We can't afford to vote by mail!

[Bobstandard]

Yes, voting by mail would be safer given the threat of Covid-19
Yes, voting by mail would be a lot more convenient
Yes, voting by mail has been proven to be secure, efficient, and economical by multiple state over multiple election cycles.

But that was before trump.

Trump has installed a lackey as Postmaster General and he’s working hard and fast to make the Postal Service into an arm of the trump administration. Just today we learn that he’s fired 12 senior executives in the Postal Service. These are logistics guys, not political guys. Their entire professional skill set is how you make mail move fast around the country, and around the world. Going back to the time of Benjamin Franklin, the US Postal Service has been the envy of countries everywhere.

Those of you who still use it know that if you’ve got a late birthday card that needs to go from Kansas City, Kansas to your Mom in San Francisco, California, it’s probably going to get there in two days, thus saving your ass. Same thing if it needs to go from NYC to bum-f’ck where ever. Not anymore.

Trump’s new guy Is getting rid of expertise in the Service for one reason, to slow the mail and, especially, to be sure that when absentee or mail-in ballots hit the mailboxes, they get sloooowed. Or lost. Or whatever. But for sure, they don’t get counted.

Which is why we can’t vote by mail. There is just too big a chance that those ballots won’t be counted. We have to vote in person.

Yes, we have to crawl over broken glass to get to the polls. Yes, we have to personally take our abstentee, or mail-in, or early-voting ballots to our registrar of voters. The mailbox is now a black hole.

Ok, yes. I suppose that if you mail your ballot early enough, like this month, there’s a good chance it will make it. But do you know how easy it is for the PO’s automated systems to sort ballots, in their standardized envelopes, into distribution routes that are, shall we say, less than optimized?

But we can’t rely on that. We’ve got to plan for the guaranteed likelyhood that trump and his postmaster general will do everything they can to make sure that our mail in ballots aren’t received in time.

Plan for not voting by mail if there is any, any, way you can avoid it. It’s just to risky.

[johnp3907]

1. I'm voting by mail.

[mcar]

2. You seem concerned, Bob

[SiliconValley_Dem]

5. yup, lol

[sheshe2]

16. Ummmhmmmmmmm

[Bobstandard]

26. Yeah! My hairs on fire!

[elleng]

3. We can't afford NOT to (if we want to survive.)

[Bobstandard]

27. Just god it as early as you can. Please!

[SiliconValley_Dem]

4. hajaha.

[RDANGELO]

6. I share your concern. I'm voting early.

[apcalc]

7. Assuming I get my ballot ( supposed to be mailed 9/14....)

My plan is to sign , seal, and hand carry it to my local board of elections.
I may do that any day up to and including election day.

We do have drop boxes... but Bozo’s admin is suing to make them unconstitutional....

[frazzled]

8. Our ballots won't be mailed to us until

Mid-late September or early October.

But even though I’ll be getting one, I’m either going to vote early (available October 20 to November 3) or take my ballot to drop off in person. Masked and gloved, of course.

I had to go to the doctor the other day, taking an elevator to the 23rd floor. Going to an early polling site doesn’t sound any riskier to me.

[Kaleva]

9. Michigan allows voters to hand deliver their mail-in ballots.

It can also be hand delivered by a member of the voter's household or a family member.

I don't have to see anyone to deliver it. Just deposit the ballot in the drop box at the town hall.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. It depends on where you live.

I'm in New Mexico. I voted by mail in our primary. I intend to vote by mail in the general election. Not sure exactly what my options will be for dropping it off at an early voting site, but I expect that will be doable.

I am very glad I live in a state that makes voting easy. Especially early voting.

I moved here from Kansas in 2008. Best decision I've ever made.

[Maru Kitteh]

11. I think we all appreciate comradeship, but do not trouble your head, brother

We have systems in place to safely allow and to track our votes by mail.

[soothsayer]

12. Early in-person if your state allows it

[dixiechiken1]

13. I understand that each person must decide for themselves...

The amount of risk they can withstand and do what's best for themselves and their families. I have thought long and hard about it and my husband and I have decided that we are going to the polls on election day. We need to know that our votes will be counted. There is too much at stake and frankly, we are scared shitless.

I will say, however, that we are lucky. We live in a small, rural community that still uses paper ballots. We usually go to the polling place early in the AM and it's wide open with very few other people. Unfortunately, not everyone has such ideal circumstances.

For those that can't go to the polls on election day, for whatever reason, I hope hope hope they take advantage of early voting, if it's an option and they are able. If not, and voting by mail-in ballot is their only option, then drop box is best if it's available in their area. If not, and USPS is their only option, then the earlier the better.

GOTV!!!

[Ms. Toad]

14. Stop with the sky is falling crap, please.

Most states have a process by which you can verify if your ballot was received and the signature (or other ID confirmed). Mail your ballot early - and check well in advance of election day that your ballot is there ready to be counted.

It doesn't matter that his lackey delays voting when you can confirm it has been received and is accepted for tallying.

He is counting on folks like you to suppress vote-by-mail - knowing that in person voting will be a smaller turnout - to his benefit. Stop giving him an assist by scaring people into avoiding voting by mail. Instead, explore whether your state provides an easy way to check confirmation, encourage voting early by mail and confirming receipt acceptance.

If your state permits drop off ballots by all means encourage that. But please stop playing into his games to suppress vote-by-mail by making people terrified to use a reliable, verifiable, means of voting. He knows he wins that way - we don't need to carry water for him to make that possible

[sheshe2]

18. ...

Dropping mine off at the town hall. Gonna drop my 94 year old mothers off at the same time. MA is doing mail in. We all get ballots as registered voters.

[Ms. Toad]

20. Ohio does both drop off (personal, & for family members)

and mail-in.

Depending on when we get our acts together, I'll either drop off the family's - or we'll mail early and check online. We did check online for primary ballots. But the board of elections is right down the street from where I work - and I can drop off all 3 of ours pretty easily . . . as long as my daughter doesn't go rogue - in which case I might lose hers (mostly just kidding . . . she's young and being influenced by the Bernie crowd)

[sheshe2]

23. Hear ya!

;

[dixiechiken1]

28. If these were normal times, I would agree with everything you've said...

But these are NOT normal times.

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer met this week with Trump Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and put in writing his confirmation that he had, contrary to earlier denials, instituted “reductions of overtime availability, restrictions on extra mail transportation trips, testing of new sorting and delivery policies at hundreds of Post Offices, and the reduction of the number and use of processing equipment at mail processing plants.” All of which “now threaten the timely delivery of mail — including medicines for seniors, paychecks for workers, and absentee ballots for voters.”

...

The Postal Service has informed states that they’ll need to pay first-class 55-cent postage to mail ballots to voters, rather than the normal 20-cent bulk rate. That nearly triples the per-ballot cost at a time when tens of millions more will be delivered. [emphasis mine] The rate change would have to go through the Postal Regulatory Commission and, undoubtedly, litigation. But the time frame for that is incredibly short, as ballots go out very soon.

A side benefit of this money grab is that states and cities may decide they don’t have the money to mail absentee ballots, and will make them harder to get. Which is exactly the worst-case scenario everyone fears. [emphasis mine]

...

DeJoy told a postal board of governors meeting Friday he is committed to fixing “a broken business model” not coping with a decline in first-class and business mail. In the coronavirus pandemic, however, package deliveries to Americans are up more than 50 percent.

If there is anyone who knows how to break a business or a country it is Donald Trump and his merry band of well-heeled incompetents. Half a year is gone, $3 trillion in national wealth, and 160,000-plus Americans while Trump golfs and preens for the cameras among his paunchy, white golf buddies. Testing remains slow, contact tracing cannot keep up, and 30 million are unemployed, Dana Milbank observes. [emphasis mine] Trump’s “bomb-throwing new chief of staff” blew up the latest round of talks for extending relief to beleaguered families.

https://digbysblog.net/2020/08/gloom-of-right/

ETTD. And now, he and his shills are working at warp speed to destroy the USPS. These people are soulless and will do anything to maintain power. Anything. I have zero doubt that, in their eyes, our democracy is just another obstacle to be brushed aside.

[Ms. Toad]

29. If we skip early voting/vote by mail - he wins.

Don't fall for his crap.

IF states and cities decide not to mail ballots, that is the time to change plans. Don't facilitate it by changing your plans before there is a decision not to mail absentee ballots. (I'm not sure they can legally do that, anyway, but ceertainly don't make that decision for them by skipping early voting.)

[dixiechiken1]

30. Agreed. Early voting & voting by mail are good.

And necessary. Hubby & I are still going to the polls on election day.

[brooklynite]

15. Panic!!!!!

[Binkie The Clown]

17. Why are you playing Trumps' tune?

Here in Oregon we always vote by mail. That's just how we do things, and I can't see any reason to change that.

[amb123]

19. Arizona is fortunate

Arizona has a Democratic Secretary of State and Maricopa County has Democratic County Recorder (who also runs the election department). In last Tuesday's Primary, early ballot drop-off places were setup throughout the County a month in advance so people could drop off their ballots without having them go thru the mails. And they'll do it again in the General Election.

[madamesilverspurs]

21. I can afford a stamp or two.

Or I can hand deliver my ballot.

Nothing Trump would like better than to see us scared away from the safest voting process.

[Luciferous]

22. Some of us can drop off our ballots to our local clerk- that's what I'm doing...

[sheshe2]

24. I ain't scared, Bob.

I will drop my ballot at the town hall. No big deal.

[DesertRat]

25. I always vote by mail in AZ

I've been on the Permanent Early Voter List for years. It's convenient and safe. The ballot must be signed and they do signature matching. I receive texts when my ballot is received and again when it's counted. Welcome to DU!