17 votes

Vote safely: How to find a trustworthy election ballot drop-off location

24 comments

  1. [5]
    knocklessmonster
    Link
    I think the manipulation of voter information is owed partly due to people's comfort with non-official sources. The best way to find where to send/deliver your ballot is your local county voter...

    I think the manipulation of voter information is owed partly due to people's comfort with non-official sources. The best way to find where to send/deliver your ballot is your local county voter information site, which is usually on your election materials. That site looks absolutely janky, which is just priming people to fall for a similar partisan sight with more polish.

    I live in Orange County, CA, where Michelle Steele, and the Republican party is trying to harvest ballots, and it's completely avoidable if people read the information on their official voter guide, on the ballot mailing envelope, and included in the ballot envelope, for example, all of which point you towards official resources for knowing where to deliver your ballot, and how to check on its progress towards being counted.

    10 votes
    1. [2]
      sjvn
      Link Parent
      Aye, there's the rub. People don't, hence efforts like this to get the word out about legit ballot drop off sites.

      if people read the information on their official voter guide,

      Aye, there's the rub. People don't, hence efforts like this to get the word out about legit ballot drop off sites.

      5 votes
      1. knocklessmonster
        Link Parent
        I don't even blame them, to be honest. It's the predators that want to take advantage of these folks that are the issue. I'm not opposed to the site, or anything, but I see it as the other side of...

        I don't even blame them, to be honest. It's the predators that want to take advantage of these folks that are the issue.

        I'm not opposed to the site, or anything, but I see it as the other side of the same coin. People are ignorant, so we use unofficial sites to point them in the right direction, and others set up similar sites to have then drop ballots off in a file cabinet outside a church (like in my area).

        8 votes
    2. [2]
      joplin
      Link Parent
      What I don't get about this whole ordeal in OC is why the government isn't sending someone out to collect the bogus boxes. They've said publicly that the boxes are illegal. The GOP has admitted to...

      What I don't get about this whole ordeal in OC is why the government isn't sending someone out to collect the bogus boxes. They've said publicly that the boxes are illegal. The GOP has admitted to putting them out. And the government is just standing there saying, "nuh-uh!" but not actually doing anything about it. Why hasn't Michelle Steele or someone else in the OC Republican party been arrested for election tampering? It's all very public that it's happening and we know everyone who's involved! WTF?

      5 votes
      1. knocklessmonster
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        I've got those same questions. There's obviously documentation on who, what, where and how, but nothing is being done aside from the C&D that was sent, and the GOP going "Nah, we're good."

        I've got those same questions. There's obviously documentation on who, what, where and how, but nothing is being done aside from the C&D that was sent, and the GOP going "Nah, we're good."

        5 votes
  2. [5]
    sjvn
    Link
    With all the FUD being generated about US election security, it's more important than ever to make sure your vote is actually counted. WeVoteSafely.org can help.

    With all the FUD being generated about US election security, it's more important than ever to make sure your vote is actually counted. WeVoteSafely.org can help.

    5 votes
    1. [4]
      joplin
      Link Parent
      I mean, it's great that someone's doing that, but that site looks like a typical SEO typo-squatting site, and it asks you to put in your full address, which makes it seem like you're going to get...

      I mean, it's great that someone's doing that, but that site looks like a typical SEO typo-squatting site, and it asks you to put in your full address, which makes it seem like you're going to get on a junk mailing list. I wouldn't trust that site if I came across it, personally.

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        joplin
        Link Parent
        I should also mention that if you did vote, you can track whether your ballot was received or not by going to another web site that looks and sounds a little sketchy Ballot Trax. I checked...

        I should also mention that if you did vote, you can track whether your ballot was received or not by going to another web site that looks and sounds a little sketchy Ballot Trax. I checked yesterday and they had not received my ballot, but I checked again today and it's marked as having been received.

        2 votes
        1. googs
          Link Parent
          I'd recommend going straight to the source for tracking a ballot. PCMag has links to all 50 states' systems for tracking ballots, all of which are official (secretary of state sites, .gov, etc.)....

          I'd recommend going straight to the source for tracking a ballot. PCMag has links to all 50 states' systems for tracking ballots, all of which are official (secretary of state sites, .gov, etc.). Some of them actually use BallotTrax, so there's no reason to believe that's not safe, I just always feel more comfortable going through a government site first.

          5 votes
      2. sjvn
        Link Parent
        The UI is crude and I understand your concern. It really is a legit site.

        The UI is crude and I understand your concern. It really is a legit site.

        1 vote
  3. [6]
    Gaywallet
    Link
    Why do people not trust USPS so much?

    Why do people not trust USPS so much?

    3 votes
    1. [5]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [4]
        Gaywallet
        Link Parent
        I mean, do you really expect USPS is going to specifically dump or lose ballots? They sabotaged sorting machines which slows down mail but it doesn't stop it? I just can't imagine very many US...

        I mean, do you really expect USPS is going to specifically dump or lose ballots? They sabotaged sorting machines which slows down mail but it doesn't stop it?

        I just can't imagine very many US citizens who work for the USPS willing to willfully destroy/lose ballots. I can understand concerns about timing especially as we get close to the date, but we are very far off from November 3rd right now.

        3 votes
        1. [2]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. Gaywallet
            Link Parent
            Oh wow, I had no idea it was that bad in other parts of the country.

            Here in Maine the mail has been slowed by several weeks which is a huge concern.

            Oh wow, I had no idea it was that bad in other parts of the country.

            2 votes
        2. [2]
          joplin
          Link Parent
          YES! It's already happening.

          YES! It's already happening.

          2 votes
          1. Gaywallet
            Link Parent
            I'm cautious to jump to conclusions about intent as this is hardly the first time literal bags full of mail were found undelivered, but you are right to highlight it.

            I'm cautious to jump to conclusions about intent as this is hardly the first time literal bags full of mail were found undelivered, but you are right to highlight it.

            4 votes
    2. sjvn
      Link Parent
      Because Trump is deliberately trying to cripple the USPS's ability to deliver both mail and ballots. In addition, he's been spreading FUD, as pointed out in the story, to make people distrust the...

      Because Trump is deliberately trying to cripple the USPS's ability to deliver both mail and ballots. In addition, he's been spreading FUD, as pointed out in the story, to make people distrust the entire mail-in ballot process--except in Florida.

      5 votes
  4. [2]
    silfilim
    Link
    It feels like democracy in the US is eroding. I wonder when the next update of the Democracy Index is. United States is currently at the upper end of 'flawed democracy' and this...

    It feels like democracy in the US is eroding. I wonder when the next update of the Democracy Index is. United States is currently at the upper end of 'flawed democracy' and this instability/unreliability around the voting process may lower its score further;

    Likewise, there are a few questions considered so important that a low score on them yields a penalty on the total score sum for their respective categories, namely:

    1. "Whether national elections are free and fair";
    2. "The security of voters";
      ...

    (From the Wikipedia page linked above)

    2 votes
    1. sjvn
      Link Parent
      We'll see where we're at come January. If Trump is still in power, we'll be well on our way to dictatorship.

      We'll see where we're at come January. If Trump is still in power, we'll be well on our way to dictatorship.

      3 votes
  5. [6]
    mrbig
    Link
    Elections in the US seem mindblowingly convoluted...

    Elections in the US seem mindblowingly convoluted...

    4 votes
    1. [4]
      joplin
      Link Parent
      Can you elaborate? Being unable to trust our postal service or our elections is a fairly recent development, as is having so many people vote by mail. (Those are both new developments this year.)...

      Can you elaborate? Being unable to trust our postal service or our elections is a fairly recent development, as is having so many people vote by mail. (Those are both new developments this year.) What's happening now is different from the usual "legal" types of voter suppression that normally happen (gerrymandering, removing people from the voter rolls, etc.). Those are depressing but obvious and often challenged legally (with mixed success).

      In a typical election, we have a bunch of barely-trained volunteers who check people in (by looking up their name and address in a printout of all the people allowed to vote in the district they're in), and then handing them a ballot. They walk to a private voting booth, check off (or punch out) their selections, tear off a stub with a unique ID on it, and drop it in the locked ballot box. At the end of the night the votes are tallied (usually using a computer to read the paper ballots). The totals are reported to the city/county/state/federal elections commission, and the outcome is decided based on the totals.

      There are issues here and there like easily hackable electronic voting machines being forced on voters in some district, and occasionally very obvious stuff like an entire box of completed ballots being found stuffed behind a cabinet in an office somewhere. But for the most part, until this election, things haven't been quite this nuts.

      3 votes
      1. [3]
        mrbig
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Sure. You register with your party instead of a central reputable organization Election happen on a regular work day Arcane rules instead of popular vote In Brazil, if you’re not at your...

        Sure.

        1. You register with your party instead of a central reputable organization
        2. Election happen on a regular work day
        3. Arcane rules instead of popular vote
        4. In Brazil, if you’re not at your registered place, you can easily inform where you are and vote on a booth there
        5. 4 make voting by mail unnecessary.
        6. In Brazil ex felons can vote, like everyone else. No absurd and unreasonable restrictions
        7. We have electronic vote which can be manipulated but in practice it’s been a godsends (I admit that can change very quickly)
        8. There should be no such a thing as needing to find a trustworthy place to drop votes. Every place should be equally trustworthy (in general).
        9. Local rules for a federal election is illogical.
        5 votes
        1. [2]
          joplin
          Link Parent
          OK, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I agree that in particular 2 and 3 are weird. (I could swear we voted to make election day a holiday in California last election, but it might not have passed...

          OK, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I agree that in particular 2 and 3 are weird. (I could swear we voted to make election day a holiday in California last election, but it might not have passed or it might have but hasn't gone into effect yet. I'm not sure.)

          For the record, you don't register to vote with your party. You generally register with the secretary of state for your state. In every state I've lived in (at this point 4 different states since I was old enough to vote) you can register to vote when you get your new local driver's license. You can also register other ways, and I'm sure the parties are happy to help you out. (I'm not registered with a particular party, so I don't know how they do it, but I'm sure they have some way to let you do it, too.)

          You can also separately register with your party so that you may vote in their primaries. (And some parties let you vote in their primary even if you're not registered with them, so long as you don't vote in any other party's primary. Hence the state involvement.) But none of that is necessary to cast a vote in any election.

          #4 sound pretty cool! It does not, however, make voting by mail unnecessary. There are a number or reasons to vote by mail such as being out of the country, being disabled and unable to get to a voting station. (For example if you're bed-bound.)

          For #6, we are voting to change that in California this year. Hopefully by the next election, that will no longer be the case at least here. It has come up on other states' ballots recently, but I don't recall how they all went.

          Yes, I do find #9 to be weird also. Some states split their electoral college votes, whereas in other states it's winner-takes-all, for example.

          4 votes
          1. mrbig
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            IDK if such a variety of ways to register is necessarily a good thing. From my outside view, this may be confusing and counterproductive. If everyone in the country registers in literally the same...

            For the record, you don't register to vote with your party. You generally register with the secretary of state for your state. In every state I've lived in (at this point 4 different states since I was old enough to vote) you can register to vote when you get your new local driver's license. You can also register other ways, and I'm sure the parties are happy to help you out.

            IDK if such a variety of ways to register is necessarily a good thing. From my outside view, this may be confusing and counterproductive. If everyone in the country registers in literally the same way, nationwide campaigns for registration can be much more efficient. And, for the citizens, it’s one less thing to figure out.

            Voting here is mandatory so YMMV.

            2 votes
    2. sjvn
      Link Parent
      You're not wrong.

      You're not wrong.

      2 votes