Alternative to the USPS for voting by mail in my state

[bigtree]

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg Aug 8
Alternative to the USPS for voting by mail. This is in Maryland.

[samnsara]

1. i agree!! we have had 100% vote by mail for years in my state and until this year...

..I have always felt OK mailing them. But this year we are walking them to the courthouse where boxes are set up everywhere inside and out...

Also...i photograph both sides of my ballot, just in case.

[Freddie]

2. PA also has designated drop off boxes

Check your county website. They also email you a confirmation that they got and processed your ballot.

[gab13by13]

11. Yes, I voted by mail in the primary,

and it went well, and I also got a confirmation. I was also asked if I wanted to vote by mail in the general election and wife and I checked yes so I am assuming we will be getting ballots automatically.

I wasn't aware of the drop off boxes, I live in a rural county, I will definitely do it that way if possible.

[LisaL]

13. Make sure to check the rules.

In my state we have to fill out an application even if we voted by mail in the primary (which I did).

[gab13by13]

16. I went on the election web site,

and it said that once I applied to vote by mail (in the primary) and I checked the box that I wanted to vote by mail also in the general that I was good for the year. So it sounds like people who request to vote by mail in Pa. are good (if they check the box) for 1 year to receive ballots automatically. Believe me with the law suits going on in Pa. about mail in ballots I am going to call my county election office to double check I am good to go.

[gab13by13]

15. I went on line to look for drop off boxes in Pa.

and all they gave were the court house drop offs. Every county said, drop off boxes currently not available. I assume or hope they mean that currently not available means that they will be available closer to election, but they didn't give locations for any drop off boxes.

[Freddie]

17. PA Dems site still has primary box locations and dates

Presuming they will post for the general when it gets closer.

[not_the_one]

59. I called. We voted by mail in the primary, and was told we were also set to receive the GE ballot.

PA general election ballots are supposed to go out in early September. That is probably when ballot drop box locations will be posted.

For the primary mail-in ballots, we received emails indicating our ballots had been received and processed.

Being the paranoid conspiracist that I am, since Louis DeJoy is now the turd's USPS fixer, I worry that mail-ins won't get stamped in time to count (deliberate delays for that purpose) even if mailed way in advance, or that a turd humper postal employee will try to mess with the ballots.

Ballot boxes can also be messed with. Even if we had an armed guard at them 24/7, the armed guard could be a turd humper...

If we vote electronically, PUTIN controls THAT vote...

I'm having conspiracy overload...........

The key is to win with such a huge margin, meddling/stealing/cheating won't work.

But then there is Belarus......... Do WE have what it takes to address THAT type of election fraud? We HAVE to be able to see this through to the end, even if it IS the end, regardless of what they may try to do. Life as we know it, is at stake. I'm too old to try to learn how to live under Putin as my leader.

[democrattotheend]

54. My mom said Republicans are suing to stop the collection boxes

Really hoping they lose on that.

[mitch96]

3. We have a local election in my Fla. county Aug 18. I opted for a mail in ballot..

Did my research, filled out the ballot and drove to the Supervisor of elections office They had a ballot box right out front. A voting volunteer checked my ballot as it has to be signed on the out side to be valid. It also has a unique bar code so you can track your ballot thru the system. The box was very stout. What I like is that the minimum of hands touch my ballot. Box to office and counted.. Mail in and drop off ballots are counted first... Easy peasy, job done. This was a dry run for Nov 3.. Too important
m

[PennyK]

31. Yes, I didn't even know about this option

Local Democratic group posted about it on Facebook yesterday. I'm very happy to find out about it.

[Ligyron]

38. Yeah, and in Palm Country you can check online to see if your vote was counted.

Check online for other information too like if you're registered, have opted to receive mail in ballots...

[beachbumbob]

4. problem is, what stops some one from arson? Or other means to destroy ballots?

[bigtree]

5. A lot of them are built like tanks, certainly fireproof and tamperproof

...in Washington State:

These ballot boxes keep your vote safe from fire, rain and rampaging SUVs
https://crosscut.com/2019/10/these-ballot-boxes-keep-your-vote-safe-fire-rain-and-rampaging-suvs

It's like other arguments about fraud and other tampering with votes, it's extremely rare and not really something that should generate a huge amount of concern. Ballots have always been vulnerable at many points of registering them. This is as secure as anything else, and your ballot has fewer hands on it, less chance of diverting it than in the mail.

[mitch96]

8. How would you do this.. Burn down every building that has ballots? nt

[beachbumbob]

20. be easy to dump battery acid in to the mail slot

[mitch96]

58. I deposited my mail in ballot into the bin at the supervisor of election building.. People all over

So I think it would be difficult to be "stealthy" trying to do this.. Then again where there is a will there is a way. Also if anything is left with your name or barcode the Sup.of Elections could notify you of a do over..
m

[beachbumbob]

60. if ballot boxes are placed remotely all sorts can be done, the issue would be timing

I decided I will do early in person voting as soon as it opens up in Illinois at our city clerk;s office. Rarely a line and in and out in less than 10 minutes. We are lucky in Illinois we want ALL people to be able to vote unlike so many other states that use it as a weapon to suppress

[mitch96]

61. Remotely, yes. At a manned site I think it would be a bit more difficult. nt

[gab13by13]

12. How about a federal offense?

[LisaL]

14. Yes, they need to equip each box with cameras.

[lagomorph777]

28. +1 cameras are a very good idea.

Masks will reduce the effectiveness, but still it seems like a basic precaution.

[dalton99a]

36. +1. And big warning signs

[George II]

6. There's at least one of those boxes in every town in CT - I dropped our ballots off....

....last week in ours. It's outside Town Hall. Our town is only about 5 miles across so it's relatively easy for anyone to drop them off. Our presidential primary is tomorrow - the last of them all.

Plus it saves the town the cost of "business reply mail" which is about sixty cents these days.

[LisaL]

7. It doesn't eliminate the need for post office.

You still need your ballot delivered to you. Plus my state doesn't have drop off boxes.

[mitch96]

9. Can you go to the supervisor of elections office and drop it off? nt

[LisaL]

10. If I could, it would be easier to just vote early in person.

The whole point of voting by mail during a pandemic is to avoid people who could be infected. If I have to drop the ballot to my board of elections, I am not avoiding people.

[secondwind]

18. Perhaps, but you are lessening the risks. It's your choice, of course.

[LisaL]

19. My plan is to mail it back early (assuming I actually get the ballot mailed to me on time).

I am high risk for covid so I really don't want to risk it. Dropping is off at the board of election is really not convenient here. Board of election is nowhere close to me and is going to be full of people voting early.

[mellow]

21. What's riskier?

Dropping off a ballot quickly at a drop-off site sometime during the weeks before the election ... or having four more years of blinding incompetence and corruption of the trumps spreading the disease further?

[LisaL]

24. I am not sure how I can make it any clearer.

My state doesn't have special drop off boxes. So there is no option for a quick drop off sometime during weeks before the election. Dropping it off at the board of election means going to a place full of people who are going to be early voting. Is that clear enough?

[lagomorph777]

32. With the vote spread out over many weeks, there shouldn't be a crowd like on election day.

I will be surprised if I see more than 1 or 2 people in there when I drop off.

[LisaL]

37. It's not the case here.

We can only vote early in the board of election. There is only one board of election per county. I am in a large county. So board of election usually has long lines of people wanting to vote early. I voted early in 2016 and there was a lot of people there. The board of election has more crowds than on election day in my local voting place. Normally I would think it would be a lot safer to vote on election day in my local voting location, but who knows what is going to be happening this year.

[lagomorph777]

40. Wow. Early/Absentee/Mail In voting was virtually illegal in VA until we flipped the state in 2019.

So I have no experience with it; however my polling place has almost always been pretty light.

[LisaL]

42. My polling place has always been pretty light also. But like I said, who knows

what will be happening this year.
I envision the board of election is going to be pretty full this year. It's normally is, because like I said, that's the only voting site to vote early per county.

[lagomorph777]

29. Yes, in VA, they must mail me the ballot. I was able to apply online; drop off at County Registrar.

It could have involved 3 mail trips, but I've reduced it to 1.

There are no ballot drop boxes scattered around though; must go to the county office.

[Autumn]

22. Our DMV has people outside collecting them, you drive up and hand it to them.

Easy peasy.

[James48]

23. And WHAT IF someone makes fake boxes?

And sets them up all over a day or two before the election, and drives off with them at noon on election day? And goes through the ballots, and sorts out the favorable ones from the unfavorable ones, and then deposits THOSE in another box before closing time?

If it can be thought of, somebody Republican and evil will think it.

[LisaL]

25. I kind of doubt that whole scenario.

The proper boxes are really expensive. Their location is official, so if unauthorized box were to pop up somewhere, people will probably notice.

[certainot]

43. the purpose can just be to confuse enough to disrupt normal and help trump claim illigitimacy

if anything like that happens in one place it can be guaranteed the guys on the radio will say it's democrats doing it everywhere and particularly in tight races, etc.....

when they can lie like they can without challenge anything like that is possible

[AllaN01Bear]

26. we have a few of those in my county. i live close enough to take directly

to county election h.q.

[quaint]

27. Some of us live alone, no longer drive, and rely on the U.S.P.S. for many needs.

[lagomorph777]

30. Is there anybody you can call for help? I'll bet there are local volunteers who would love to help.

Contact your local Democratic Party, maybe?

[quaint]

35. Good thought.

My still mobile pal will pick mine up if "he's still around." Interesting times, dang it.

[LisaL]

39. You have to check the rules as to who is allowed to drop off your ballot.

In some states they have to be living in the same household.

[quaint]

47. California law changed.

It allows any person to return another's vote-by-mail ballot as long as there is no payment and the delivering person also signs the envelope.

I am super motivated to have my Biden ballot counted.

We really do need our postal service for many things. I've been purchasing stamps I don't need to do my tiny part.

[NCjack]

33. North Carolina

From: North Carolina State Board of Elections
[link:https://www.ncsbe.gov/Voting-Options/Absentee-Voting|]

"The envelope (containing the ballot -- added by NCjack) may be mailed or delivered in person to the county board of elections office or an open early voting site during the early voting period.
Only the voter or the voter’s near relative may possess the absentee ballot to return it to the board of elections."

My best option is to go to an early voting site. If the waiting line is short, vote on the machine. If the line is long, deposit my absentee ballot.

[LisaL]

41. Here if you are mailed absentee ballot, you won't be allowed to vote on the machine.

And the ballot can only be dropped off at the board of the election, which is the only early voting site.

[NCjack]

46. LisaL, where will you vote?

[LisaL]

48. My plan it to vote by mail and hope for the best. Do it as soon as I get my ballot (if I get my

ballot). Our in person primary was cancelled the day before the primary, so that kind of soured me on in person vote on election day.

[NCjack]

49. State?

[LisaL]

57. Ohio.

[LeftInTX]

55. Wow. Your situation sounds worse than Texas

If you bring your ballot to the polling place, they will let you vote in person. The election judge has to cancel your mail ballot.

You must bring your mail ballot with you though or they will not let you vote in person.

[LisaL]

56. Oh I know.

Texas has many early voting places too. Here we only have one per county. But in TX no reason absentee voting is not allowed. OH allows no reason absentee mail in voting. Which normally should work just fine (a lot of republicans in OH vote absentee as well) if somebody didn't mess with the post office. We are not allowed to bring the ballot to a local polling place, only board of election. Which again, is only one per county. Which doesn't work so good for large counties. Since large counties have a lot of people. So board of election is full of people voting early. There are usually lines in the board of election. Our in person primary got cancelled the day before the primary due to covid. DeWine went to court and actually lost the ruling, but they used public health emergency and cancelled it anyway. Well, the infection rate has only gone up since then.

[brooklynite]

34. If you're in an urban area that provides a drop box....

...you're probably also close enough to the Board of Elections office to drop it off there. The issue is voters in less developed areas.

[Hoyt]

44. Put the boxes in front of police stations if safety is a concern, assuming local police are trusted.

[Illumination]

45. Have them all over in Colorado. Makes votiing so easy! Don't listen to the Liar-in-Chief!

[ananda]

50. In Texas, you always have to show ID.

But I can take my mail-in ballot to the
voting clerk in person.

[Luciferous]

51. We also have these in Wisconsin

[Luciferous]

52. We also have these in Wisconsin

[BadGimp]

53. Here in Oregon we have those.

I used one in the midterms because I was late getting my ballot in the mail.

Eazy Peazy!

[Happy Hoosier]

62. We need these in every. Damn. State. NT

[bigtree]

63. agreed

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