"You have to wait. We don't have enough ballots."

[Aerows]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1528881

If you do not want that to be the chorus when you go to vote in the General Election, you need to pay attention to this issue.

Voter ID laws keep people from the polls. "We don't have enough ..." is what stops people that have ID from voting, too.

It feels like to me that we are having to fight harder than ever to preserve our democracy.

[Aerows]

1. Look, make fun of me all that you want.

I want people to be able to vote. This is a shameful and honestly, transparent attempt to prevent people from voting.

The door swings both ways folks.

[shraby]

2. I think you're perfectly right. They know most people are pressed for time when they go to vote.

Making them wait an undetermined amount of time for a ballot is a blatant attempt to stop them from voting. No doubt about it.
Ballots can't be too expensive to print up once the first one is done. They should have to print double the ballots they need for the number of voters they show registered, or at least half again as many, due to spoilage.

[Aerows]

4. It is blatant electioneering

is what it is.

[Duval]

6. Yes, it is. I live in NC.

Thinking about getting in touch with our Atty General. I am so disgusted and angry.

[Aerows]

10. Thank you for doing so!

Please, make a complaint. I am so damn tired of hearing that if you want to change something you should make a complaint!

It shouldn't be a brave move, merely an act of conscientious citizenship, but anything regarding our elections is increasingly turning out to be an act of bravery.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

12. Aerows, I'm so glad you are on our side!

[Aerows]

19. You can always sign up

to point out these things on "our" side.

I'm so disgusted with this blatant attempt to keep people from voting that I couldn't help from ranting.

Frankly, I wonder why there aren't more people connecting the dots and getting pissed off.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

28. I agree 100%

I've never understood how you run out of ballots. Assume 100% turnout, then add a % for spoilage. How hard can that be?

[Aerows]

33. There is absolutely no valid reason for it.

Unless you just want to throw votes a certain way. You know that the mother that is on her lunch break voting can't wait 4 hours. You know the Dad that has got to show up at a job site can't wait that long.

If you delay people from voting long enough, they will have to abandon the polls.

[Brother_Love]

3. Why do not people mail in a ballot?

I thought in US you can do this. No?

[Aerows]

5. That would be excellent

Last edited Sat Mar 19, 2016, 09:08 PM - Edit history (1)

because you confirm that the people who are voting actually live where they are voting.

Which, is limited to Washington, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado.

It is as though the people in DC don't want to know what we the People think, they merely want to interpret it to translate what would be best for said Congressperson.

I might add that those three states all report the highest standard of living (not financial, just "I'm glad to be alive and live here&quot ratings than the rest.

Why on *EARTH* would politicians not want to implement voting by mail?

Edited to add AZ.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

14. You answered your own question - with one small change

They know what people think. They just want to change their thoughts to serve their interests.

[Aerows]

18. I'm pretty sure

that this election is going to be the one that breaks me.

Not because who I want to win doesn't win, but because it shatters my faith in the process.

I can stomach that my peers believe that Trump is better suited for the office of President; I *cannot* stomach that they got there via deception, lack of ballots, and bureaucratic distortion.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

27. I totally understand. But we need you Aerows. We need all of us.

The people that we are pitted against don't have the problem of conscience. We have that problem. But it's NOT a problem. It's what makes us human. It makes us the "good guys", as far as I'm concerned.

We NEED you voice Aerows. Now more than ever. Follow your heart and you will figure it all out. And each one of us will be MUCH better for it!

[Aerows]

32. Good Lord don't have that much faith in me

But then again, shutting me up about something I believe in (i.e. the voting process, the Democratic process) has been unsuccessful so far, so don't you worry.

The thing is, we need more than just speaking it, we need to physically be present.

It takes bodies to accomplish things.

[Brother_Love]

47. Aspire to the better angels of our nature.

[former9thward]

21. Not limited to those states.

We mail ballots in Arizona. Moat western states have mail in ballots.

[Aerows]

23. I didn't know AZ did so.

Damn, we need to catch up!

[Brother_Love]

45. I must be ignorant. I thought all of the US could vote by mail.

[morningglory]

7. Discarding early vote forms was a convenient way to cheat when GWBush was running. nt

[Aerows]

9. This election hasn't even gotten started

and it is turning into the ugliest one in my memory.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

16. Don't worry, Bernie will win for all of us. Then the real work begins.

[Aerows]

42. No Hillary probably will

and I wouldn't wish this shit on the American public if she is our candidate.

[phazed0]

17. Funny what happens when..

... when the people rise up en mass against corporate shills and corrupt campaigns.

[Aerows]

24. This, I have to hand it to them

is a sturdy and absolutely awful way to game the polls.

"You can't vote because there are not enough ballots, we are trying to get more."

That makes "my dog ate my homework" seem like a second-level university answer.

[Brother_Love]

46. "my dog ate my ballot" heh

[LeftyMom]

11. Depends on the state.

Every state's rules for elections are different. Some states have exclusively mail ballots (Oregon,) some require an excuse (infirmity, out of state travel, etc) to get an absentee ballot, some grant one on request. Some states (California does this for sure) let you request an absentee ballot for every election, some states (Florida) want a new request every year.

Here's a breakdown for you: http://www.longdistancevoter.org/absentee_voting_rules

[Aerows]

15. I'm pissed because this seems like a run-up for 2016

Running out of people's ability to vote has to be the most ridiculous excuse to deny people to ability to vote that I have heard yet.

Please don't even excuse this, or attempt to normalize it.

This is criminal against democracy.

[DesertRat]

22. I vote by mail every election by early ballot

in Arizona, as do the rest of my family. It's much more convenient.

[Aerows]

25. I wish every state followed your lead in AZ.

I didn't know you had that system, as well - I didn't omit you on purpose, I just was unaware.

[DesertRat]

44. They've always had it.

It used to be called an absentee ballot.

[Aerows]

48. It is an avenue that far too few

voters have availed themselves of.

[DesertRat]

49. I agree!

[Vote2016]

8. if only we had a candidate who was trying to increase turnout; wouldn't that be the shit

[Aerows]

13. I agree that election rules are convoluted

but having enough ballots for the known number of people that are able to vote is simple enough that a tea party member could understand it, let alone the well-educated people that conduct the process.

[Atman]

20. In Florida, they just hide the Democratic ballots in the closet.

Repubs will win this elections. Thanks to W's electronic Scam-O-Matic vote takers, they'll get the outcome they want.

[Aerows]

29. I lived in Florida for 7 years

I voted in the election between Gore and Bush when I lived there.

Well, I *think* I voted.

I'm pretty sure I did?

[RufusTFirefly]

26. My state accepts mail-in ballots, but I actually prefer to vote in person

Most poll workers are wonderful, civic-minded people. It's great to see one's neighbors taking part in such a vital part of our badly injured but still breathing democracy.

It's one of those rare instances when I still feel a sense of solidarity and patriotism.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

31. I so agree with you Rufus.

I love voting. Doing your civic duty for the betterment of all of our brothers and sisters, and chatting with good people is what it's all about for me.

[Aerows]

39. If we can't vote

We cannot decide what we are doing as citizens in our country.

[Aerows]

35. I agree and I am concerned

that we are drifting away from having the people you know down the street to be a poll worker to the bored person that was hired via a temporary agency.

[KoKo]

30. Come Back Later...Yeah!

How many people can do that? That is definitely something to watch for because it happened here in NC. Early Voting..

[Aerows]

34. It is manipulation of the voting process.

I'm not sure what else you can call it.

[Aerows]

38. I'm just fed up

with listening to the same people that are ardently opposed to voter ID laws, which they should be, turn a blind eye to lack of ballots. As though that is any damn bit better.

[Takket]

36. "What is, things never heard at a predominately white precinct, Alex?"

[Aerows]

37. Are you really going for $1000, Takket? n/t

[ladjf]

40. Let's see, it's voting day. 1. Open the door 2. Get out the ballots. Oh Damn! We don't

have enough ballots! Well, Ok. We'll get it right next year. My bad.

[Aerows]

41. Precisely my point. n/t

[Aerows]

43. A kick

because I don't want to go to bed dreaming of what could happen if we don't "have enough ballots" and we end up with President Trump.