General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump's weapon is to claim voter fraud. Vote in person & take it away from him.
What can he say if the vast majority vote in person? Nothing other than useless blathering. The risk of catching Covid while voting is low. You're not going to be in a crowded, enclosed space. Most lines are outside. People are spaced. In the voting area, you wont be there longer than 5-10 mins tops. And even then not close to someone.
We ALL need to show up & do it in person. WE, the people, can take away his biggest weapon. The weapon the Russians are using. All by just voting in person. At least in the numbers we did in '18. Obviously there are some who simply cannot vote in person, but most of those probably have always voted absentee. But if we can spend an hour at the grocery store or elsewhere, we can spend an hour or 2 at the polls. We can DO THIS!
Put on our masks, vote in person & shut him DOWN.
marybourg
(12,540 posts)Phoenix61
(16,954 posts)is very good advice. Florida, where I live, comes to mind. Lots of early voting sites and they cant lose boxes of ballots in the post office.
LisaL
(44,962 posts)I have now seen numerous threads here where OP claims we should only vote in person (without mentioning any states).
That vote by mail is bad because Trump said so.
Some states only vote by mail so you can't vote in person there.
Some states have plentiful early voting and some don't.
We also don't know what Trump has in store for the election day.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)OP is trying to get us to pretend that we must choose the most dangerous option, and that there are no drop boxes. The rules are unique to each state. Each of us must study them carefully and devise a solid plan to vote. Mine is to drop my ballot (which I have already requested) at the County Registrar.
LisaL
(44,962 posts)I got a robo call from my state's democratic party. They encourage people to vote early-either in person or by mail.
The issue with early voting in my state is that it only allows one early voting place per county. So it's normally very busy because I live in a large county.
In some states that allow multiple early voting places that's not going to be an issue. If people live in small counties in my state that's also not going to be an issue.
So the way people decide to vote is going to be different depending on where the person lives. And if somebody lives in a large county and their voting place is always busy, then voting by mail could be the best option.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)So it's a bit nerve-wracking to figure it all out and make a plan. I intend to drop off my ballot at the county location, same day I receive it. But mail-in is certainly important too.
LisaL
(44,962 posts)I voted absentee in a primary (well, the in person primary was cancelled so I had no other choice if I wanted to vote).
beachbumbob
(9,263 posts)lucky in Illinois I can early in-person vote and that is what we are doing
LisaL
(44,962 posts)He is going to claim an election was rigged no matter what.
I am tired of listening to his kind of nonsense. Do we believe that vote by mail is fraudulent? No. Then WTF should I listen to Trump and change what I am doing because he says stupid shit?
Phoenix61
(16,954 posts)him screwing with the postal service so ballots dont get delivered and/or counted.
LisaL
(44,962 posts)People are acting as if post office stopped delivering. It still delivers. I think our complaining helped.
Phoenix61
(16,954 posts)fashion to receive a ballot and have it received at the SOEs office are two different things.
LisaL
(44,962 posts)I can count.
BittyJenkins
(402 posts)That is the only way Russia can hack voting machines.
exboyfil
(17,857 posts)The voting machines tallies usually come in before all the mail votes come in. They don't know where to set the bar for changing the votes. Also of course a mail in ballot has a paper trail.
How we were dumb enough to ever go to all electronic voting in some locations is beyond me.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)stillcool
(32,626 posts)maybe I should, but we've never had problems that I know of, so I feel pretty secure no matter how I vote. To me the push to negate voting by mail suggests that it is easier for elections officials, or outsiders to tamper with vote totals when people vote in person. If I lived in a state that regularly has issues with counting votes, I would probably vote early and by mail. The logic being what they really don't want you to do, is what you really should do.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Inquiring minds want to know.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)I'm saying its all he has. Its all he's talked about for weeks now because he knows he's losing. Its wht the DHS says the Russians are pushing
Why is it so damn god-awful to suggest taking his MAIN talking point and shoving it up his ass?
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)is counter-productive. Everybody needs to study up in their own state, and make a solid plan. It isn't one size fits all this time.
I assume Trump is pushing for in-person voting because he has the in-person polling place hacks all lined up and ready to go.
LisaL
(44,962 posts)In Fl, where he doesn't even live.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)I think there's a name for that.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)Is it that way everywhere?
I know this cycles "big 3" (to me anyway), Wi, Mi & Pa, all have Dem governors but GOP legislatures. But doesnt the Gov control the voting in all states? Or are there a dozen different rules depending on which state?
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Pretty much everybody in America is well aware of it. It's both a weakness and a strength of our system.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)I guess not.
Either way, big turnout will "turn out" trump! And i feel thats coming
stillcool
(32,626 posts)because of the Post Office....but Putin's involvement kind of clinched the debate in my mind.
Russia is 'amplifying' claims of mail-in voter fraud, intel bulletin warns
Bulletin: Russian malign influence actors targeted absentee voting process.
By Josh Margolin and Lucien Bruggeman
September 3, 2020, 3:09 PM
Russia has sought to amplify concerns over the integrity of U.S. elections by promoting allegations that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by ABC News, again echoing a frequent and unfounded complaint raised by President Donald Trump.
Analysts with the Department of Homeland Securitys intelligence branch issued the warning on Thursday to federal and state law enforcement partners after finding with high confidence that Russian malign influence actors have targeted the absentee voting process by spreading disinformation since at least March.
Russian state media and proxy websites in mid-August 2020 criticized the integrity of expanded and universal vote-by-mail, claiming ineligible voters could receive ballots due to out-of-date voter rolls, leaving a vast amount of ballots unaccounted for and vulnerable to tampering, the bulletin notes.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)If "mail in" votes arent HUGE they cant do the fraud claim.
Hoping trump loses so badly that it doesnt matter though
tblue37
(64,982 posts)Since we never have lines where I am, I think it will be OK.
kentuck
(110,950 posts)The best scenario is if he loses both the Mail-in votes and the "in person" votes.
Then his butt will have been thoroughly kicked.
LisaL
(44,962 posts)He's been declaring a lot of things.
He could declare he won even if he loses. Should we listen to that?
Kaleva
(36,147 posts)oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)Jeebo
(2,005 posts)As it is, in recent elections we have had 10, 12-hour waits to vote. According to the reports I've heard, some people stand in line for four hours, or six, then give up and go home. This time, that problem is likely to be even worse. Fewer polling places because they're having trouble finding poll workers and also because right-wing state government officials are closing polling places in Democratic areas as part of their voter-suppression activities. Shorter polling hours and fewer early-voting days. Other reasons. I have thought about voting in person too, but I'm afraid I'll be adding to this problem if I do. If I were going to vote in person, I would be at the polling place at 6 a.m., when the polls open, but, well, no. I think I'll take my ballot, when it gets to me in the mail, and fill it out immediately and hand-deliver it to the county clerk's office. An official at the county clerk's office posted their procedure for mailed and hand-delivered ballots on a neighborhood site recently. She said they open all those ballots and hand-count them in the presence of a Democratic and a Republicon observer. I think I like my ballot being counted that way. Another reason for the way I'm going to vote. Another reason not to vote in person is those machines that I have to feed my ballot into. I always feel a little sick when I have to do that, because I don't trust those damn machines as far as I can pick one of them up and throw it.
-- Ron
LisaL
(44,962 posts)In some places there likely won't be long lines. And in some (like large urban areas) there likely will be long lines.
So I certainly wouldn't advice people whose polling place likely to have long lines to not vote by mail.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)I've never done it where I live because the lines seem to be longer during early voting than election day.
I just want 90% of the votes "in" election night. Or whatever % we usually have every four years.
I'm hoping he's soundly drubbed but cant count on it
bullimiami
(13,044 posts)What did he claim in 2016?
Millions of fake votes for Hillary.
No mention of his massive mail-in fraud.
Stop worrying over what Trump says.
Watch what he does and deal with that.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)I guess i'm just trying to makes sense with someone that you just cant make sense OF!
If he loses Wi, Pa & Mi by large margins, he's losing BIG anyway. He MUST lose BIG.
bullimiami
(13,044 posts)honest.abe
(8,556 posts)Few will buy that. Even if there are some random cases, probably planted by the Russians, it wont matter because the margin of victory will be so huge. Even if he somehow gets SCOTUS involved they wont back him. At least Roberts will be on the side of truth and justice.
Don't fret it.. vote by mail, vote in person, vote early, vote on election day.. whatever a person feels comfortable with. All we need to do is show up and vote and swamp him with votes. If we do that, there is no way he will have any legitimate claim.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)But I still think we can overwhelm the cheating.