The Voting Thread (Procedures, Turnout, Legal Challenges)(Update: Trump to file suit in PA, MI, WI, AZ, NV, GA) (8 Viewers)

[Lapaz]

There is a lot of push-back from Trump on voting by mail, but most states allow it, and 1/3 allow it without any excuse. His rationale is that it will lead to vast fraud, but of course that isn't his real reason. His real reason is that he thinks it will be worse for conservatives, but studies have shown that states that have instituted much broader voting by mail haven't had any statistical changes in party voting.

Stanford study: Mail voting doesn't benefit one party over another

Coronavirus-spurred limits have intensified a push to allow more mail balloting in November.

www.politico.com

Voting Outside the Polling Place: Absentee, All-Mail and other Voting at Home Options

Most states offer at least one method for any eligible voter to cast a ballot before Election Day. While some states provide early in-person voting, this webpage addresses absentee voting and all-mail voting.

www.ncsl.org

Although, normally voting by mail doesn't affect party votes, I bet it might this year if we have another resurgence of Covid, because I think the right is much more apt to discount the virus than the left. I know that is why Trump is against it.

Whether you're left or right wing, expanding mail in votes is the right thing to do to reduce the likelihood of spreading the virus, to expand voter participation, and to make it easier for those that do show up to stay distant. It will also allow any people with susceptibilities to remain safer. I think voting by mail could be made extremely secure by having people vote using traditional postal mail, coupled with requiring a confirmation either by phone, email or text. If done by phone, then voters can provide confirmation that can include confirming their form number. If done by email or text, it can include a picture of their form, and then confirmation that that was their form. Rather than staffers individually calling people, this can be automated by having voters call the number, text the number, or email the address provided to them on their form. A website can even be created with a database of those that have voted, and perhaps a link to allow people to confirm their vote was correctly registered. For people without computers, a site can include a means to access the database over the phone with some confirmation information. These types of systems are used extensively by banks and other sites that need security, so I think they are mature enough to use. We could even use such a site for people to confirm their vote on the day of the election.

 

[insidejob]

That mess of an election in GA wouldn't have happened if everyone could've voted by mail, but it looks like even with the suppression efforts, the peoples' voices were heard and Ossoff won the right to run for the Senate seat in the primary. Just hope this wasn't a test run and they further find out ways to suppress the vote in the general election.

 

[JimEverett]

That mess of an election in GA wouldn't have happened if everyone could've voted by mail, but it looks like even with the suppression efforts, the peoples' voices were heard and Ossoff won the right to run for the Senate seat in the primary. Just hope this wasn't a test run and they further find out ways to suppress the vote in the general election.

Can't anyone/everyone vote by mail in Georgia?

 

[insidejob]

Can't anyone/everyone vote by mail in Georgia?

That's besides the point. If they failed this badly state wide to have in person voting then mail in voting should be expanded to anyone who wants it, not just someone who's voting absentee. If you're registered to vote, you should be able to receive a ballot in the mail, then go check a box online saying you got it, then when you send it in via USPS go back to the site to alert the SOS that your ballot has been cast. You should be able to verify its receipt in a matter of days and also verify the selections you made on the ballot. Especially out of an abundance of caution with COVID likely to have a resurgence once cold and flu season rolls around right at election time. This is also another example as to why national election days should be holidays nationwide. How many people who had to work yesterday and couldn't wait 7 hours to vote didn't have a chance to have their vote cast because they had to go to work?

 

[superchuck500]

Maybe there is more voter fraud by mail than we realize?

 

[Lapaz]

That's besides the point. If they failed this badly state wide to have in person voting then mail in voting should be expanded to anyone who wants it, not just someone who's voting absentee. If you're registered to vote, you should be able to receive a ballot in the mail, then go check a box online saying you got it, then when you send it in via USPS go back to the site to alert the SOS that your ballot has been cast. You should be able to verify its receipt in a matter of days and also verify the selections you made on the ballot. Especially out of an abundance of caution with COVID likely to have a resurgence once cold and flu season rolls around right at election time. This is also another example as to why national election days should be holidays nationwide. How many people who had to work yesterday and couldn't wait 7 hours to vote didn't have a chance to have their vote cast because they had to go to work?

I agree. Also, another benefit of voting by mail is that it would allow voters to educate themselves about issues before casting their vote. I know you should do that before going to the polls, but I doubt that most people do that. If they got ballots sent to them with the initiatives on them, they could take their time to review the pros and cons of each initiative. It might even be useful if proponents of each position offered up a suggested site to study the initiative. Each side would study its opponent's site and provide counterpoints to whatever the opponent's site says, and that could lead to a very informative exchange. It should theoretically lead to much more fact-based votes.

 

[Farb]

Maybe there is more voter fraud by mail than we realize?

You mean they used an address they have not lived in since the year they became the VP of the US? You mean they had to move to Washington but kept their house in their home state?

 

[superchuck500]

You mean they used an address they have not lived in since the year they became the VP of the US? You mean they had to move to Washington but kept their house in their home state?

I don’t know the rules for Indiana but most states require that you vote from your primary residence. Do you know for a fact that the Pence voting record is legal? Obviously what they did makes sense and I don’t have an issue with it as long as they only voted once - but I’m pretty sure there have been prosecutions of similarly innocuous facts.

But my comment was mostly in jest, the bigger point is the voting by mail is common. . . and isn’t a threat to the republic.

 

[Farb]

https://www.nj.com/somerset/2020/06...es-mailed-to-republicans-in-this-nj-town.html


Of the 2,400 registered Republicans in Bernardsville, 500 to 700 of them received erroneous mail-in ballots, listing the Democratic candidates instead of the Republicans.

Gardner brought the issue to the Somerset County Republican Organization on June 13. The organization’s chairman Al Gaburo notified the county clerk who promised to remedy the mistake.

The error originated with Reliance Graphics, Inc., the printing company which sent out Somerset County’s ballots. Normally, the county clerk’s office prepares the ballots themselves, but shopped the task to Reliance this year because of Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order that every voter receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the delayed July 7 primary election.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

https://www.nj.com/somerset/2020/06...es-mailed-to-republicans-in-this-nj-town.html


Of the 2,400 registered Republicans in Bernardsville, 500 to 700 of them received erroneous mail-in ballots, listing the Democratic candidates instead of the Republicans.

Gardner brought the issue to the Somerset County Republican Organization on June 13. The organization’s chairman Al Gaburo notified the county clerk who promised to remedy the mistake.
The error originated with Reliance Graphics, Inc., the printing company which sent out Somerset County’s ballots. Normally, the county clerk’s office prepares the ballots themselves, but shopped the task to Reliance this year because of Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order that every voter receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the delayed July 7 primary election.

What exactly is this supposed to illustrate?

 

[wardorican]

https://www.nj.com/somerset/2020/06...es-mailed-to-republicans-in-this-nj-town.html


Of the 2,400 registered Republicans in Bernardsville, 500 to 700 of them received erroneous mail-in ballots, listing the Democratic candidates instead of the Republicans.

Gardner brought the issue to the Somerset County Republican Organization on June 13. The organization’s chairman Al Gaburo notified the county clerk who promised to remedy the mistake.
The error originated with Reliance Graphics, Inc., the printing company which sent out Somerset County’s ballots. Normally, the county clerk’s office prepares the ballots themselves, but shopped the task to Reliance this year because of Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order that every voter receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the delayed July 7 primary election.

Printing issues happen here and there. Often they get notified and remedied quickly.

Florida has a few here and there. Sometimes it causes lawsuits and the like.

I've been voting by mail the last 2 or 3 presidential elections, and the in betweens. I know the day they receive it and the day they count it.

I'm not sure everyone does this, but I also go online to verify that I have everything I'm supposed to on my ballot. I also enjoy that it gives me time to look over the local politicians I don't know as well, and go over any state constitutional amendments.

 

[Saintamaniac]

The bottom line is that voting by mail has only become an issue since Trump starting crowing about it much in the same way, Colin Kapernick's protest of kneeling during the anthem to bring awareness of police brutality wasn't getting a lot of coverage until trump told his supporters that they should be offended by it.

 

[MT15]

You mean they used an address they have not lived in since the year they became the VP of the US? You mean they had to move to Washington but kept their house in their home state?

I read he used the address of the governor’s mansion, if so, that would clearly be not allowed. I didnt fact check that because I don’t care that much about it, really.

 

[Farb]

Is that not allowed? I have no idea and like you, don't care enough to find out. Maybe someone else cares enough to see if the VP just committed voter fraud.

 

[MT15]

He hasn’t been governor since 2017. It’s not like he owns that property. Seems like it wouldn’t be allowed to me.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

https://www.nj.com/somerset/2020/06...es-mailed-to-republicans-in-this-nj-town.html


Of the 2,400 registered Republicans in Bernardsville, 500 to 700 of them received erroneous mail-in ballots, listing the Democratic candidates instead of the Republicans.

Gardner brought the issue to the Somerset County Republican Organization on June 13. The organization’s chairman Al Gaburo notified the county clerk who promised to remedy the mistake.
The error originated with Reliance Graphics, Inc., the printing company which sent out Somerset County’s ballots. Normally, the county clerk’s office prepares the ballots themselves, but shopped the task to Reliance this year because of Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order that every voter receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the delayed July 7 primary election.

What exactly is this supposed to illustrate?

Since you just left this here without addressing it, I will add some context for you.

Your quote from the story left out a key detail:

"Corrected ballots with a slip explaining the error were sent back out to all 2,400 Bernardsville Republicans on June 16. The erroneous ballots will be voided, and even so, Republican voters cannot cast votes for Democrats in a New Jersey primary. Reliance will swallow the reprinting and postage costs, at no added expense to taxpayers, Peter said."

It seems that the incorrect ballots were replaced within days, the voters were given an explanation, and the faulty ballots were voided to prevent use.

The executive order that called for mail in ballots to be sent to every registered voter was signed less than a month (May 15th) before people reported faulty ballots (June 13th). It was less than two months before the election date (July 7th). The president of the printing company also mentioned that the total number of people affected was 500-700 out of 1.5 million. He then went on to say that he's already lobbying the state legislature and the governor to make the call in mail-in ballots for the November election by August 1st in order to ensure that all ballots are correct and sent out on time.

So I ask again: given the lack of context in your post, what point were you trying to illustrate?

Signing date of the Executive Order: https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/20200515g.shtml

 

[Farb]

Mistakes + Democrats = honest mistake.

mistakes + Republicans = Evil intent.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

Mistakes + Democrats = honest mistake.

mistakes + Republicans = Evil intent.

This has nothing to do with the current discussion and does nothing to foster dialog. If you have an actual response, I would love to hear it.

 

[Farb]

This has nothing to do with the current discussion and does nothing to foster dialog. If you have an actual response, I would love to hear it.

https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...oted-by-mail-in-indiana-gop-primary-using-old

The couple mailed in their ballots for the June GOP primary in their home state of Indiana on April 13, according to voter files obtained by the outlet. They used the address of the governor’s mansion in Indianapolis, where they have not lived since December 2016, when they transitioned to Washington, D.C.

It is not illegal for the Pences to use their previous address to vote by mail. They remain registered to vote in Indiana.

Pence's press secretary Devin O'Malley said in a statement to The Hill that the Pences do not own another home in Indiana, so the governor's mansion remains their "legally correct" address for registration.

So what Pence did was not only clearly allowed, it was perfectly legal? That odd.

Mistakes + Democrats = honest mistake.

mistakes (or sometimes completely legal actions) + Republicans = Evil intent.

I think it is pretty much self explanatory at this point.