# Just voted! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 26, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894 "2012-09-26T16:34:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/1 "2012-09-26T16:34:49Z")
My wife and I just mailed off our absentee ballots to the state of Illinois (last US residence). I know that 2 votes won’t decide the election, but it makes me feel good. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/2 "2012-09-27T04:17:40Z")
I am anxiously awaiting my absentee ballot…due the first week of October. Can’t wait to join you. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/3 "2012-09-27T04:32:21Z")
I received my absentee ballot by e-mail, but the logistics of printing out the security envelopes is awkward. So I contacted my voter registrar, who has mailed me the proper envelopes, whjch I am awaiting. If for any reason I don’t receive those by next week, I’ll see what I can do about printing out my own after all. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/4 "2012-09-27T04:50:24Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > My wife and I just mailed off our absentee ballots to the state of Illinois (last US residence). I know that 2 votes won’t decide the election, but it makes me feel good. To expand on that, 2 votes in the state of Illinois definitely won’t decide the election. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/5 "2012-09-28T01:41:17Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > To expand on that, 2 votes in the state of Illinois definitely won’t decide the election. But my one vote in Florida..I’ve got a chance to matter! You should all be nice to me, and shower me with gifts..in the vague hope of influencing me. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/6 "2012-09-28T01:45:28Z")
I can’t wait till voting starts here. I’m changing my answering message to say “hello, you’ve reached xxx WHO HAS ALREADY VOTED, leave a message if you aren’t selling anything” ---
**Author:** ![core\_dump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@core\_dump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core_dump)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/7 "2012-09-28T03:06:28Z")
I have voted absentee in the past. It started to bother me that since my vote wasn’t counted until the next day (after the election was already called) it was basically pointless. It _felt_ that way anyway. I do realize it is illogical. Now I go through the hassle of voting in person so at least my vote is counted during the election night coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/8 "2012-09-28T03:22:26Z")
> [@core\_dump](#): > > Now I go through the hassle of voting in person so at least my vote is counted during the election night coverage. Yet another thing I don’t have to worry about in Florida. 🙂 -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/9 "2012-09-28T03:26:07Z")
Good for you, **Hari Seldon**! I’ve considered voting absentee in past elections because going out to vote is a major ordeal for me, but I still drag my sorry carcass to the polling place (a tiny white clapboard town hall in the middle of nowhere) to remind myself that voting is a Big Deal and worth the price. I always feel good afterward too. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/10 "2012-09-28T04:05:15Z")
I just faxed over my application for my Texas absentee ballot. It was kind of annoying to get, but I think I figured it out. The problem is that I’m going to be working offshore on my research vessel from October 16th to November 14th, which means I’m not going to be able to receive or send mail on those dates. Early voting in Texas doesn’t start until the 22nd, so that wasn’t an option for me. And, absentee ballots will only be sent to OUT OF COUNTY addresses (unless you are 65+, or disabled, which didn’t apply to me). So I had to come up with an out of county address where my ballot could be sent, and I got one and hopefully will be able to go pick my ballot up sometime next week. The Texas absentee ballots are already getting sent out according to the official I spoke with, so I shouldn’t have a problem getting mine and mailing it in before the 16th when I go off shore, but damn it was more difficult than it needed to be. What a silly law… not allowing my ballot to get sent to my home address. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/11 "2012-09-28T04:43:45Z")
I’ll probably get my ballot next week, but I’ll try to work backwards through it like it’s an advent calendar and deliver it towards the end of October so I still feel connected to the results on November 6th (I’ve tried this approach twice before, and it failed both times, so I’ll probably finish it the day after I get it). ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/12 "2012-09-28T05:19:54Z")
Waiting for mine, too, although in Arizona, they’re not technically absentee ballots. Any Arizona resident is eligible to vote by mail. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2012, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/13 "2012-09-29T07:01:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I received my absentee ballot by e-mail, but the logistics of printing out the security envelopes is awkward. So I contacted my voter registrar, who has mailed me the proper envelopes, whjch I am awaiting. If for any reason I don’t receive those by next week, I’ll see what I can do about printing out my own after all. The envelopes from my voter registrar arrived in the mail, and I’ll be sending my vote in on Monday. Go Obama! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/14 "2012-10-01T14:08:08Z")
And it’s done. My vote for Obama is winging its way to the US as I type this. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/15 "2012-10-01T18:47:55Z")
We just got the sample ballots at our house in California on Friday. I don’t expect to get the actual absentee ballots for another week or two. ETA: California is like Arizona, technically they aren’t absentee ballots, anyone can vote by mail. But that’s what they’re called. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/16 "2012-10-01T18:53:17Z")
Me too! Don’t know if a Washington State vote counts any more if it’s mailed in ahead of time. It hardly seems to make a difference on the day, since the decision is usually made before the polls close in WA. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-voted/635894/17 "2012-10-02T01:59:20Z")
> [@Dunkelheit](#): > > It hardly seems to make a difference on the day, since the decision is usually made before the polls close in WA. We lived in Hawaii during one election year. I served as a polling offical in the Manoa Valley. It fell to me to be the one to call the central headquarters after the last voter left and tell them to send out someone to pick up the ballot box. When I made the call, they told me, “Okay. Ya wanna know who won?”