I’ve voted by mail a few times, but I always worry because my signature tends to vary, and in this Republican-dominated state, I don’t want anyone to have an excuse to discard my ballot.
But I’m lucky in that my county has, for years, provided numerous early-voting locations and lots of days to vote early. Yesterday, in fact, I voted early in our primary (sticker!) and felt very secure in the COVID precautions being taken by those staffing the place.
So I’ll plan on early voting at a less-busy hour, early-ish in the list of early-voting days. As someone said up there a ways, it’s a good feeling to see the machine accept that marked ballot.
This is why I don’t plan to make a habit of voting in September, or even voting early at all.
Ordinarily, I might fancy myself having an open mind while reading a presidential debate transcript (I’m not a big TV watcher).
Ordinarily, I might attend an in-person candidates night for one of the local offices.
Ordinarily, I like to first read the local newspaper endorsements for down-ballot offices – the last of which doesn’t typically appear until a few days before the election .
But this time, I am going to vote very early for reasons of both heath and ballot security.
Texas here. We don’t even have mail-in ballots, so I will be voting early. I believe it starts in early October, maybe around the 11th? I’ve read it recently, but I forgot. I will check into it again.
I’m voting early. I’m the head poll worker in a different precinct than where I live. I have to go to the election office the Saturday before the election to pick up voter rosters, so I’ll do early voting then. I really don’t want to work this election (I’m in a high-risk group), but decided that I couldn’t look myself in the mirror if I didn’t step up this time.
I just voted in my state’s (non-presidential) primary. I voted at the kitchen table and dropped my ballot in the official drop box in front of town hall.
I’ve requested a ballot for the general, and expect to do exactly the same thing.
We have to have an excuse (and it can’t be “just because of Covid”) to get an absentee ballot mailed to you. I also think being over 65 automatically qualifies you.
You wouldn’t really be absent if you could go to the board of elections. How do you do absentee ballots in Texas if you can’t mail them (as per Delores Reborn)?
So initially I was planning on sending in my ballot as early as I could. Now I will be waiting until election day to cast my ballot. I’ve read a few things that say if you’re able, go to the polls to keep the mail-in ballots from clogging up local counting. Living in Michigan, I don’t want to delay results any more than it needs to be.
Minnesota early voting starts Friday 9/20. I will do in-person early voting, since as in previous years I will be absent from my home that Tuesday. Plus they DO have stickers for you!
That’s a good point that I hadn’t considered. I had planned on voting (early) in person anyway, or perhaps by drop box, but now will definitely vote in-person for that reason and not use the drop box. I don’t want any “stop the vote counting now because the GOP has ‘clearly’ won the state already” shenanigans.
