With rump trying to disrupt the USPS, why not do an end run around that scheme?

[Cirque du So-What]

Make request for absentee ballot early, fill out and return, preferably at Board of Elections office. Involve the USPS as little as possible. Rump wants the mail to be a battlefield; simply don't engage on that front.

[soothsayer]

1. Yeah, where possible. The USPS holding up outgoing ballots to voters is a real problem though

[Cirque du So-What]

5. Hence my suggestion for requesting ballots early

If they don't arrive in a timely manner, start raising holy hell.

[soothsayer]

6. Right!

[csziggy]

23. My local Supervisor of Elections started sending out recommendations to request

Mail in ballots back in June. I got a reminder a week or so ago. They want to have plenty of time to make sure they can get all the requested ballots out in plenty of time for voters to receive them.

[LisaL]

45. OH doesn't even plan to start sending out ballots until Oct 6th.

That's less a month before the election.

[csziggy]

47. I'm not sure when they will start sending them out

Given the efficiency of the local Supervisor of Elections office, it will probably depend on how many requests they get. If they can process, say, 10,000 a week and they get 100,000 requests, they may begin sending them out in September!

Even though we are the capital of Florida, Leon County is pretty small, only about a quarter of a million people, so the supervisor's office can adapt pretty quickly. In 2000, Leon was the first county to complete the recount, and our former supervisor assisted other counties in doing theirs.

[Thekaspervote]

2. Yes yes yes...thank you..we must keep shouting this to everyone and everywhere

I’ve been posting it each time it is relevant to the OP, and will continue until someone says shut up!!

[CottonBear]

3. Many states do not allow one to drop off absentee/mail-in ballots.

The people in those states need to early vote in-person, if possible.

[SheltieLover]

15. TN is one of them! No drop off allowed

Nor are voters allowed to change to in-person voting without ballot being provisional (often not counted in red states!) once a mail-in ballot has been requested.

So, a person could request a mail-in ballot, never receive it request another and not receive it... i'm sure you understand.

I will be voting early, in person.

[stopbush]

4. I have heard that in some states, ballots dropped off at the BoE

are treated as provisional ballots, and provisional ballots aren’t always counted.

[sweetloukillbot]

9. As I understand, provisionals aren't counted when they won't change the outcome

EG - 500 vote difference, with 100 provisionals outstanding. No point in counting them as they won't make a difference.


But absolutely, research how your ballot is treated and what options you have in getting them to you and getting them returned safely.

[Cirque du So-What]

7. Replies so far point to another important issue

the hodgepodge of laws regarding elections among the various states. It's another chapter in my diatribe against states' rights being manipulated to screw over the public.

[SharonClark]

12. K&R

[csziggy]

26. That is the way the Constitution was written

Clause 2: Method of choosing electors

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

Under the U.S. Constitution the president and vice president are chosen by electors, under a constitutional grant of authority delegated to the legislatures of the several states. The Constitution reserves the choice of the precise manner for creating electors to the will of the state legislatures. It does not define or delimit what process a state legislature may use to create its state college of electors. In practice, the state legislatures have generally chosen to create electors through an indirect popular vote, since the 1820s. Most states have a "winner-take-all" system in which the candidate with the most votes in the state gets all the electoral votes.[6] Maine and Nebraska allow individual congressional districts to elect one elector.

In an indirect popular vote, it is the names of the candidates who are on the ballot to be elected. Most states do not put the names of the electors on the ballot.[6] It is generally understood by the voters and the electors themselves that they are the representative "stand-ins" for the candidates and are expected to cast their electoral college ballots for the president and vice president who appeared on the ballot. The actual electors being voted for are usually selected by the candidate's party. There are a few cases where some electors have refused to vote for the designated candidate. (See "Faithless Elector".) Many states have mandated in law that electors shall cast their electoral college ballot for the designated presidential candidate.[6] The constitutionality of such mandates was established on July 6, 2020 by the SCOTUS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Electoral_College_under_the_Twelfth_Amendment

Unless there is an amendment, the federal government cannot dictate to the states how their electors are selected or how an election for federal office, including the presidency, can be run.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Fedex and UPS could step up and deliver our votes for free. If they have the patriotic will.

Also simple secure drop boxes at polling stations open for some period of time before election day would do a lot of good. If town election boards also have the will.

[lagomorph777]

14. Unfortunately, I don't think most / any states would allow that.

[LisaL]

27. It's not allowed in many states.

OH doesn't allow it.

[C_U_L8R]

28. I hear ya. Maybe states need to step up more to protect our vote,

We're all out here scrambling and confused (as Trump clearly wants us to be). Our local community govts need to step up and clearly, loudly tell their constituents how our vote will be facilitated and secured.

[Blue_true]

40. So, the same people that don't live near a post office are supposed to hail a UPS or FEDEX truck?

The coverage of the USPS is considerably more than the geographical coverage of FEDEX and UPS combined.

I am still of the belief that Trump will hurt himself more than Biden by screwing with the USPS. He will likely take down a lot of republicans that count on rural voters with him.

[C_U_L8R]

42. I was only suggesting that they might help some if Trump kneecaps the USPS

Seems this whole thing is blowing up in Trump's face anyway. As tends to happen with him. We'll see.

[not_the_one]

50. Do you trust FedEx and UPS?

n/t

[The Wizard]

10. If your state has drop boxes for ballots

find one near home and drop your ballot there.

[DUgosh]

17. Donny is removing all blue boxes as we speak

With no consequences, no outrage, no media coverage -

[Cirque du So-What]

21. You're talking about USPS mailboxes

Some states have designated dropboxes for ballots. Again, rump gets us fighting on his turf by drawing attention to removi g mailboxes.

[beachbumbob]

11. each state has its own rules concerning modes of receiving and transmitting mail in ballots

[lagomorph777]

13. That is exactly my plan. In every state where that's legal/possible, we need to do that.

I'll be driving my ballot over, the same day I receive it.

If you're disabled, or have no transportation, please phone a friend, or your local Democratic Party. I'm sure people will fall all over themselves to help!!

[RhodeIslandOne]

16. We are supposed to encourage people to stay home

This is the problem. This fucking scumbag is going to use Covid to his advantage now.

[Blue_true]

41. People have a choice, stay home and don't vote like Trump want them to, or definitely vote and be

rid of him.

Personally, I would rather risk death from COVID19 than live through four more years (I promise you that if he makes this scheme work, our democracy is dead, we are stuck with him until he dies, then a kid of his takes over) of Trump destroying the country.


I see a lot of protest warriors that seem to love to talk about joining protests saying that they will mail in their ballots regardless. In my view, the two are contradictions. Trump is trying to hold power any way possible, if getting rid of him means dying, the people that love street protests should be ok with that, because surely if Trump cheats and win, the possibility of dying in the streets at the hands of his thugs becomes all too real and likely.

[RhodeIslandOne]

43. Look, I will crawl through a minefield to vote against this motherfucker

But it should not have to be like this. Anyone with an ounce of empathy would realize there are many old people like my parents who will do their duty to get rid of this bum, but it is tragic. And exactly why he needs to be arrested.

Politics and out nation's safety during a pandemic is yet another thing this cancer has corrupted. I can recognize both things as tragedies this son of a bitch, his family, and his enablers should be locked up for, and honestly worse.

[Blue_true]

46. Unfortunately, to bring him to Justice we must remove him from office via the vote first.

If we aren’t willing to risk death to vote him out, then anything else that we claim about him might as well be BS.

I know that sounds cold, but unfortunately that is where we are at now.

[SWBTATTReg]

18. Simple way to avoid their scheme is to wear a mask, and go vote in person. And by the way,

their elderly republican voters are freaking out too, about the post office deliberate delaying of the mail (some are getting their prescriptions coming in later then they normally anticipate too).

This is akin to indifference to human life and these republican thugs should be targeted and charged.

[Blue_true]

44. The thing that I find nauseating is I see people that have talked about being in protests

“fighting the power” saying that their only choice will be mailing in their ballot, even as it is clear what Trump’s plan is. The contradiction is startling, being willing to die to defend democracy is real only if those people are willing to face death to log a vote that counts and get that monster out of the White House, otherwise they are nothing more than people that go out and chant and listen to speeches for an hour or two.

I plan to vote in person and verify that my vote has been counted. I plan to use all possible protection against COVID19, but if I get sick and die, my only wish would be that as I am in my last seconds in this world, that a relative will have the presence of mind to remind me via phone audio that I lived to see Trump defeated on the night of Nov 3.

[SWBTATTReg]

49. Amen! I will eagerly stay up and wait until the results are in enough to finally say 'Biden' is

the new president of the US. I think Biden so far, w/ the margins we're seeing, is going to handily win, damn the results in 2016.

2016 was a different time versa today, especially now that many know truly what trump is really like, a simple con, crook and thug.

And I won't let the doomsayers and such on DU that seem to always be out there, 'oh, we're doomed, etc.', we're going to lose, etc. ... IMHO, get away from me, with your dark and negative predictions, you're not the kind of negative energy I/we need on DU.

[snowybirdie]

19. My plan exactly

End run around obstructions and get it done myself. Thanks

[Grammy23]

20. I checked online with my supervisor of elections in my county

to see how ballots are accepted back for counting. Mail, of course, is one option. But, according to the website, ballots in my county can be turned in at any early voting place until early voting ends. There is one location only a couple of miles away.

Check out your options. You probably have more than one way to turn in your ballot. But be sure before you choose. Call or go online and don’t wait until the last minute. Get your ballot in as soon after you receive it as possible.

[Cirque du So-What]

22. I encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with their state laws regarding absentee ballots

Every state website should have a page providing a summary in layman's terms. Pay attention to details. Don't allow your ballot to get tossed for any discrepancies whatsoever.

[SlogginThroughIt]

25. The forum is filled with these exact same posts and replies.

[Cirque du So-What]

30. Even more so now

Looks like your vocation is mapped out for ya.

[Cirque du So-What]

31. Spotted any more posts?

Better go scold the offenders.

[SMC22307]

32. It's a huge fucking topic.

If you don't like the posts, use the tools made available to you by the DU admininistrators.

[SlogginThroughIt]

33. It's in every other thread. If you don't like my post use the tools urself.

[SMC22307]

34. The difference is I'm not complaining about your post.

Use the tools provided to you rather than whine about the number of posts on voter suppression.

[SlogginThroughIt]

35. I wasn't complaining. I was pointing it out.

[SMC22307]

38. Uh-huh. (n/t)

[SlogginThroughIt]

39. ok

[ck4829]

36. So then you need to provide links to them, let this be a nerve center against this Trumpian plot!

[SlogginThroughIt]

37. I don't have to do shit.

JFC I made a comment that there are many many posts about this already. And now we are going round and round about it? Good god. Not really that big of a deal guys. This is a pretty typical post on just about any forum when many posts are made about the same topic flooding the forum.

How many times has someone said “drop it off” and the inevitable reply is “I can’t do it in this state”. Maybe we need to pin a post that gives this info?

[phylny]

29. This is our plan. n/t

[SiliconValley_Dem]

48. it's my plan