What would happen if EVERYBODY requested/submitted an absentee ballot?

[BigBearJohn]

• No more 8-hour lines at polling places
  
• No need to take time off from work to vote
  
• No shortage of voting machines
  
• You can vote in the privacy of your own home
  
• You have extra time to study the ballot
  
• If there is a dispute, ballots can be counted
  

On Edit: I mean, isn't this what we are after...
A PAPER trail?? One that can be refuted if need be?

[niyad]

1. unless, of course, they conveniently "lose" them, don't count them, etc.

granted,it would make it just a bit harder to manipulate elections--but don't forget that in 2000 in florida, many absentee ballots were not counted.

Doesn't your area have early voting?

[helderheid]

9. regardless, it would still make a hell of a statement if enough people did

it! K&R

[Journeyman]

2. I've voted absentee in California the past 8 or 10 years. . .

and am now considered "permanent absentee" and will remain so unless I don't vote in an election, and then I'd have to re-apply for absentee status. It's the best way to go, for all the reasons you write -- except my wait was at most less than half an hour in years past.

[Wetzelbill]

3. I think every registered voter should be automatically sent a mail-in

ballot. Then if they choose to mail it fine, or if they just decide to go to the polls fine too. But, at least everybody has that option.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. A DUer said yesterday that they are still sent to the central tabulator?

I think that is what I read in response to that particular question. So I guess it wouldn't matter? I might be wrong.

[Bozita]

5. My absentee ballots are punch cards

They even arrive with a handy punch tool and a soft spongy thing to place under the punchcard.

After mailing, sorting, and re-delivering, they end up in my precinct where they are fed into the same tabulating machine.

In my area, absentee ballots ain't the answer.

[SammyWinstonJack]

7. So we are screwed in that respect? nt

[sandnsea]

17. We need open source

But this is still a much better way to vote. And at least there's paper to hand count if necessary. A central county tabulation location, even better. Put results on their own county web site, then let the state pick it up from there.

[SammyWinstonJack]

18. Can anyone in any state request an absentee ballot? I thought

absentee ballot meant you have to be absent from your address at the time of voting?

[sandnsea]

19. I live in Oregon

We have mail-in. But to be honest, if I really wanted to vote absentee, I'd just lie. I don't think they're going to send spies around to check on all absentee voters.

[SammyWinstonJack]

20. LOL Right? Well I believe in honesty however, the repugs have

changed my belief in that!

[sandnsea]

21. LOL, uhm, no

I would lie. There's honesty and then there's civil disobedience when circumstances exist that circumvent my right to vote. Lying to get an absentee ballot seems like a very teeny bit of civil disobedience to me.

I'm just bad I guess. :evilgrin:

[SammyWinstonJack]

22. No not bad, just doing what we have to to circumvent the corrupt repugs.

:evilgrin:

[lady raven]

6. I voted absentee on 04 because I was paranoid... and there was a problem!

My husband and I wrote letters the same day to request our absentee ballots. His arrived (He's as liberal as I am but registered Independent). Mine didn't (Democrat). Reddest county in Oklahoma...

The election board is in a town 10 miles from here, but I gave it a few days anyway. No ballot. So I called them. The woman acted like I was some sort of criminal and flat- out stated that she personally mailed the ballot (Small town, small office) so it was impossible that it didn't get here yet. She said something vague about them being able to find out if I tried to vote twice, then told me how to get a replacement. She stated just before we hung up that never in the history of the county had they had someone's absentee ballot "magically disappear" like that. (Uh, right)

My replacement ballot DID arrive, JUST in the nick of time, and to this day I'm still not all that convinced it got counted.

It was a creepy experience and made me feel like I'd something wrong even though I hadn't, but after the last two elections, I feel like waiting til the day of the election and possibly find out that I've been suddenly removed from the voter rolls is far too risky.

[shance]

8. Who is counting our votes John?

Private companies with Republican/corporate ties.

[BigBearJohn]

10. How do I know my absentee ballot was counted? SEE ANSWER:

How do I know my absentee ballot was counted? Mr. Long from Tulelake asked me this question a couple of weeks ago.

Let me start out by telling you that the Clerk’s Office accounts for each absentee ballot mailed and each absentee ballot received. We do this with a system of checks and balances – or more accurately, a system of lists and envelopes! When an absentee ballot is issued, the voter’s file in our automated system is flagged to reflect issuance of the ballot.

From there, a personalized absentee envelope is generated, as well as an automated report. The envelope is double-checked against the report, and a ballot is mailed. The hard-copy of the report is retained as part of the permanent election record.

Upon receipt of voted absentee ballots, the Clerk’s Office first does a manual count of the number of envelopes received that day. From there, your absentee envelope is checked against your voter file to confirm two things - that the signature on the envelope matches the signature from your voter registration card and that the residence
address on the envelopes matches the one we have on file. This is how we verify that it is indeed you who has returned your absentee ballot. Your file is then flagged to reflect receipt of a voted absentee ballot. A report from our system is generated at the end of the day accounting for all the envelopes checked in. This automated
report is balanced against our manual count.

From there, your ballot is stored in a secure storage area until it is counted. By law, absentee ballots can be counted beginning seven days prior to Election Day, as long as we don’t tally the results prior to the close of the polls on Election Day.

SOURCE: http://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/clerk/articles/Counting_Absentee_ballots_ccc4.pdf

[shance]

23. You didn't answer my question. WHO IS counting your vote?

n/t

[Wilms]

11. Check your state's law.

In a few states absentee (and provisional) ballots may be counted ONLY if the election is close.

Seems dumb, but...

[KittyWampus]

26. It Is Stupid, Your Absentee Ballot Will Get Tossed Unless Race Is Close

This is a BAD idea... stemming from good intentions.

[Sgent]

12. In many states

you can't request an absentee ballot just "because". You have to have a legitmate reason (defined by state law) to request a ballot -- and requesting one w/o such a reason is a felony.

[lady raven]

13. Weird

I just told them when I requested mine that I was requesting an absentee ballot because I was not sure if I would be at home on election day (which WAS true, though not my main motivation) and they didn't question it. They pulled a bunch of other crap, but they didn't question my request.

[buddysmellgood]

14. In Wisconsin, your absentee ballot is sent to the precinct of your

address. When there is a lull, a poll worker literally stands in line for you. The ballot is opened and read, and if there are no problems, it gets counted like the other votes. But there are problems. I worked as a witness during the 04 election and went out several times trying to find the people whose ballots were not going to be counted because of some error or question. Maybe they didn't sign the envelope or something like that. I found one woman who lived just a block from the polling place. She voted absentee so that she could spend election night getting out the vote. Her vote almost didn't count.

[The Judged]

15. They would arrive in your mail box the day after Election Day?

The Republican controlled Board of Elections database of eligible voters would accidentally get deleted and all of the Absentee Voter Ballots would be denied?

The Secretary of State for your state, who is the Chair of that state's RNC and Bush/Cheney 2008 (no typo)re-election campaign would sue to stop the state from complying with those requests?

ES&S Tabulators would automatically count your vote as a vote for Republican candidates, even if you weren't sent a ballot?

[lady raven]

16. So, if unable to request an absentee ballot...

What is the best way to insure that any voter registration "errors" (you know, the ones that seem to always result in Democrats being removed from the voter rolls) haven't occurred before it's too late?

I don't trust my County Election Board after 2004, so I wouldn't know who else to check with.

[seabeyond]

24. florida 2000 threw out a lot of dem absentee ballots for any mistake

and all mistakes and correct and kept the repugs. can cheat that way too

[catmother]

25. my husband and i have been voting absentee for years.

we're in arizona. i think they call it "early voting". i don't remember if i was asked any questions when i requested it, but i would have gotten it anyway because i'm considered "disabled".