Vote using MAIL IN ballots or WRITE IN your candidate

...just a reminder.
Pass it on please.

Not a single liberal should ever wait for election day, and be forced to wait for hours.
Not a single liberal should ever trust a computer that the evildoers minions have contrived.

Never again.

those votes will count, given who's counting and the postal service (no offense unless it's due)?

mail-in ballots are not counted over 50% of the time?
Is there a good place you can direct me to research that?

because it's calmer to fill it in at home.

That's an OK idea IF, IF, your state counts them.

That's right. Some states will count absentee ballots ONLY if the race is close.

Check your local listings.

a keyboard to enter a write in selection------------

All states count absentee ballots no matter what the results of the race are. Some may not count them on election day, thus unofficial results, but they will be included in the official results as certified by whatever body is responcible.

Two states I am familiar with: IA and MN. IA count all as a separate precinct and ones that come in within a set period after election day. MN counts all at the precinct that have been received by election day.

If you can cite a link that shows this otherwise (including which state do not count absentees), I'd be glad to correct my belief.

I can't find anything except sites recommending to vote that way as an option other than trusting computer voting.
Christ, do we sit home? Quit? WTF? Is it all over now?

Absentee and Early Voting

Updated October 27, 2004

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legman/elect/absentearly.htm


About half way down, they describe the when and how of counting Absentee and Early Voting ballots. Not if, however.

Thanks for catching this.

It's always good to check though on absentees if one has voted that way to make sure that the ballot has been received. And to send the ballot in early!

In Iowa there can be some confusion because not all ballots sent in end up being counted. The reason is many people get an absentee then decide to vote on election day never having sent in the absentee ballot.

And Minnesota has it that you can vote absentee, then change your mind and vote on election day at the polls if you get there before the absentee ballots are delivered. The absentee vote shows up as "not counting" but the person will have had the vote count at the polls.

Just the rules of two states, I'm sure there are many variations on the absentee vote and the law.

If your candidate's name is already on the ballot and you choose to write it in instead, your vote will NOT COUNT!

As far as 'absentee' ballots are concerned, they most definitely DO get counted! People are confusing how provisional ballots are treated with how absentee ballots are treated.

If you are not sure in your jurisdiction, PLEASE check with your county elections officials or check the laws for your state.

http://www.lawresearch.com/v2/statute/statstate.htm#elections

Steven P. :kick:

from;
http://blackboxvoting.com/s9/

from blackboxvoting.com link on right side:

"The Paper Alternative

Many states have improved upon the familiar absentee ballot. Dusting off all of its unnecessary restrictions, they have taken advantage of time saving communications techniques. Crowded roads and stormy weather need not impede those of us who are allowed to vote-by-mail or vote-by-fax with paper ballots.

Speaking of time, in some states folks can even vote before and all the way up to the election. They do not need an absentee excuse either. It is easy to see that the advanced vote and early vote are extremely compatible with our busy American lifestyle. Again, in some places this is accomplished with paper ballots. And what about the special procedures available for those who are disabled, ill, or have been struck by an emergency? And how about those of us who are traveling, are in the Military or are living overseas? You guessed it. There are paper ballots for those of us too.

An equally precious paper ballot for some, however, is the provisional ballot. During the last presidential election far too many were turned away from the polls because their names had been wrongly removed from the voter rolls, something which four years later still has not been corrected. The provisional ballot allows someone to vote, whose name is not on the voter roll, with the understanding that their registration must check out before it can be counted. Once again, paper to the rescue.

Yes, our states have begun to think out of the black box, but they have only just begun. We can learn from our successes and failures only if we are willing to examine the results. Like anything else worthwhile; this will take effort on our part."



*ALSO*

Check your own state;
http://vote.spectrox.com/#listing

counted as valid, we'd all do it. Or, if we all do it, could they all be ignored?

There might still be many people on DU who are not fans of blackboxvoting.

:shrug:

You go to your local county clerk's office and register to work in the elections. Learn everything you can about how elections are conducted under your local laws and you keep a close eye on the system. Don't rely on someone else to do it for you.

Sign up with whatever local election reform group you can find or start one with your friends if need be.

Steven P. :kick:

The only way to keep an eye on anything is with a paper trail. With no paper trail, there is nothing to see here. Move along.
I'm trying to make people aware that they need to vote on paper and that you can't trust the computer. I may be wrong. Maybe we should all go vote on the puter and then hang around afterward and demand to see proprietary software that conservative activist courts deny access to. I wonder what the consensus is here now.

At least for the time being. :(

Does that mean that those people shouldn't vote?

Of course not. But they should be fighting for a paper ballot audit trail that counts under their state laws. They should also be flooding their local clerk's office offering to work the elections so they can keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Do they have the option to vote on paper?

In most cases, yes. They can vote on an absentee ballot.

Does that guarantee that their vote will be counted?

Absolutely NOT! Most places that use paper ballots at this point also use Optical Scanning machines to count the ballots. Those machines are just as prone to fraud through hacking as any touch screen.

What about Hand Counted Paper Ballots?

They are the safest way to ensure a fair and accurate count provided there is proper public oversight of the entire process.

What can you do to protect yourself and your vote if you vote absentee or by mail?

Most jurisdictions allow absentee and mail in ballots to be delivered directly to the County Clerk's office or dropped in a ballot box at the polls. Check with your local county officials for the policy in your area. If your ballot comes with an attached serial number as they do where I live, you can call your county clerk's office and check if your ballot was received by them after you mail it back in.

Steven P. :kick:

If we could spread this mesage (on DU), it would get around the country!

In Iowa it is specific in the law that a write in and vote for a candidate on the ballot is a NO VOTE for that race. It would be a matter for the courts to decide if someone wanted to challenge this (X voted for on ballot and X voted for as a write-in).

Paper mail in ballot.

:toast:
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legman/elect/absentearly.htm
I couldn't find anything that says most of them are NOT counted. Just that they ARE counted. If the humans counting them are untrustworthy, they can be watched and their actions disputed.

qualifies to be able to vote absentee. All states are different. I looked it up. Just google absentee vote. Different state sites will come up.

The Repugs specialize in sending out operatives to help old people vote. They mostly prey upon the elderly, especially poor blacks, because they are more likely to be illiterate. Then they 'help' them fill out their ballot and the person signs the ballot having no idea who they really voted for. This happened all over FL in the last election. If you look at the stats, Bush won the absentee vote but Kerry won the Early Vote.

Early Voting on paper ballots is the only way to go.