to vote by mail. I've only voted by mail and have never used the post office. I drop our completed ballots off with election officials at the local library on the Monday before election day. It is a polling center on election day and I don't want to deal with the traffic/lines. We always fill out our ballots on the Sunday before election day. Presidential, Senate and/or Congressional races plus a few others are easy to complete quickly but we always have a whack of local races, Props and Measures that we like to look up and figure out together. I don't want to stand in booth for 20 minutes filling out a 5 page ballot. Half the time the Props are worded with double negatives and we have competing Props that could potentially both win, yet say almost the opposite thing.
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Post by mellyw on Aug 18, 2020 23:27:00 GMT
When it’s brought up that our military votes absentee, not sure people are thinking of the spouses and children that vote that way also. Add in the ex-pats, Embassy employee’s, and states that have gone to full mail in voting, that’s a whole lot of people already utilizing the service.
I did not vote in person until I was 38. I lived mostly overseas during DH’s military service, but even when we were stationed in the US, I kept my Michigan residence, so,still,thru the mail. And I always, without fail voted. Down to spending $200 dollars to get my ballot overnighted in the 2000 Presidential election when Michigan messed up my absentee ballot when I lived in England.
This is a time tested way of voting. Been happening since the civil war.
I’m not decided on if I’ll request an absentee ballot, or utilize early voting. Thankfully I’m in a state that I can choose. I absolutely should not be mixed in with general public. I have a bingo card of autoimmune diseases, I’ve been fairly home bound since March. But I assure you, I would fashion up some sort of hazmat suit if a had to wait till Election Day. But that’s my privilege speaking, because even though I have a couple handle fulls of medical crap, I do have the time to wait in line
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Post by 950nancy on Aug 19, 2020 2:41:51 GMT
I just saw on the nightly news that in 2018, 40% of voters voted by mail in ballot. That seems like a high percent. They are predicting that it will be 60% this election.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 19, 2020 2:46:45 GMT
Bottom line for me... 1. Not everyone can get to a grocery store to grocery shop. 2. We don't all head to Walmart in the same 12 hours on one day. 3. WHY WOULD WE IF WE DON'T HAVE TO? I have been to Aldi twice since SIP March 13th and those trips were after June 22!!
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Post by FrozenPea on Aug 19, 2020 2:59:05 GMT
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Post by chaosisapony on Aug 19, 2020 3:32:31 GMT
I don't get the big deal on both sides. During lockdown the line to get into Home Depot wove throughout the parking lot. Everyone was shopping constantly. I have never seen stores so busy. So standing in line to vote, especially with the little booths spread out like they are planning on, just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Wear your mask, stand in line, cast your ballot. However, if you don't want to, an absentee ballot should be an option. Since I live in a rural area I have voted absentee by mail for many years. It's never been an issue, so why is it now?
Our County is massively short on poll workers because most of them are older folks that don't want that much public contact right now. The County has even upped the pay they offer. I would love to do it but they aren't flexible on shifts and require each poll worker to work 6 AM - 10 PM. I just can't do that.
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Post by lucyg on Aug 19, 2020 3:52:00 GMT
I don't get the big deal on both sides. During lockdown the line to get into Home Depot wove throughout the parking lot. Everyone was shopping constantly. I have never seen stores so busy. So standing in line to vote, especially with the little booths spread out like they are planning on, just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Wear your mask, stand in line, cast your ballot. However, if you don't want to, an absentee ballot should be an option. Since I live in a rural area I have voted absentee by mail for many years. It's never been an issue, so why is it now? Our County is massively short on poll workers because most of them are older folks that don't want that much public contact right now. The County has even upped the pay they offer. I would love to do it but they aren't flexible on shifts and require each poll worker to work 6 AM - 10 PM. I just can't do that. It’s easy to vote absentee in California. But not all states make it so easy, while at the same time making it more difficult for many people to vote in person. It’s deliberate voter suppression aimed at poor people, people of color, and other presumed Democratic voters. Whether or not you vote Democratic, you have to admit it just isn’t right. And going to Home Depot is a choice. Voting is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. Deliberately making it more difficult in order to discourage people from voting is hardly patriotic.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 10, 2024 13:02:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2020 3:56:53 GMT
I don't get the big deal on both sides. During lockdown the line to get into Home Depot wove throughout the parking lot. Everyone was shopping constantly. I have never seen stores so busy. So standing in line to vote, especially with the little booths spread out like they are planning on, just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Wear your mask, stand in line, cast your ballot. However, if you don't want to, an absentee ballot should be an option. Since I live in a rural area I have voted absentee by mail for many years. It's never been an issue, so why is it now? Our County is massively short on poll workers because most of them are older folks that don't want that much public contact right now. The County has even upped the pay they offer. I would love to do it but they aren't flexible on shifts and require each poll worker to work 6 AM - 10 PM. I just can't do that. OFFS. If you don't feel like dealing with a long line (not multi-hour lines, btw) at Home Depot you say "F#($* it, I'll come back tomorrow." THAT IS NOT AN OPTION FOR VOTING!
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Post by littlemama on Aug 19, 2020 10:32:45 GMT
Thanks but I can't find a single thing on their website about a location to vote early. Just as it's been in previous years. If they are allowing it, where is it? If it exists, it is probably only during working hours, so completely useless to people who cant vote in person for fear of losing their jobs.
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cakediva
Drama Llama
Making the world a sweeter place one cake at a time!
Posts: 7,472
Location: Fergus, Ontario
Jun 26, 2014 11:53:40 GMT
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Post by cakediva on Aug 19, 2020 11:30:34 GMT
As a Canadian (yes I know I have no dog in this fight, therefore to some, my opinion is not wanted or needed) - but I find it fascinating that things are SO different from State to State when it comes to an election that the whole country is participating in at the same time.
Yes, we have less (way less) Provinces than you do States. But when it comes to Federal elections, things are pretty much the same Province to Province. We all have early voting days. I've never voted by mail, I'm not 100% sure you can here. The Federal level does not offer online voting, but some at the municiple (town/city) do for local elections.
I'd love to see online voting, but that is also a super polarizing issue here so it hasn't been adopted in any larger elections.
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peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 3,861
Jun 26, 2014 17:47:08 GMT
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Post by peppermintpatty on Aug 19, 2020 11:39:05 GMT
I’m going to make a prediction right now, this upcoming election is going to be filled with fraud, allegations of fraud, and we are not going to know probably until January or February who actually won. As far as mail in ballots, Trump is the only one who’s obsessed with it at this point. I plan on voting in person early and I think that the option for mailing or absentee ballots absolutely needs to be offered to whoever needs one. We know that there are elderly who can’t get to the voting booths. We also know that most of the people at the polling sites are elderly and our local board of elections has done nothing to recruit new people. This whole thing is gonna be a cluster you know what, election day. That can't actually happen. Come Jan 21, if the election is still in flux, power then would go to Pelosi. It doesn't matter what is going on at the time, the Constitution states that a presidents term is over at that point. She would become President until the matter is resolved.
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Post by christine58 on Aug 19, 2020 11:46:18 GMT
That can't actually happen. Come Jan 21, if the election is still in flux, power then would go to Pelosi. It doesn't matter what is going on at the time, the Constitution states that a presidents term is over at that point. She would become President until the matter is resolved. I still contend that we will NOT know on election day or soon after. It's going to be a mess...
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peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 3,861
Jun 26, 2014 17:47:08 GMT
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Post by peppermintpatty on Aug 19, 2020 11:53:45 GMT
My husband and I were thinking about helping out but we have a friend who did it. She did NOT paint a good picture of what she went through to be able to do it. There were so many OSHA violations and the people doing the training and at the site were verbally abusive and made them work overtime. She was doing more than being a judge for election day. It was a 3 month job running up to the election. She was threatened with being fired because she had a doctor's appointment. It may not be like this everywhere but it definitely soured us from wanting to help.
My state has had mail in voting and early voting. I don't understand why all states don't have this.
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Post by SockMonkey on Aug 19, 2020 12:20:55 GMT
Until now people in the U.S. have mainly voted in person, right? Why is there this big issue about mail in voting this year? If it’s covid, We go to the grocery store but can’t go vote? I honestly don’t get it. By the way if people don’t want to walk inside to vote, put a ballot box outside. I feel sure I must be missing something, so enlighten me please. COVID plus voter suppression through the intentional removal of polling places, especially in areas with larger populations of people of color (specifically Black and Latinx/Hispanic voters). Lack of poll workers. This was hard to staff before COVID, and poll workers were often older retired folks. Now with COVID? Even harder. Mail in makes sense. It allows MORE people to vote, which is what we need in this country. Requiring in-person voting is voter suppression.
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Post by SockMonkey on Aug 19, 2020 12:22:13 GMT
That can't actually happen. Come Jan 21, if the election is still in flux, power then would go to Pelosi. It doesn't matter what is going on at the time, the Constitution states that a presidents term is over at that point. She would become President until the matter is resolved. I still contend that we will NOT know on election day or soon after. It's going to be a mess... We will not, and I think that's FINE. It's better to be accurate than have some big stupid TV show shit like we do now. If only we worried more about the results than the spectacle.
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Post by christine58 on Aug 19, 2020 12:47:32 GMT
I still contend that we will NOT know on election day or soon after. It's going to be a mess... We will not, and I think that's FINE. It's better to be accurate than have some big stupid TV show shit like we do now. If only we worried more about the results than the spectacle. Oh I am worried about the results.
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Sarah*H
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,984
Jun 25, 2014 20:07:06 GMT
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Post by Sarah*H on Aug 19, 2020 12:59:09 GMT
I didn't stand in line to shop at Home Depot or ANY store. Curbside and home delivery worked just fine. Some people around here did stand in those lines though and tbh, they seem to be mostly the same people now in the virus denying, mask hating crowd. I'm sure they won't have a problem standing in line to vote for Trump.
As I said, I live in red suburb in a red county. Our county commissioners had a meeting earlier this week and they emphatically disagreed that mail in voting is subject to fraud. Our state's laws are very strict though and drop off boxes must be manned by a election bureau employee. So right now, the only drop off box option is in the election bureau at our county courthouse during regular business hours (8-4.) Because of the uncertainty with the post office, our Republican commissioners on their own initiative said they plan to set up satellite "offices", staffed by election bureau employees, to make more drop off box locations.
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,996
Jun 26, 2014 13:42:47 GMT
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Aug 19, 2020 13:05:47 GMT
Until now people in the U.S. have mainly voted in person, right? Why is there this big issue about mail in voting this year? If it’s covid, We go to the grocery store but can’t go vote? I honestly don’t get it. By the way if people don’t want to walk inside to vote, put a ballot box outside. I feel sure I must be missing something, so enlighten me please. The number of people voting by mail, absentee, and early is about 40% and has been steadily increasing for a while. www.eac.gov/documents/2017/10/17/eavs-deep-dive-early-absentee-and-mail-voting-data-statutory-overviewhttps://www.eac.gov/documents/2017/10/17/eavs-deep-dive-early-absentee-and-mail-voting-data-statutory-overview So while technically we have "mainly" voted in person (since early voting is generally in person), other methods have been trending upward. Where early voting is not an option, the only way to vote "safely" this year is absentee or mail-in, and there are many people who feel that is their best option. Even if a state does offer early voting in-person, it isn't necessarily safe because there are generally fewer locations for voting, so the lines aren't necessarily shorter. You are still going to be indoors with strangers for an extended period of time. The CDC says the "safe" time period for exposure is 15 minutes with everyone masked. I doubt there are many polling locations that will have you in and out in less than 15 minutes, and I seriously doubt you will have everyone masked. I am confident there will be a legal challenge if a voter is turned away for not wearing a mask, and I would not be surprised if the anti-maskers show up for early voting just to get kicked out and file a lawsuit prior to the November 3 election. I suspect that such a challenge would result in an injunction against a BOE that is trying to enforce a mask mandate. It will be another form of "voter suppression" to keep voters away from the polls in states that do not allow COVID as an excuse for an absentee ballot.
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tincin
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,368
Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Aug 19, 2020 13:08:18 GMT
I don’t get it either. All this talk of lines on Election Day - isn’t there a two week early voting period? People could go then and the line would be spread out over two weeks. Look at what people in other countries have to do to vote. Americans are just lazy, whiny babies. I live in a state where there isn’t widespread mail in voting. You have to meet specific criteria to vote by mail, so I have never known anyone who has done it. I’ve never heard of early voting in Michigan. I’ll be voting by mail because in MI we don’t need a reason to do so.
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Post by Prenticekid on Aug 19, 2020 13:40:21 GMT
No, I don't go to the grocery store. However, there are the same number of grocery stores in my voting area as pre-COVID, with large parking lots and lots of room to shop and check out. When my daughter shops, she is in and out in the same amount of time as pre-COVID.
My voting area went from 9 polling places to 1 supposedly due to COVID. Polling places are rooms in old churches and schools that are smaller than my living room. I live in an urban area where there is not much parking and no sidewalks. My polling place has no extra room for lines, safe lines. In May, old people were trying to stay in line on hills and uneven ground for much longer than should have been necessary.
My mother is in her 80s, with congestive heart failure and is on oxygen. I'm not sure why anyone thinks she should stand in line for hours to vote just because she goes to a small grocery store once a month.
Limiting polling places is not new. Our right to vote has been consistently under attack by the right.
Pandemic, or not, there is no reason that acting on our right to vote should take hours upon hours.
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Post by greendragonlady on Aug 19, 2020 13:45:39 GMT
I don't get the big deal on both sides. During lockdown the line to get into Home Depot wove throughout the parking lot. Everyone was shopping constantly. I have never seen stores so busy. So standing in line to vote, especially with the little booths spread out like they are planning on, just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Wear your mask, stand in line, cast your ballot. However, if you don't want to, an absentee ballot should be an option. Since I live in a rural area I have voted absentee by mail for many years. It's never been an issue, so why is it now? Our County is massively short on poll workers because most of them are older folks that don't want that much public contact right now. The County has even upped the pay they offer. I would love to do it but they aren't flexible on shifts and require each poll worker to work 6 AM - 10 PM. I just can't do that. My town is paying $30/hour for election workers
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Post by refugeepea on Aug 19, 2020 19:27:26 GMT
I have never seen stores so busy. So standing in line to vote, especially with the little booths spread out like they are planning on, just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I also live in a rural area where we sometimes do not have great weather. In order to keep a safe distance, there is going to be massively long lines outside. OR they will not be enforcing anything which will likely be how it will look. I looked up the voting statistics for the last presidential election and an overwhelming amount of people voted in person; myself included. I'm fortunate I have options in my state for early or absentee voting.
Also, I have a very common name and every f*cking election I have to prove I'm not that other Jane Doe that lives 20 minutes away. Long lines, proving who I am with valid ID, and being scrutinized even longer gets old.
ETA: I get more offended than I should, because apparently she's at least 20 years older than me.
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Post by shevy on Aug 19, 2020 20:21:38 GMT
I remember back in the Bush/Gore election and the 'hanging chads'. It was found that not all mail in votes were counted by/on election day and usually not until later or only if needed. That's my fear with voting early. I can vote in person early, but it's during work hours in another county and I would need to take vacation hours to do so. So I'll likely be voting in person the day of the election because I can get there about an hour before the doors open and be one of the first in line and then get to work hopefully on time or only a few minutes late.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 10, 2024 13:02:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2020 21:43:54 GMT
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Deleted
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Jun 10, 2024 13:02:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2020 21:56:08 GMT
When it’s brought up that our military votes absentee, not sure people are thinking of the spouses and children that vote that way also. Add in the ex-pats, Embassy employee’s, and states that have gone to full mail in voting, that’s a whole lot of people already utilizing the service. I did not vote in person until I was 38. I lived mostly overseas during DH’s military service, but even when we were stationed in the US, I kept my Michigan residence, so,still,thru the mail. And I always, without fail voted. Down to spending $200 dollars to get my ballot overnighted in the 2000 Presidential election when Michigan messed up my absentee ballot when I lived in England. This is a time tested way of voting. Been happening since the civil war. I’m not decided on if I’ll request an absentee ballot, or utilize early voting. Thankfully I’m in a state that I can choose. I absolutely should not be mixed in with general public. I have a bingo card of autoimmune diseases, I’ve been fairly home bound since March. But I assure you, I would fashion up some sort of hazmat suit if a had to wait till Election Day. But that’s my privilege speaking, because even though I have a couple handle fulls of medical crap, I do have the time to wait in line Yep, this is me! We have to PAY to send our vote in, meaning we have to send it certified from the post office here in Morocco. I had to put so much information on my request for an absentee ballot...my SSN, my Drivers License #, my address in the States and my address overseas and my current telephone. I requested the ballot weeks ago from a county in Tennessee. I STILL have not received it. I have to mail it 4 weeks prior to the election to be counted. I am starting to wonder if they delay is on purpose.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 19, 2020 22:59:28 GMT
I am starting to wonder if they delay is on purpose. Could be. I have no clue IF this would be possible ..... Could people overseas drop their ballots at an Embassy?
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 19, 2020 23:00:10 GMT
Kellyanne at her best!
(she needs to get her new face out of the sun!!)
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Post by hop2 on Aug 20, 2020 2:22:02 GMT
Wait, I thought they followed the protocols/election laws to determine which ballots to count or to disqualify so that the election IS safe?
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