This is why I will not be voting by mail

[csziggy]

I've posted responses before about the major problems with deliveries by the local post office for my area. It's so bad, the local paper has written about it:

Tallahassee residents outraged over poor mail delivery
TaMaryn Waters
Dec. 20, 2018

Tallahassee residents have a mail problem that appears to have begun long before the hectic holiday delivery season.

Some residents, especially those living in northeast Tallahassee, say the U.S Postal Service isn't delivering letters and packages for days at a time or not at all. Just as frustrating, they've had no success getting answers either when they call customer service or drive to the local post office to speak to management.

The issue struck a nerve with residents after former Tampa Bay Times reporter Lucy Morgan wrote a Dec. 10 column in the Tallahassee Democrat chronicling her neighborhood's concerns. In addition, more than 1,000 comments, many of them lambasting the Post Office, were posted on Facebook in response to this article.

Following the social media firestorm, Kanickewa “Nikki” Johnson, a regional spokeswoman for USPS, said the agency wouldn't be granting any interviews at this time about delivery service concerns. She added no formal investigation was underway.

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/money/2018/12/20/tallahassee-residents-outraged-over-poor-mail-delivery/2360995002/

It has not gotten better since that article was written.

June 11, 2020, I sent a certified letter, signature required. I just got the letter back as "unclaimed to forward" - the part that really pisses me off is that the building where the letter was to be delivered is two fucking building down the same side of the street from the post office.

On 6/12/20 there is a note about "tree work" - yes the company had trees taken out to enlarge their parking lot. There is some undecipherable note dated 6/16. Then nothing until a note "LN 8-7-20" I'd guess when they decided that they would not bother any more attempts at delivery.

So I paid over four dollars for the post office to store a CERTIFIED business letter for almost two months. Future legal documents will be sent via FedEx. This post office has demonstrated that they can't do it at all.

I do not trust this post office to deliver mail. I've had a box at that location for over forty years. When they "lose" Amazon or other packages, they make no attempt to locate them, they just tell me to have another of whatever it was sent. That means medications and medical supplies have to be re-sent and Amazon has to eat the loss. I seriously believe that there are known thieves working in the building and that their managers do not care to have them charged with theft.

Since they are incapable of delivering mail, I cannot trust them with a ballot. I would not be surprised if they lost a truckload of mail in ballots this year.

[Sugarcoated]

1. Me, either.

We know much more how the virus is spread so I feel comfortable voting in person with a mask. The cheatin GOP and crooked Donnie ain't stealing my vote

[SheltieLover]

7. I will vote early, in person, too!

Before this USPS thing about delayed mail became an issue, mail in Memphis would sit for at least a week before delivery.

[shanti]

2. No drop boxes in your area?

It doesn't HAVE to go in the mail.

[gratuitous]

5. Or you can drop off your ballot at the County Elections Office

All this tiresome fear-mongering about vote-by-mail is getting tiresome.

[SheltieLover]

6. Depends on state - cannot hand deliver in TN!

Please check your state's laws about this!

In TN, once you request mail in ballot, you cannot drop off anywhere. Nor are you allowed to vote in person instead.

Shithole red TN.

[moonscape]

21. Awful. Criminal actually. n/t

[SheltieLover]

23. I concur!

But TN is a red shithole. To be expected repukes wpuld try to suppress vote.

I would not want someone to plan on dropping off ballot after work on election day, only to find they are not allowed! 🤬

[csziggy]

11. There could be but I'd have to drive twice as far as voting in person

And I'm not worried about early voting, which is what I have done since they began it. When I voted in the Presidential Primary this year, my husband and I were the only voters and all the poll workers were wearing masks and gloves.

The state primaries started early voting Monday. We'll probably go vote Wednesday morning and I don't expect there to be a crowd for that election.

[shanti]

32. It's the voting machines that

I'm concerned about. Maybe your voting place has a drop box for those who don't trust the machines?

[csziggy]

33. We vote on paper ballots

During early voting since voters can go to any location, the ballots are printed when you check in so they are fresh out of the laser printer. The ballot is put into a folder, you fill out the ballot, insert it into the scanner and put the folder into a box. So the only things you touch that might be questionable are the folders and the pens to fill out the ballots. After we voted in the primaries, one of the workers wiped down the booth and pen I used after I was done. I suspect, but did not observe, that they also sanitize the folders in some way.

[Sugarcoated]

20. Donnie the Diddler is taking PA to court

to stop us from having drop boxes so it's not clear yet. I believe we can still drop off ballots at our county board of electors, my county being Montgomery County so BOE is in Norristown.

[SheltieLover]

24. Following shithole TN'S Policy of no hand delivery of ballots?

[Sugarcoated]

29. Cons are gonna try

but thankfully the really extreme shit doesn't quite make it to law

[SheltieLover]

30. Very true!

I sure hope they are ALL prosecuted to the fullest extent soon for everything they have and continue to do to our country!

[Hortensis]

22. Right. I decided not to send for an absentee ballot but instead

to wait to return to GA and pick one up at the registrar's office. I'll deliver it there myself also. Come to think of it, we should have all our choices prepared so we fill it out there. No need for two trips.

[SheltieLover]

25. Good idea!

[Karadeniz]

3. The Postmaster General is soon to be interviewed by the House, I think. Do you want to send your

Experience with that committee? I don't know which committee.

[csziggy]

12. I left a message with my representative's office

I hope they will get back to me soon.

[MacKasey]

4. Vote early and hand deliver

Went to town clerk, got primary ballot, will hand deliver next week

[SheltieLover]

8. Please check your state laws about drop off

TN does NOT allow you to drop off balllot anywhere. They also do not allow you to change voting to in-person, once mail ballot requested!

[SoCalNative]

14. You don't techically have to put it in the mail

you can also use UPS or Fed Ex to have it sent, per the TN SOS website:

Can I hand deliver my ballot to the election office?

No. You must return your ballot by mail (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.).

https://sos.tn.gov/products/elections/absentee-voting

[csziggy]

15. I'd get more exposure taking it to the local FedEx or UPS office than I would at early voting

The site where I do early voting is low traffic. For the Presidential Primaries, the only voters in the place were my husband and me. Six poll workers, all wearing masks and gloves, and two voters with masks.

Taking it to a drop box means driving almost twice as far as just doing early voting.

[SheltieLover]

26. Me too

I'll do in-person, early voting. 👍

[SheltieLover]

17. Very true!

Ty for sharing.

My point in posting about checking laws was to prevent last-minute surprises for others living in red states.

Ty!

[Brainfodder]

9. SO, fucking with the mail isn't the last straw for the Republican rank and file among us?

Does this mean war?

[lagomorph777]

10. If you have the option to hand-deliver to a drop box, do it!

That's my plan.

[ananda]

13. I will, but I can hand deliver my ballot myself.

Yay

[Baked Potato]

16. Trump is creating a problem Joe Biden can fix.

Trump always fucks shit up with no plan to fix things. That’s his downfall, he destroys and expects everyone else to rebuild. Except, it’s not working.

[panader0]

18. Voting by mail, besides being safer than standing in line,

provides a paper record of your vote. Every state should do it exclusively like Oregon.
I used to enjoy going to the school or firehouse or now the local church and voting in
person. No more.

[Hekate]

19. Well I see the GOP plot to destroy faith in the PO is working just as planned...

Do you know where your County’s drop-off box for ballots is? Do they have more than one location?

Call your County Board of Elections (might have a slightly different name where you are) and find out.

Then take your absentee ballot in hand and drop it in.

[SheltieLover]

27. No such option in TN! 🤬

Great plan though for others!

[csziggy]

28. This particular PO branch has been mis-managed for decades

It's just gotten worse and worse as more people move into this part of the county.

As I said above, it is farther to any of the drop off places than it is to just go early vote. When my husband and I voted in the Presidential Primaries, we were the only voters at the location with six masked, gloved poll workers. We all maintained appropriate social distancing and I was comfortable being there.

In fact, there is early voting for the state primaries right now. I won't be able to go vote until next week but it should be fine.

[samnsara]

31. no drop off boxes?