I think the lesson from this midterm is you must vote in

[Pisces]

Person if you’re a Democrat! The mail in ballot fiasco in so many states has ensured that I will only vote in person on the day of or during early voting. Day of seems to be the best way to make sure your vote is counted. I know we have been pushing mail in and early voting but this crazy. Georgia is a prime example.

[guillaumeb]

1. And we must vote in every election.

[UniteFightBack]

10. This....+1000

[Merlot]

2. Some people can't stand in line for 2 or more hours

due to work, childcare, or health issues.

[Pisces]

3. Early voting has small lines during the week.

[FM123]

7. Yes there are many reasons it is not feasible in person.

What we did for my 90 year old father was we ordered him the absentee ballot, but hand delivered it for him after he filled everything out. Then we checked online to make sure it was received and accounted for.

[W_HAMILTON]

4. But there are downsides to voting in person:

(1) The lines and other obstacles preventing you from voting (e.g., missing power cords from one precinct).


(2) Some states -- like mine -- have no paper trail when it comes to Election Day electronic voting, so, who the hell knows whether your vote was truly counted?


I usually vote on Election Day, in person, which means you have to do it electronically. This year, I voted absentee via mail. I could check online that my vote was received, but I don't know that it says whether or not it was counted -- just that it was received.

It's sad when there are this many questions regarding our voting system.

[cos dem]

5. There are some other ways to protect your vote.

It depends on the state of course.

Here in Colorado, there are several protections:
1. Drop-off points. I always take my ballot to the drop off, rather than rely on the mail.
2. Online verification. You can go online and verify that your ballot was received and validated. If you do this early enough, presumably you could take issue with it being rejected for some reason (although I'm not certain of this, nor certain of the process).
3. Early voting in-person is also an option, if it's available.

Democrats should embark on a "voter protection" campaign (and call it that, so it's clear they're protecting everyone's right to vote). Get some of these things passed in states where we need them (GA and FL for example). This would be in contrast to the "voter suppression" campaign being run by the jerks. The good thing is, you can be open and up-front about such a campaign, whereas voter suppression has to be hidden under ruses like "voter fraud".

[FakeNoose]

6. In an ideal world, the voters' rights decisions would NOT be made by party hacks

Every state should have an oversight committee that is run by independent non-partisan judges/agents. The ballot formats should be reviewed for uniformity and legibility and printed in time for early balloting. Of course I'm talking about an issue that's near and dear to my heart - paper ballots rather than electronic voting machines.

Accidental deletion of voter registrations, updating of records, etc. can be handled fairly and promptly in every state and county. Not everyone has a drivers license for one reason or another, but just about everyone can get an ID (for a reasonable cost) that would be sufficient for voting. I was approved for my last passport by emailing a scan of my signature and a recent high-res jpeg photo. My US passport was renewed by mail for a cost of $60, but that may have gone up recently.

There are ways of handling voter registration and same-day voting fairly and judiciously without denying anyone their right to vote. All it takes is the WILL to do it, and some intelligent caring people to work out the issues. While the Repukes are in charge, that will never happen. I'm sorry to say it, but we've all seen they disasters they've created.

Here's hoping that our next 2-year cycle runs better than the last one.

[ThoughtCriminal]

8. In AZ, I verified that my early ballot was counted

I started voting early after I missed an important primary in 1984 due to a sudden illness.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. I have voted early in person for a number of years now,

in both Kansas and New Mexico. I am hugely in favor of early voting. But for those who must depend on a mail in ballot, I guess the only thing you can do in some places is mail it in and hope. It's good to know that some states inform a voter or allow them to verify it's been received and counted.

I would be highly unlikely to voluntarily move to one of the states that still only has Election Day voting.