I just learned I can only vote via an electronic machine.

[dawn]

I live in Orange County, California, where those machines have replaced the regular punch cards. I just got my sample ballot for the March 2 primary and read about it in there.

I don't want to use one of those machines! I'm not as worried about the primary as I am about November. What should I do? Vote absentee? Do they count absentee ballots if the election isn't close?

This is such BS.

[Sapphocrat]

1. File for an absentee ballot now!

That's what this Californian is doing.

And yes, they count absentee ballots, no matter what -- in theory, anyway. In reality, well, that's another story.

[dawn]

3. I definitely will.

My husband always votes absentee. I never thought they were really counted, but I'd rather have my vote recorded on paper.

[Dr.Phool]

2. By all means

vote absentee. They must count them and it's the only way you can get a verifiable ballot!!!!

We're having a hard time in Florida with KNOWN touch screen failures, and the Elections Supervisors still claim everything is hunky-dory.We've threatened a mass absentee campaign.

[SheilaT]

4. I plan on voting by paper absentee ballot

here in Kansas. I heard this morning on NPR that some one of the primary states (wish I could remember which one) had an extraordinary number of people vote by absentee ballot. Don't know if the absentees will turn that state's vote to a specific candidate, but it's evidence of a very large turnout, supposedly.

[maggrwaggr]

5. Wow, this just dawned on me that this is how they can be stopped

All we need are a few voters bringing suit because they know their vote might not be counted because of BBV.

This is classic disenfranchisement, only this time technological.

[eyeswideopened]

6. Awesome, Me Too

I have this problem in Texas where I live. I never thought of an absentee ballot.

When I went to vote I was very upset because after they scratched my name off the list then at the next table I had to get a pin number (which they said was random) in order to vote. I had to punch this number into the machine in order to vote. They could associate my name to my pin (in my opinion) and therefore my ballot would not be a secret ballot. Anyone else ever hear of this?

Thanks for the advice. Some one should pay for an add in the Washington post saying "Don't vote Electronic, vote paper, vote absentee"

[eyeswideopened]

7. Can you post this in the General Discussion: 2004 Primary Forum

thanks

[BevHarris]

8. Absentee ballot doesn't solve it (I'm so sorry)

What they do is put your absentee ballot through a machine. They do not look at the ballot itself. The ballot then goes into a locked box and cannot be examined unless there is a very close recount. In most cases, even in a recount they just count the absentee ballot with machines again.

Also, there are chain of custody problems with the absentee ballots.

That being said, if your choice is between a touch-screen and an absentee ballot, go absentee and then lobby (and file lawsuits) to get them to use the physical absentee ballot to audit properly, and also to require better chain of custody. The absentee situation probably can't be fixed before the primaries, but might be correctable before November.

If your choice is paper ballot at the polls or paper ballot, absentee, you should vote at the polls because chain of custody is much safer.

Bev

[SoCalDem]

18. Be's right.. There are some who say that a lot of the 2000 CA

absentees STILL have not been counted..

The absentees started as a way for people who were going to be out of town on election day or were permanently hospitalized ot incapacitated..

Over the years it has morphed (sorry to say) into a way to avoid having to go to the polls.. (long lines, too busy, too lazy)

Another "oddity" is the two home family.. I have a sneaky suspicion that there are lots of "retirees" who live part time in two states.. Does anyone ever really question them when they file for two absentee ballots, one in each state??

There will NEVER be a foolproof was to make voting 100% secure unless we are to do away with secret ballots..

With computerized voting, it will be easy to make sure that there are just enough votes for the "chosen one" to win, and not trigger a "recount" (which would be next to impossible anyway).. The next step will be "added language" to bills that would eliminate the "recount provisions" altogether... </game>

[mrdmk]

9. We have no choice in Orange County, California

I have written everybody and then some about HR 2239 to several Reps and my Rep Christopher Cox (R-Irvine). This bill is not moving. Even the media speaking up about the issue. People are aware of the problem but our wonderful government seems to want to take away our voting rights. We need action now, not two and a half years from now.

[Piperay]

10. Vote Absentee

I'm in CA too and I am ALWAYS going to vote absentee as I have done in the last several elections, at least there will be a paper trail.

[veggiemama]

11. Vote Absentee--and make a photocopy of it . . .

and, if you're truly paranoid--like I am--send that copy to yourself by certified mail.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. most states do NOT even open "absentee ballots"unless election is close

[TahitiNut]

16. Urban myth (see below)

See also ... http://www.electionline.org/site/docs/html/counting_absentee_ballots.htm and http://www.fec.gov/pages/faqabsentee.htm

[ElsewheresDaughter]

26. NOT a good idea to vote absentee read BevHarris post #8..

[dusty64]

12. Any chance for a lawsuit?

It seems obvious they have taken the citizens right to a fair and equal vote away.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

13. in most states "absentee ballots" sre NOT even opened unless it is a close

election....you had better find out before you vote absentee

[TahitiNut]

15. I believe this is an urban myth

All votes are tallied by law, I believe, in every state. Each state's election authority is required to certify the complete count of votes by a date certain. I do not believe there is any exception to this. Remember, when you say "it is a close election" ... just which of the many elections on a ballot do you think this would mean?

I think this urban myth may have begun as a result of Election 2000 ... where reichbots have speciously claimed that absentee ballots weren't counted and (they contend) Gore probably didn't get the plurality of popular votes. This is total reichbot hogwash, imho.


On edit: Here's some background to this myth

All absentee ballots that are returned to the county elections office by 8pm on election day are counted. After the 2000 election a popular radio program host suggested on air that absentee ballots in California are not counted unless the contest is close, and unfortunately this piece of misinformation ended up being repeated to the point where many people became concerned that their absentee votes had not been counted.

If you have heard that not all absentee ballots are counted in California, rest assured that this is not the case. All votes legally cast in this state are counted, regardless of whether they were cast at the polling place or submitted via mail through the absentee voting process. It may take a little longer to incorporate all of the absentee votes into the final election results, but they are definitely figured into the tally.

http://www.calvoter.org/questions.html#counted

[ElsewheresDaughter]

25. NOT a good idea to vote absentee..read BevHarris post #8.

[Design8edGrouch]

27. I can't say anything about any state but Indiana

But i worked in both the primary and the national election one year and the Absentee ballots were delivered mid-morning both times. They came sealed in the official envelope. We checked them off the registry both to make sure that they had not already voted in person and also so they could not come in later and vote. They were then fed into the electronic voting machine. The machine tallied them right along with every other ballot. By the way, my county has great machines. Paper ballots, vote marked with special pen. It rejects ballots that have been double-marked. Machine tabulates the vote and stores the data on a custom disk. At the end of the voting period. Both the repub and the Dem take the paper ballots and the disk to the county courthouse. The disk is inserted into the reader and within minutes everyone knows the outcome for everything local, state, national and referendum. It also knows if anyone tried to read it before the official reading.

[FlaGranny]

17. If enough people request

absentee ballots, it might make the election supervisors take notice, BUT - if an election is close, recounting absentee ballots won't make the slightest bit of difference, because NONE of the electronic votes can be verified and therefore the absentee ballots would be just as useless as the e-votes. You can bet that no election supervisor would re-count absentee ballots if he/she cannot re-count e-votes.

[TahitiNut]

19. Absentee ballots are the key to fighting BBV, imho.

Various states have differing rules regarding qualifications for voting absentee. Some states (i.e. Oregon) have blanket provisons for using them.

The reason they're the key to fighting BBV is predominanty economic. It's more cost-effective to implement a single technology base for all ballots. Touchscreen is obviously inapplicable to absentee ballots. The real issue with touchscreens is the absence of manually auditable paper ballots. There's nothing 'wrong' with using technology to speed counting ... but nothing should ever compromise validity. If the technology employed is OCR or mark-sense, everyone is served ... absentees and voters at the polls both.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

24. NO voting "absentee" will NOT help ! read Bev's post #8 !

[niceypoo]

20. WRITE IN

EVERYBODY SHOULD WRITE IN THIS NOV

[RedEagle]

21. Vote Absentee if you have to

Then write your county, state, and federal officials and tell them to support voter verfied paper ballots from ALL voting systems.

I you are not the one marking it, you better be able to verify the accuracy of what did it for you.

And go ahead and bring litigation. If that is what it takes, that is what it takes.

[LiberalFighter]

22. Call your county Democratic Party

and ask them what the procedure is for counting absentee ballots.

Whether they are counted at the polling place or counted at a centrally located place.

If they are counted at the polling place the count should be included with everything.

If they are counted at a centrally located place then they may not get counted right away.

Absentee ballots generally are required to be postmarked a certain date. If they are counted at the polling place then I would think the postmark would be such that they would arrive before the election date.

You could also see about volunteering to be a election worker at a polling place. The hours are long. Usually over 12 hours. And the pay sucks. But if you want to ensure that the election is run fair it is one way.

[LiberalFighter]

23. Republicans are more likely to use absentee voting

In our county Republicans have utilized absentee ballots for many years.

It reduces the number of get out the vote calls on election day.

It increases the number of votes for your side due to voters would otherwise:
a) Forget to vote
b) Too busy to vote
c) Working too late
d) Emergencies that prevent voting (giving birth, hospitalized for any reason)
e) Poor health
f) Going out of town unexpectedly