NationStates Jolt Archive

Here in Oregon we have a mail in system that requires the same standards as a voting station minus the social contact and some fuel and time. This allows the voter to ponder the decisions literally in their hand for quite a bit longer. In place of a choice of hours you have days and sometimes weeks to come to the best conclusion for yourself. Would it be a good idea (iyho) for voters in other states to start petitioning for a ballot measure vote by the people of that state to use a mail in voting system? Or would you want it another way?

[Faithfull-freedom #1]
Here in Oregon we have a mail in system that requires the same standards as a voting station minus the social contact and some fuel and time. This allows the voter to ponder the decisions literally in their hand for quite a bit longer. In place of a choice of hours you have days and sometimes weeks to come to the best conclusion for yourself. Would it be a good idea (iyho) for voters in other states to start petitioning for a ballot measure vote by the people of that state to use a mail in voting system? Or would you want it another way?

Mailing in your vote (which my family uses by the way) is the prefered method, but only if you mail your voting material to a republican "designee" to actually mark the ballot.

Unless you ARE a republican, in which case, to avoid the obvious duplication of effort, you simply send it in yourself.

You should have to go to a voting booth. They should however record the votes by electronic means, to aid the counting process.

Examples:

Domineering member of family takes the voting papers from his/her partner and two teenagers and sends them all away. Partner and teenagers lose their political voice.

In shared accomodation, particularly student accomodation. Anyone who doesn't pick up their ballot paper, or who doesn't want to vote gives it to their pal. He then sends away twenty votes for his party. One candidate is then collecting votes that should be abstentions.

Vote buying, when a political party buys the votes off members of the public. If you vote in a booth, then they can't look over your shoulder, you could take their money and lie about how you voted.

I'd just prefer they make voting day a nation holiday. It's more important than thanksgiving in my eyes. It'll give people little excuse not to vote, and maybe even give them incentive to do so.

In shared accomodation, particularly student accomodation. Anyone who doesn't pick up their ballot paper, or who doesn't want to vote gives it to their pal. He then sends away twenty votes for his party. One candidate is then collecting votes that should be abstentions.

Isn't that like choosing a representative? If you don't like the person you're giving the ballot to, then you'd be pretty weird.

you should be able to vote by mail. Less confusion

You should have to go to a voting booth. They should however record the votes by electronic means, to aid the counting process.

Examples:

Domineering member of family takes the voting papers from his/her partner and two teenagers and sends them all away. Partner and teenagers lose their political voice.

In shared accomodation, particularly student accomodation. Anyone who doesn't pick up their ballot paper, or who doesn't want to vote gives it to their pal. He then sends away twenty votes for his party. One candidate is then collecting votes that should be abstentions.

Vote buying, when a political party buys the votes off members of the public. If you vote in a booth, then they can't look over your shoulder, you could take their money and lie about how you voted.

what he said

the only true absentee ballots should be cast by people who are physically incapable of showing up in person. everyone else should be required to report in person

in new mexico, as in many other states, one can drop by the county clerks office and vote early. i do this most years. this year i will be in aruba on the big day (i do so look forward to time without political ads). i think early voting starts next week, so there is plenty of time to get it done.

How do they verify that you are who you really are when you mail in your ballot? When I went to vote a few weeks ago for School Board (first time to vote) they were checking everyone's drivers license (or any form of state ID)

Mail in ballots are really useful for those of us who go to school far from where we "live" according to the government. My mailing address, where my ballot is sent to, is more the 2000 miles from my permemant address.

.How do they verify that you are who you really are when you mail in your ballot? When I went to vote a few weeks ago for School Board (first time to vote) they were checking everyone's drivers license (or any form of state ID)

They make you sign a legal clause that you are the person named on the ballot. But there are always scandals about dead people 'voting' in elections.

Instead of going to the polls we should do the following: In each county have guys travel to each house (with a donkey ala Juan Valdez) where they stop at each house to collect the ballots. These are placed into a secure leather sack attached to the back of the donkey. Make sure we go south of the border to pick up these people and make sure they can't read. Since they don't understand English, there won't be any voter tampering. These ballots will then be dumped into a big bin in Washington DC, where John Kerry and Bush (both wearing only loincloths as to keep them from hiding pens or pencils) and their hottie daughters dress in only thongs go through the entire pile seperating each ballot into respective piles. Nader doesn't look good in a loincloth so he stays home. Truely fair and balanced.

Mail in ballots are really useful for those of us who go to school far from where we "live" according to the government. My mailing address, where my ballot is sent to, is more the 2000 miles from my permemant address.
Why not reregister where you live now? You've still got a little bit of time.

As a person who would most likely rig an election if I really wanted to win, I'd just burn mail trucks if I thought I would lose and encourage my voters to go to the booths. That or "redirrect" their voting to the better canidate. It would just be too easy. Plus, people could steal your mail, figure out who you voted for and torch your house. Just a little safer this way.

-R. S. of UC

Why not reregister where you live now? You've still got a little bit of time.
If they live in a "swing" state, their vote counts for more.

If they live in a "swing" state, their vote counts for more.
I suppose that's probably true...if you reword it to say
"their vote is more effective."


If they are registered in..North Dakota...then their vote is worth more, but if they're registered in a swing state, then their vote is more effective.

As a person who would most likely rig an election if I really wanted to win, I'd just burn mail trucks if I thought I would lose and encourage my voters to go to the booths. That or "redirrect" their voting to the better canidate. It would just be too easy. Plus, people could steal your mail, figure out who you voted for and torch your house. Just a little safer this way.

-R. S. of UC

You could but that involves the mail so it would be a federal crime(if you were caught) and I think they count the penalties per piece of mail involved. Someone correct me if I am wrong.....

I don't think he thought it was legal, he's just implying that it'd be extremely easier to fuck up the election.

Where I am at, there has to be a set number of registered voters to have a polling station.

At my flat that number fell so I had to mail it for several years.

As to the pondering factor? Nothing gained. They mail out the formal literature about a month in advance.

Sadly I really doubt most people really study the items anymore.

The read the crap pamplets that people send out and go from that.....

How do you plan on verifying the voter is who the voter is suppossed to be? Where I am from, politicians have used the identities of the deceased to use as votes - so by using MAIL, they could use the identities of people that refuse to vote.

what he said

the only true absentee ballots should be cast by people who are physically incapable of showing up in person. everyone else should be required to report in person

in new mexico, as in many other states, one can drop by the county clerks office and vote early. i do this most years. this year i will be in aruba on the big day (i do so look forward to time without political ads). i think early voting starts next week, so there is plenty of time to get it done.

The only reason I enjoy the mail in voting here in Oregon is because of how much is reffered to the voters here lol. We really don't need representatives here with how nitpicky we like to be. I think we still hold the record for ballot measure refferendums? I know some years back it was always an outrageous number of them. I think we only have 7 or so this year. I like the idea of mail voting for active populaces but poll station voting for you normal folk out there. But most of all I like the idea that the states choose how they want it.

How do you plan on verifying the voter is who the voter is suppossed to be? Where I am from, politicians have used the identities of the deceased to use as votes - so by using MAIL, they could use the identities of people that refuse to vote.

We use the same procedures as the voter stations. Registration, primary and electoral still have the exact same standards. Signature, address, personal info verifications have the same standards.

How do you plan on verifying the voter is who the voter is suppossed to be? Where I am from, politicians have used the identities of the deceased to use as votes - so by using MAIL, they could use the identities of people that refuse to vote.

If you mean me? Yes I am an American.

You have to be registered to vote and the voting stuff is mailed to the address you registered. It has the offical sign here blah blah blah.

Dead voting is usually something else and it would take massive coordination to use the mail in ballots.

As to refusal to vote? These people tend not to register to vote anyway so they would not get a ballot.

Having said that......Any system can be cheated if you work at it long enough.....

I also think they don't worry about cheating unless it is a tight race.

I am probably wrong, but I don't think they seriously look at the mail ballots if there is such a wide margin between the candidates.