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Mail In Voting

Ted Lange

By Ted Lange
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Goredho

Goredho 17422

Posted
Posted

Colorado has mail in voting and we’ve used it the past three years we’ve lived here.  I love being able to, at a time of my convenience, sit down with the ballot and my laptop to thoroughly research candidates and measures as I make my decisions.  It is so much better than walking into a polling station and seeing a list of down ballot names that I don’t recognize and have no informed opinion on.

My vote is cast with much more thought, consideration and personal meaning than ever before.

Of course, all of the fraud this has empowered has led to the unmitigated disaster of a state government that is well run, truly reflective of its people’s will and capable of one of the best covid-19 responses in the country when so many who have followed the President’s non-lead have foundered:

B30-B57-C6-434-A-4-AB3-AA52-F039-A2-DA20

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bolverk

bolverk 29728

Posted
Posted (edited)
19 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Hell no, too easy to commit fraud by other party.  You can stand in a line at Walmart, The grocery store you can wait in line to vote.

Grocery stores and neighborhood schools cannot be used for voting in Travis County because of Covid concerns, according to a local KUT news story I heard on the radio this morning. Our county clerk said that it has been an extreme challenge (and remains ongoing) to find new voting locations for this fall and election administrators are very concerned that people are going to be confused about their traditional voting locations having changed. She also reiterated that the voting process will be slower than normal due to the safety precautions that must be taken, as well as the fact that a huge chunk of volunteers are elderly and won't be able to man the booths.

Fortunately, we've extended early voting by a few days but it sounds like it's going to a mess regardless.

ETA link to story: https://www.kut.org/post/voting-defunct-bank-election-officials-get-creative-search-safe-polling-sites-texas

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45750

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Posted
1 hour ago, bolverk said:

Grocery stores and neighborhood schools cannot be used for voting in Travis County because of Covid concerns, according to a local KUT news story I heard on the radio this morning. Our county clerk said that it has been an extreme challenge (and remains ongoing) to find new voting locations for this fall and election administrators are very concerned that people are going to be confused about their traditional voting locations having changed. She also reiterated that the voting process will be slower than normal due to the safety precautions that must be taken, as well as the fact that a huge chunk of volunteers are elderly and won't be able to man the booths.

Fortunately, we've extended early voting by a few days but it sounds like it's going to a mess regardless.

ETA link to story: https://www.kut.org/post/voting-defunct-bank-election-officials-get-creative-search-safe-polling-sites-texas

Heard that this morning too.  Early voting needs to be pushed hard.  Can't have people waiting until election day and expect shit to not go south.

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Pasken

Pasken 1309

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

I requested VBM last week. Anyone know when I should expect to receive a ballot? I don't want young hoodlums stealing it so they can vote in my name...

Incase you aren't joking I wouldn't risk voting by mail in Texas. The AG is going to do whatever he possibly he can to get all votes by people who don't have a legal disability thrown out or not counted. So far, he doesn't know who yet because the government can't ask you your disability but they are looking for a way. Early voting has been extended to 3 weeks. Find a random as voting location in your county and go vote in the middle of the day during the week. 

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54465

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Posted
7 minutes ago, Pasken said:

Incase you aren't joking I wouldn't risk voting by mail in Texas. The AG is going to do whatever he possibly he can to get all votes by people who don't have a legal disability thrown out or not counted. So far, he doesn't know who yet because the government can't ask you your disability but they are looking for a way. Early voting has been extended to 3 weeks. Find a random as voting location in your county and go vote in the middle of the day during the week. 

I have a legal disability.

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MC Fresh Breath

MC Fresh Breath 4074

Posted
Posted
On 5/21/2020 at 6:08 PM, Aqua Buddha said:

Oregon has been doing this for years.  In 2016 they had 10 cases of fraud out of 2M votes.

It’s funny that this wasn’t an issue a month ago.

 

Not only that, but get this.  Finally got my Oregon driver's license, and then about a week later you get a letter letting you know that by getting a driver's license you've automatically been registered to vote.  The letter lets you opt out or pick a party affiliation if you desire, otherwise you're automatically registered as an independent.   That's freaking awesome, imo.

 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45750

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

So Trump says mail-in ballots are not to be trusted. It makes me wonder why Trump Pence sent out this campaign morsel encouraging supporters to ... (checks notes) ..... mail in their ballots.

 

Mail in Ballot.jpg

Vote by mail for Rs only. Dems can’t be trusted. They are the spawn of satan. Demon sperms. 

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Queen Bitch

Queen Bitch 1692

Posted
Posted
On 8/2/2020 at 11:40 AM, Onboard 2.0 said:

Hell no, too easy to commit fraud by other party.  You can stand in a line at Walmart, The grocery store you can wait in line to vote.

Except you don’t *have* to go to Walmart or the grocery store.

You have the option to have those same items DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR HOME, you absolute dipshit.

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shakahorn

shakahorn 1645

Posted
Posted

I am concerned that the volume of votes by mail will overwhelm the system, especially in those jurisdictions where it hasn't been used much.  Look at what's happened to unemployment payment processing in many if not most states.  They weren't used to having that volume of claims and it overwhelmed them.  I haven't heard anything about states' plans to address this.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45750

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, shakahorn said:

I am concerned that the volume of votes by mail will overwhelm the system, especially in those jurisdictions where it hasn't been used much.  Look at what's happened to unemployment payment processing in many if not most states.  They weren't used to having that volume of claims and it overwhelmed them.  I haven't heard anything about states' plans to address this.

It's going to be a complete logistical breakdown, even without the rampant fraud from Rs.  I think we're screwed.

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Pig Bellmont

Pig Bellmont 8739

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

republicans have the mail in voting scam down in FL, that's how you read this 

Or he’s worried old republicans will stay home and not vote with no absentee option. He is in danger of losing FL on election night, and if so he’s fucked.  

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StassneyHorn

StassneyHorn 6643

Posted
Posted (edited)

@Biff Tannen Haven’t listened, but I’ll look it up. We’re not in session or special session now so to present it in a new episode makes it very problematic for spreading misinformation on their part or a mischaracterization. 

-The rule for voting by mail is everyone has universal access if you are over 65. No reason needed.

-If you want to say you will be out of town during early voting and Election Day, you can check the option. no proof needed

-If you have a disability or illness that will be exacerbated by showing up to vote, you can vote. Only you can make the distinction on what that is, and no proof needed.

Edited by StassneyHorn
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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45750

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, StassneyHorn said:

Haven’t listened, but I’ll look it up. We’re not in session or special session now so to present it in a new episode makes it very problematic for spreading misinformation on their part or a mischaracterization. 

-The rule for voting by mail is everyone has universal access if you are over 65. No reason needed.

-If you want to say you will be out of town during early voting and Election Day, you can check the option. no proof needed

-If you have a disability or illness that will be exacerbated by showing up to vote, you can vote. Only you can make the distinction on what that is, and no proof needed.

This was still my understanding, so if they are wrong, I'd like to make them aware so they don't spread disinfo.

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StassneyHorn

StassneyHorn 6643

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

This was still my understanding, so if they are wrong, I'd like to make them aware so they don't spread disinfo.

Yea, if anything we have a very wide range of excuse making for anyone under 65 and the message should be pounded like crazy along with our extended early voting.

Edited by StassneyHorn
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workswithseed

workswithseed 2119

Posted
Posted

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-attorney-general-goes-after-alleged-mail-in-ballot-fraud-in-2018-election/ar-BB19oNl6

 

AUSTIN, Texas — Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday announced the arrest of a Democratic county commissioner and three associates in Gregg County in East Texas on charges of election fraud in a 2018 election.

In an announcement with potential significance for the November elections when voting by mail is expected to increase significantly because of the threat of COVID-19, Paxton said Gregg County Commissioner Shannon Brown, Marlena Jackson, Charlie Burns and DeWayne Ward orchestrated a vote-harvesting scheme to help win Brown win the Democratic primary two years ago.

Paxton, a Republican who has opposed Democratic efforts to expand mail voting during the pandemic, said the case proved mail ballots could be easily manipulated.

“It is an unfortunate reality that elections can be stolen outright by mail ballot fraud. Election fraud, particularly an organized mail ballot fraud scheme orchestrated by political operatives, is an affront to democracy and results in voter disenfranchisement and corruption at the highest level,” Paxton said in a statement. “This case demonstrates my commitment to ensuring Texas has the most secure elections in the country.”

Brown’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

In total, the four defendants face 134 felony charges, including engaging in organized election fraud, illegal voting, fraudulent use of an application for a mail-in ballot, unlawful possession of a mail-in ballot, tampering with a governmental record and election fraud.

A grand jury returned indictments on 23 felony counts for Brown; 97 felony counts for Jackson; eight felony counts against Burns; and six felony counts against Ward.

Penalties for the offenses range from six months in state jail to 99 years in prison.

Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have decried any efforts to expand mail voting during the November elections saying it opens the door to massive voter fraud.

Brown’s race, however, was a small local race with barely more than 2,000 ballots cast. Brown defeated his opponent, Kasha Williams, by five votes.

In his announcement, Paxton said Brown and the other defendants targeted “young, able-bodied” voters and claimed they were disabled so they could cast their mail ballots for Brown. In most cases, the voters did not know this was happening and did not consent.

Having a disability is one of the four qualifications a voter can use to be eligible to vote by mail in Texas.

The requirement hits on a larger debate over voting by mail during the pandemic, something that was not an issue in the 2018 Gregg County case. The Texas Supreme Court has said that a lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone is not a disability and does not qualify someone to vote by mail. To be eligible, a voter must have another illness or physical condition preventing in-person voting without the likelihood of harm to the voter’s health.

But the Supreme Court has not explained what those other conditions could be. It has left that decision to the judgment of the voter — and potentially Paxton, who says many of the allegedly fraudulent ballots in Gregg County were cast using the disability qualification. He has warned that he will prosecute any person fraudulently voting or giving false information about how to vote by mail.

On mail ballot applications, voters don’t have to list their specific disability so voter registrars have no basis to determine whether a person’s disability keeps them from voting in person.

But an investigation by the state could further clarify that question. That means a person making a determination that an illness would risk their health if they voted in-person could later be investigated for election fraud.

In Gregg County, the investigation began after Brown’s opponent filed suit to contest the race’s outcome. A voter’s allegation of impropriety aided the probe, according to the news website East Texas Matters.

In Brown’s race, nearly 40% of the votes were cast by mail ballot — an unusually high amount. Of those 787 votes, at least 226 — almost 29% — claimed a disability.

“Mail ballots are vulnerable to diversion, coercion, and influence by organized vote-harvesting schemes,” Paxton said. “Those who try to manipulate the outcome of elections in Texas must be held accountable.”

Paxton said his office worked with the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office on its investigation and will jointly prosecute the case with the county’s district attorney.

 

 

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Mdhorn

Mdhorn 5990

Posted
Posted (edited)

Crossposting here too: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/us-attorney-battleground-pennsylvania-investigating-023800972.html

It's coincidentally mail in voter fraud in a swing state involving trashed mail in ballots for Trump that were dumped outside a board of elections.  Sounds planted but Barr is on it.  This is why I wish we had a functioning normal government investigative agency of some sort that hasn't been tampered with by this administration.  

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lemonlime

lemonlime 5503

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Mdhorn said:

Crossposting here too: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/us-attorney-battleground-pennsylvania-investigating-023800972.html

It's coincidentally mail in voter fraud in a swing state involving trashed mail in ballots for Trump that were dumped outside a board of elections.  Sounds planted but Barr is on it.  

It's bullshit. Have ballots even been mailed out yet in PA?

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Mdhorn

Mdhorn 5990

Posted
Posted (edited)
16 minutes ago, lemonlime said:

It's bullshit. Have ballots even been mailed out yet in PA?

Don't know but guess they're military--from the article:

"At this point we can confirm that a small number of military ballots were discarded. Investigators have recovered nine ballots at this time. Some of those ballots can be attributed to specific voters and some cannot," the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania first announced in an initial press release that all nine ballots were cast for Trump, but later corrected that number to seven and said two were resealed inside the envelope. Pennsylvania utilizes "secrecy envelopes" that cover cast ballots in addition to the larger, mailing envelope.....

The situation was cited by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany before the U.S. attorney’s statement during Thursday's White House press briefing when she was asked about the president's criticism of mail-in voting.

"I can confirm for you that Trump ballots, ballots for the president, were found in Pennsylvania and I believe you should be getting more information on that shortly," she said. "Here In the last 24 hours, they were found cast aside."

Former Department of Justice official Justin Levitt criticized the nature of the Justice Department statement, writing on Twitter, "An investigation here may be reasonable. But there is NO legit reason for a DOJ press release on a pending investigation, that announces a partial list of unconfirmed facts, including the identity of one of the candidates on specific ballots."

Levitt, who served as the National Voter Protection Counsel in 2008, described the DOJ release to The Washington Post as a baldly political move to announce the probe with partial facts and to name Trump as the candidate who was voted for on the ballots. "It's wildly improper, and it’s truly unconscionable," he told the paper.

"Opening a military or overseas ballot, or an absentee or mail-in ballot for that matter, violates the controlling statutes and is contrary to Pennsylvania Department of State guidance," Freed wrote. "The preliminary findings of this inquiry are troubling and the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections must comply with all applicable state and federal election laws and guidance to ensure that all votes-regardless of party-are counted to ensure an accurate election count."

Freed added in his letter that there is no guarantee any of the votes discarded in the dumpster will be counted in the general election: "Even though your staff has made some attempts to reconstitute certain of the improperly opened ballots, there is no guarantee that any of these votes will be counted in the general election."

In their initial interviews with staff at the office, Freed said they were told that "all or nearly all envelopes received in the elections office were opened as a matter of course."

"It was explained to investigators the envelopes used for official overseas, military, absentee and mail-in ballot requests are so similar, that the staff believed that adhering to the protocol of preserving envelopes unopened would cause them to miss such ballot requests," Freed said. "Our interviews further revealed that this issue was a problem in the primary election -- therefore a known issue -- and that the problem has not been corrected."

 

 

 

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lemonlime

lemonlime 5503

Posted
Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, Mdhorn said:

Don't know but guess they're military--from the article:

"At this point we can confirm that a small number of military ballots were discarded. Investigators have recovered nine ballots at this time. Some of those ballots can be attributed to specific voters and some cannot," the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania first announced in an initial press release that all nine ballots were cast for Trump, but later corrected that number to seven and said two were resealed inside the envelope. Pennsylvania utilizes "secrecy envelopes" that cover cast ballots in addition to the larger, mailing envelope.....

The situation was cited by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany before the U.S. attorney’s statement during Thursday's White House press briefing when she was asked about the president's criticism of mail-in voting.

"I can confirm for you that Trump ballots, ballots for the president, were found in Pennsylvania and I believe you should be getting more information on that shortly," she said. "Here In the last 24 hours, they were found cast aside."

Former Department of Justice official Justin Levitt criticized the nature of the Justice Department statement, writing on Twitter, "An investigation here may be reasonable. But there is NO legit reason for a DOJ press release on a pending investigation, that announces a partial list of unconfirmed facts, including the identity of one of the candidates on specific ballots."

Levitt, who served as the National Voter Protection Counsel in 2008, described the DOJ release to The Washington Post as a baldly political move to announce the probe with partial facts and to name Trump as the candidate who was voted for on the ballots. "It's wildly improper, and it’s truly unconscionable," he told the paper.

"Opening a military or overseas ballot, or an absentee or mail-in ballot for that matter, violates the controlling statutes and is contrary to Pennsylvania Department of State guidance," Freed wrote. "The preliminary findings of this inquiry are troubling and the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections must comply with all applicable state and federal election laws and guidance to ensure that all votes-regardless of party-are counted to ensure an accurate election count."

Freed added in his letter that there is no guarantee any of the votes discarded in the dumpster will be counted in the general election: "Even though your staff has made some attempts to reconstitute certain of the improperly opened ballots, there is no guarantee that any of these votes will be counted in the general election."

In their initial interviews with staff at the office, Freed said they were told that "all or nearly all envelopes received in the elections office were opened as a matter of course."

"It was explained to investigators the envelopes used for official overseas, military, absentee and mail-in ballot requests are so similar, that the staff believed that adhering to the protocol of preserving envelopes unopened would cause them to miss such ballot requests," Freed said. "Our interviews further revealed that this issue was a problem in the primary election -- therefore a known issue -- and that the problem has not been corrected."

 

 

 

Yup.  This twitter thread provides a good explanation for what appears to have happened.  TLDR--the recent PA Supreme Court ruling that ballots not placed in the privacy envelope be invalidated led to confusion when some military ballots were received not in the privacy envelope.

 

Edit to add a good one tweet summary of what happened and the bullshit being instigated by the GOP.

 

Edited by lemonlime
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Dbeasy

Dbeasy 15095

Posted
Posted

I think we should be all extremely worried that Trump and Russia are working together to set the foundation for stealing the election.  Do polling places still keep a copy of your physical ballot, with identifying information about you, or have they ever? Because the real threat here is that Russia AGAIN successfully breaks into the balloting systems and changes 2-3% of the votes to swing a Trump loss to a win, without anyone ever knowing.

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lemonlime

lemonlime 5503

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I think we should be all extremely worried that Trump and Russia are working together to set the foundation for stealing the election.  Do polling places still keep a copy of your physical ballot, with identifying information about you, or have they ever? Because the real threat here is that Russia AGAIN successfully breaks into the balloting systems and changes 2-3% of the votes to swing a Trump loss to a win, without anyone ever knowing.

1000x this.  I think his opposition to vote by mail is not only that more people vote.  It's that there will be a paper trail.

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted

So with 75,000,000 people expected to vote...we're talking about 9 spoiled ballots.  

What's that, 0.00000012%?  We're worried about that percentage but not the percentage of people dying from Covid-19?  

Hint:  It's slightly higher

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heso

heso 2816

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, lemonlime said:

It's bullshit. Have ballots even been mailed out yet in PA?

Ballots have not been sent out yet in PA. Those could have only been write-in ballots with no candidates listed that get sent out to some military early in case they don’t have time to get and return a standard absentee ballot. 

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heso

heso 2816

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

So with 75,000,000 people expected to vote...we're talking about 9 spoiled ballots.  

What's that, 0.00000012%?  We're worried about that percentage but not the percentage of people dying from Covid-19?  

Hint:  It's slightly higher

They had to issue a correction. 2 were resealed an stores before the FBI got there so it’s only 7 ballots. 

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