Massive lines for early voting in Va. Officials say they've never seen anything like this on day one

[bigtree]

Marshall Cohen @MarshallCohen 19m
Massive line of voters in Fairfax, Virginia, on the FIRST DAY of in-person early voting. Some voters say they showed up because they lost faith in USPS to deliver ballots. Officials tell CNN they've never seen anything like this on Day One.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[BainsBane]

1. wearing masks

an excellent sign.

[bigtree]

4. ah, yes

...the tell.

[onetexan]

35. Holy smokes this is AWESOME!!! Go Dems!!

Biden/Harris 2020!!!

[pazzyanne]

29. The mask wearing was my first impression also. nt

[Ilsa]

40. And social distancing. Another good sign for Biden/Harris. nt

[sarge43]

51. Indeed.

Functioning IQs, can't be Trump cultists.

Looking good.

[IronLionZion]

54. Masks are like Biden stickers in some places

If people are voting early and wearing masks, social distancing, following the rules, etc. they are likely voting for Biden/Harris and hopefully Dems downticket too.

[BainsBane]

65. Unless there is a mask mandate

Do you know if VA has a mask mandate? The social distancing is a good sign too.
They are likely Biden voters.

[Laelth]

2. Blue Virginia! k&r n/t

-Laelth

[SoonerPride]

3. these people are not voting for donnnie dumbfuck

you can take that to the bank

[brewens]

5. Oh my God! Mostly Trumpers! We have to get out and vote or we're doomed!

Just kidding. I bet that's huge for our side, but we should play it like my title.

[pazzyanne]

30. Absolutely!

I am taking nothing for granted this year!!!

[duhneece]

82. Exactly

I can’t become optimistic. I was optimistic 4 years ago and ended up curled in fetal position for days.
Too much work to be done after a few days of pure mourning for RBG.

[cwydro]

6. All the mask wearers gives me hope they're voting BLUE.

[FM123]

10. I was thinking the very same thing!

[kozar]

27. Mrs K and I noticed that also,

through the pictures we examined, also noted, no visible red caps and mostly women from photos,all good little signs.



Koz

[cwydro]

45. Absolutely!

[demosincebirth]

81. Must wear a mask inside polling hall. Also no political signage.

[spooky3]

39. Fairfax Co is very blue. Nt

[appalachiablue]

74. Fairfax Co., Va. very blue & very big. It as more population

at 1.2 mill than the states of WV, DE, RI, VT, MT, WY, SD, ND, AK.

[spooky3]

75. Yes. There is NO chance VA will go for Trump. I just wish

the Electoral College didn't exist.

[appalachiablue]

77. Go Virginia, the ec is a huge problem.

[spooky3]

79. and Wyoming. nt

[appalachiablue]

80. TY, got it.

[Thekaspervote]

7. Sure hope it's that way everywhere!!

[FM123]

8. Yes! This is how we do!

Go big blue!

[Upthevibe]

9. Kick....n/t

[BComplex]

11. I have a feeling we're going to be seeing this all over the country.

People are really fed up with trump and the republicans.

[DarthDem]

20. Was just going to say the same

I hope you're right!

[SWBTATTReg]

25. People are fed up. We're going to stomp rump and the republicans' asses (pardon) into ...

the ground as they so well deserve.

[SWBTATTReg]

26. People are fed up. We're going to stomp rump and the republicans' asses (pardon) into ...

the ground as they so well deserve.

[Botany]

12. Time to go Donny and this is just the first wave

[soothsayer]

13. Here in Arlington too (ps drumpf ruined "officials have never seen anything like it" for me)

Link to tweet

?s=21


Arlington Now
@ARLnowDOTcom
Early voting is now open in Arlington, and people are lining up around the block

First Day of Early Voting Attracts Long Line in Arlington
arlnow.com
https://t.co/kaz0P3aCVQ?amp=1

[Ilsa]

41. That's more fantastic news! Thanks! nt

[NCDem47]

14. MOTIVATED!

People will walk through fire and over glass to vote Trump out!

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

71. OR up hill through a torrential storm raining BURNING GLASS on their EYELIDS....Just sayin'. nm

[soothsayer]

15. It's awesome we opened the day after Joe's town hall

People can feel secure in their choice (as if there IS a choice!).

Anyway I hope the timing and apparent cause and effect get up Drumpf’s nose. Bwahaha

[bamagal62]

16. Woohoo!!!!!

I can’t wait to get in line. Let’s do this!

[House of Roberts]

17. Looks like nice weather.

Standing outside in a line when it's raining or cold must suck. I'd want to get it done in the best weather possible.

There's never more than a couple people ahead of me when I vote, and it's indoors with plenty of room.

I'd like to see a Biden Administration reauthorize the Voting Right's Act for all fifty states and include equal access as a provision that can be challenged by the law. No one should have to stand outside in a long line while others have it easy.

[spooky3]

73. Yes, it's been nice. But keep in mind that many people ordered absentee ballots

so they aren't in the lines--the number of blue votes is much higher!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

18. Virginia is for lovers...

... not Trumpers!

[Yavin4]

19. This is why LV models are bullshit

Voters are super motivated to vote which makes this election unlike all previous elections.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

43. By LV models, do you mean likely voter?

Let's just hope the Trump supporters are less motivated than the Biden supporters.

[Yavin4]

55. See this.

Our goal shouldn’t be finding which individuals are and are not going to vote, but rather constructing a sample that reflects the likely electorate, which includes some more, and some less likely, voters.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/516655-mellman-the-likely-voter-sham

[liberalla]

21. Woo Hoo!!!

. .

. . . . .

[PatrickforO]

22. I'm thinking these are people utterly fed up with the corrupt, treasonous shit show

that is the Trump administration.

Just the cult members supporting him now.

[Javaman]

23. must be nice to have voting this early

here in texas, it doesn't start until the 13th of oct

I will be there are 6:30 AM for the 7 AM opening.

[Lonestarblue]

36. I was just thinking I might wait a couple of days, but 6:30 might do the trick.

I am so ready for this election to be over and the stupid orange menace out of the White House, along with all the other incompetent people he put in charge of important government functions.

[onetexan]

37. Abbott extended early voting by a week is my understanding, and that hasn't changed despite pushback

from Repubs. Now it's 10/13 - 10/30.

[MFGsunny]

24. Sing it with me :: Alleluja! n/t

[grantcart]

28. Adios Trump - Phoenix billboard

[liberalla]

32. I like it!

[gademocrat7]

34. Great message!

[BootinUp]

64. He wins a complimentary taco salad. Nt

[not_the_one]

76. HEY TWO SCOOPS, YOU'RE FIRED!

works, too.

[Vivienne235729]

31. If I played an instrument or was part of a band, I'd do an impromptu concert

for the people waiting in line.

[33taw]

33. Ask for paper ballots if available. They have an audit trail.

[pandr32]

47. +1

[sheshe2]

38. Masks and social distancing!

Those aren’t Trump voters!🇺🇸🇺🇸🗳👍

[BumRushDaShow]

42. I expect a lot of them are either government employees

or contractors or associated given the D.C. metro location... Quite a few are still teleworking so when the opportunity presented itself, they could go ahead and get it done.

[Gothmog]

44. This makes me smile

Link to tweet

[BComplex]

52. I've gotta say, I'm really glad people aren't just putting full faith in the post office.

I plan to vote in person.

[lindysalsagal]

46. ALL GOOD NEWS!!!

People are PISSED!!!

[maxsolomon]

48. That's writing on the wall, President Asshole.

The American People want you gone.

[Tracer]

49. This is wonderful!

Thank you people of Virginia for coming out to vote!

I've got the first day of in-person early voting marked on my calendar. It's not until October 18, but I will be one of the first people in line.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

50. Wow.

My son lives in Fairfax VA. I'll have to ask him when he plans to vote.

One reason I have always liked early voting is that there is generally not much of a line.

My first day of early voting here in NM starts Oct 17, which seems less early than in the past. I also double checked early voting locations, and it seems as if there may not be as many as in the past, but my memory may very well be wrong on both those things. I normally go to the country fairgrounds to vote, and my plan is that on the first day to drive there, see how long the line is, and if it's longer than I'd like, come back later or the next day. Keep on returning until I'm willing to stand in line. However, people here are all wearing masks and are good at social distancing. Plus, we normally have mild, pleasant weather, so standing in line won't be a problem.

One thing I like about our early voting at the fairgrounds, is that when they get someone for whom it is the first time to vote, usually a young person, they ring a bell and applaud and cheer. What a great thing to do.

But it is wonderful to see so many people showing up there. I wonder what the rest of Virginia looks like, and I wonder if there will be lines every day of early voting there. I hope so.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

53. Yes!!!

[Codeine]

56. When people turn out, we win!

This is such a good sign.

[IronLionZion]

57. Blue Wave!

Ridin with Biden!

[live love laugh]

70. Blue Tsunami !

[Laura PourMeADrink]

58. Wearing masks - easy to count! As Dems !!!

[Skittles]

68. repukes do wear masks

I know plenty of them

[BootinUp]

59. ByeDon!

[crickets]

60. Wow. Found a video of the line from about three hours ago.

Link to tweet

alexandra
@aliemalie
From me, currently in that line... It’s the first day of early voting in Virginia, and I think Virginians are excited to vote. There’s a two hour line in Fairfax County already.

It's on a fast loop and restarts immediately, so look for the Biden/Harris sign at the very end. That's a lot of people! Way to go, Virginia!

[Le Roi de Pot]

61. CIS BOOM BAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

[world wide wally]

62. Not one MAGA hat

[LuvNewcastle]

63. I think early voting is the best way to encourage

voter participation. Early voting is more difficult for Republicans to challenge since it's at the polling place and it's harder for people to commit fraud than with mail-in voting. We probably should have both, though, since we have more and more people who are home-bound and we have these epidemics. Higher voter participation is linked to more Democrats being elected.

[H2O Man]

66. Recommended.

[smirkymonkey]

67. K&R

[dixiechiken1]

69. We need this kind of visual...

It will make the election harder to steal.

[reACTIONary]

72. Apropos - Virginia not a Swing State Anymore...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/virginia-not-a-swing-state/2020/09/18/9741e2e4-f843-11ea-89e3-4b9efa36dc64_story.html


Demographic trends — immigration, and a population boom in the well-educated, affluent Northern Virginia suburbs — had been nudging the state into purple territory for years. The rise of Trump threw that into overdrive, as non-White and college-educated voters recoiled from what they saw as “a toxic combination of ideology and style,” political scientist Larry J. Sabato said.

[Blue Owl]

78. K&R

[GoneOffShore]

83. Excellent stuff - And our official PA Absentee ballots were emailed to us today.

We printed them first thing, and they went in LaPoste by 12:15 CEST. Should only take 4 days to get to Philadelphia.

[LisaL]

84. You ballots were emailed to you?

The actual ballots should be arriving by mail, not email.

[rgbecker]

85. It looks to me like the ballot is to be mailed, not emailed.

Maybe you have received a ballot application via email or at the link below, but it seems the actual ballot is sent via mail and to be returned via mail or dropped off.

This is interesting to me because usually tying the ballot to an actual address and registered voter is key to address the concerns that there are ballots out in circulation that could be filled out and returned by anybody.

[link:https://www.votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Mail-and-Absentee-Ballot.aspx|

Thanks in advance for clearing this up for us.

[GoneOffShore]

87. Our printable secure pdf ballots were emailed to us here in France. We are registered in PA

But live abroad.

We had to print the ballot, the declaration, and the address label with a special bar code on it.

Here's the Vote From Abroad site - https://www.votefromabroad.org/

And the Federal Voter Assistance Program - https://www.fvap.gov/citizen-voter

Dear Voter:
Because you indicated on your absentee ballot application that you would like to receive your ballot electronically for the upcoming election, this notice is being provided to assist you in accessing your ballot materials. In order to better safeguard election materials, we are now sending your ballot in an encrypted email.

To access and download your absentee ballot, you will need to follow the following steps:

Locate the email with the Subject line that begins with: [Send Secure] Absentee Ballot
Download the attachment in the email (message.html) and save to your computer or device
Open the downloaded attachment
You will be presented with two (2) options to view the contents of the encrypted email
Option 1: If you received your ballot on a Microsoft email account, you may sign in using those credentials
Additionally, if your Gmail (or other) email account is linked to the Microsoft email account, you may sign in using those credentials; or
You may pursue option 2.
Option 2: You may opt to receive a one-time passcode. If you received your ballot on any other email account, you should follow the “Use a one-time passcode” link. A passcode will then be emailed to you.
Enter the passcode that you received in a separate email into the prompt on the previous screen and click Continue
Follow the instructions once you have opened the electronic ballot email contents
(Tip: the decryption process works best using the Google Chrome and Firefox browsers.)

Once you have decrypted the ballot email, you will be able to access your attached ballot. Upon opening your ballot, you will be prompted with the following message: “This document is password protected. Please enter a password” where you will need to enter the following Correspondence ID Number: -------------- to unlock your actual ballot. We recommend writing this number down or copying it elsewhere for easy referencing.

If you have any questions along the way, please don’t hesitate to call (866-472-7873, Option 4) or email for more information.

Regards,

Pennsylvania Department of State

[rgbecker]

88. Wow! Thanks for the thorough explanation and info. Gotta love the DU. n/t

[GoneOffShore]

89. Oh, and our completed ballots were sent off at 12:15 CEST today from Aix-en-Provence

#BidenHarris2020Landslide

[Susan Calvin]

86. Is anybody doing exit polling on this? nt