General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis is why I will not be voting by mail
I've posted responses before about the major problems with deliveries by the local post office for my area. It's so bad, the local paper has written about it:
TaMaryn Waters
Dec. 20, 2018
Tallahassee residents have a mail problem that appears to have begun long before the hectic holiday delivery season.
Some residents, especially those living in northeast Tallahassee, say the U.S Postal Service isn't delivering letters and packages for days at a time or not at all. Just as frustrating, they've had no success getting answers either when they call customer service or drive to the local post office to speak to management.
The issue struck a nerve with residents after former Tampa Bay Times reporter Lucy Morgan wrote a Dec. 10 column in the Tallahassee Democrat chronicling her neighborhood's concerns. In addition, more than 1,000 comments, many of them lambasting the Post Office, were posted on Facebook in response to this article.
Following the social media firestorm, Kanickewa Nikki Johnson, a regional spokeswoman for USPS, said the agency wouldn't be granting any interviews at this time about delivery service concerns. She added no formal investigation was underway.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/money/2018/12/20/tallahassee-residents-outraged-over-poor-mail-delivery/2360995002/
It has not gotten better since that article was written.
June 11, 2020, I sent a certified letter, signature required. I just got the letter back as "unclaimed to forward" - the part that really pisses me off is that the building where the letter was to be delivered is two fucking building down the same side of the street from the post office.
On 6/12/20 there is a note about "tree work" - yes the company had trees taken out to enlarge their parking lot. There is some undecipherable note dated 6/16. Then nothing until a note "LN 8-7-20" I'd guess when they decided that they would not bother any more attempts at delivery.
So I paid over four dollars for the post office to store a CERTIFIED business letter for almost two months. Future legal documents will be sent via FedEx. This post office has demonstrated that they can't do it at all.
I do not trust this post office to deliver mail. I've had a box at that location for over forty years. When they "lose" Amazon or other packages, they make no attempt to locate them, they just tell me to have another of whatever it was sent. That means medications and medical supplies have to be re-sent and Amazon has to eat the loss. I seriously believe that there are known thieves working in the building and that their managers do not care to have them charged with theft.
Since they are incapable of delivering mail, I cannot trust them with a ballot. I would not be surprised if they lost a truckload of mail in ballots this year.
Sugarcoated
(7,724 posts)We know much more how the virus is spread so I feel comfortable voting in person with a mask. The cheatin GOP and crooked Donnie ain't stealing my vote
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Before this USPS thing about delayed mail became an issue, mail in Memphis would sit for at least a week before delivery.
shanti
(21,675 posts)It doesn't HAVE to go in the mail.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)All this tiresome fear-mongering about vote-by-mail is getting tiresome.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Please check your state's laws about this!
In TN, once you request mail in ballot, you cannot drop off anywhere. Nor are you allowed to vote in person instead.
Shithole red TN.
moonscape
(4,673 posts)SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)But TN is a red shithole. To be expected repukes wpuld try to suppress vote.
I would not want someone to plan on dropping off ballot after work on election day, only to find they are not allowed! 🤬
csziggy
(34,136 posts)And I'm not worried about early voting, which is what I have done since they began it. When I voted in the Presidential Primary this year, my husband and I were the only voters and all the poll workers were wearing masks and gloves.
The state primaries started early voting Monday. We'll probably go vote Wednesday morning and I don't expect there to be a crowd for that election.
shanti
(21,675 posts)I'm concerned about. Maybe your voting place has a drop box for those who don't trust the machines?
csziggy
(34,136 posts)During early voting since voters can go to any location, the ballots are printed when you check in so they are fresh out of the laser printer. The ballot is put into a folder, you fill out the ballot, insert it into the scanner and put the folder into a box. So the only things you touch that might be questionable are the folders and the pens to fill out the ballots. After we voted in the primaries, one of the workers wiped down the booth and pen I used after I was done. I suspect, but did not observe, that they also sanitize the folders in some way.
Sugarcoated
(7,724 posts)to stop us from having drop boxes so it's not clear yet. I believe we can still drop off ballots at our county board of electors, my county being Montgomery County so BOE is in Norristown.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Sugarcoated
(7,724 posts)but thankfully the really extreme shit doesn't quite make it to law
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)I sure hope they are ALL prosecuted to the fullest extent soon for everything they have and continue to do to our country!
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)to wait to return to GA and pick one up at the registrar's office. I'll deliver it there myself also. Come to think of it, we should have all our choices prepared so we fill it out there. No need for two trips.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Karadeniz
(22,516 posts)Experience with that committee? I don't know which committee.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)I hope they will get back to me soon.
MacKasey
(986 posts)Went to town clerk, got primary ballot, will hand deliver next week
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)TN does NOT allow you to drop off balllot anywhere. They also do not allow you to change voting to in-person, once mail ballot requested!
SoCalNative
(4,613 posts)you can also use UPS or Fed Ex to have it sent, per the TN SOS website:
Can I hand deliver my ballot to the election office?
No. You must return your ballot by mail (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.).
https://sos.tn.gov/products/elections/absentee-voting
csziggy
(34,136 posts)The site where I do early voting is low traffic. For the Presidential Primaries, the only voters in the place were my husband and me. Six poll workers, all wearing masks and gloves, and two voters with masks.
Taking it to a drop box means driving almost twice as far as just doing early voting.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)I'll do in-person, early voting. 👍
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Ty for sharing.
My point in posting about checking laws was to prevent last-minute surprises for others living in red states.
Ty!
Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)Does this mean war?
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)That's my plan.
ananda
(28,860 posts)Yay
Baked Potato
(7,733 posts)Trump always fucks shit up with no plan to fix things. Thats his downfall, he destroys and expects everyone else to rebuild. Except, its not working.
panader0
(25,816 posts)provides a paper record of your vote. Every state should do it exclusively like Oregon.
I used to enjoy going to the school or firehouse or now the local church and voting in
person. No more.
Hekate
(90,684 posts)Do you know where your Countys drop-off box for ballots is? Do they have more than one location?
Call your County Board of Elections (might have a slightly different name where you are) and find out.
Then take your absentee ballot in hand and drop it in.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Great plan though for others!
csziggy
(34,136 posts)It's just gotten worse and worse as more people move into this part of the county.
As I said above, it is farther to any of the drop off places than it is to just go early vote. When my husband and I voted in the Presidential Primaries, we were the only voters at the location with six masked, gloved poll workers. We all maintained appropriate social distancing and I was comfortable being there.
In fact, there is early voting for the state primaries right now. I won't be able to go vote until next week but it should be fine.