# Voting 2026 - Good, Bad, and Ugly **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 9, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700 "2026-10-09T16:24:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/101 "2026-10-27T12:18:19Z")
Thanks for the update. I’ve been looking for gossip about the Israeli election in the SDMB, but this is the first I’ve found. My voting story is boring this year. (Boring is good.) My requested ballot arrived in the mail when expected. The first day of in person early voting was also a “No Kings” rally, so i took my ballot with me when i went to town hall to join the rally. Because there’s was an election going on, they’d put up a marker to keep the rally out of the “no politicking” zone around Town Hall. I parked at Town Hall, and dropped off my ballot with the town clerk. Then i walked over to the rally, carefully stepping over the little barrier, and held up a sign for a while. The next day i checked online and my ballot had been accepted. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/102 "2026-10-27T12:26:24Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Thanks for the update. I’ve been looking for gossip about the Israeli election in the SDMB, but this is the first I’ve found. There isn’t much to gossip about right now. Personally, the most difficult part was the long wait outside - it’s a hot day - but after that the voting itself went with the usual Israeli messy efficiency. Nationwide, there hasn’t been much to report yet. A few people shouting at politicians and activists, one party ignoring a court order about its poll representatives reporting voting data in real time, and that’s about it so far. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/103 "2026-10-27T12:33:35Z")
When it comes to actually administering elections, no news is definitely good news! (This election is a big deal, even here. I have a friend whose brother, an Israeli citizen, flew to Israel so he could vote for Netanyahu. She says she avoids talking about politics with her brother.) I guess i need to check in later today when your polls close. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/104 "2026-10-27T12:47:28Z")
Voted early on Saturday in deepest blue vigilant. Voted straight Dem in the partisan contests and straight union in the non-partisan. Medium busy, had to wait a couple of minutes to get a voting machine. My wife took longer than me to vote so I hung out for several minutes reading kindle until she was done. During this time I was approached a few times by poll workers asking what I was doing. I think they’re being extra vigilent. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/105 "2026-10-27T12:52:10Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > (This election is a big deal, even here. I have a friend whose brother, an Israeli citizen, flew to Israel so he could vote for Netanyahu. She says she avoids talking about politics with her brother.) A close friend of my wife just flew in from Berlin to vote _against_ Netanyahu. It’s a thing. I’m actually a bit pissed at my BiL and his wife for not visiting from Seattle (although it’s not just the election - my mother-in-law isn’t doing that well). ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/106 "2026-10-27T14:01:45Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > No writing involved. There’s a full array of notes behind the curtain; you take one, put it in the envelope, seal the envelope, put it in the ballot box. That’s it You’re only voting directly for one office? > [@Alessan](#): > > There isn’t much to gossip about right now. Personally, the most difficult part was the long wait outside - it’s a hot day - but after that the voting itself went with the usual Israeli messy efficiency. Nationwide, there hasn’t been much to report yet. A few people shouting at politicians and activists, one party ignoring a court order about its poll representatives reporting voting data in real time, and that’s about it so far Glad things are going smoothly. All fingers crossed for the outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/107 "2026-10-27T14:07:51Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > You’re only voting directly for one office? Yes - for a Knesset (parliament) party only. Seats are assigned based on their percentage of votes, and the new Knesset elects the Prime Minister from the party leaders. No other national or regional positions are elected. There are also municipal elections, where you vote for mayor (if your city has one) and city council. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/108 "2026-10-27T14:12:25Z")
Thanks. I think most of our elections are too complicated for selecting a pre-printed piece of paper to put in an envelope to work well. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/109 "2026-10-27T14:14:59Z")
Is it expected to be a coalition again? When do you expect the results to be generally available (Knesset make up, not Prime Minister)? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/110 "2026-10-27T14:18:20Z")
In a move I find mildly surprising, the Department of Justice asked the Washington County, Arkansas Election Commission if they could send election monitors to the polling locations. The DOJ didn’t elaborate on why they wanted to send monitors and the county declined. The DOJ has also asked Pulaski County, the county Little Rock is in, if they could send monitors, and Pulaski county will discuss the matter this week. I find it mildly surprising because the state as a whole is overhwelmingly red. But Pulaski County skews blue and while Washington is red it’s become more competitive in recent years. My county is overwhelmingly red, so I don’t expect shennanigans here. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/111 "2026-10-27T14:22:00Z")
It has to be a coalition - no party has ever won a clear majority in my lifetime, if ever. The question is, which parties will make up the majority, and who they’ll choose as Prime Minister. Right now there’s a clear division between pro-Netanyahu parties and anti-Netanyahu parties, but once the political dealmaking starts, who knows what’ll happen. The most exciting time in in Israeli politics is in the weeks _after_ an election. Exit polls will be published at 10 PM Israel time (4 PM Eastern) after voting ends; actual results will start coming in then and we’ll know for sure by tomorrow morning. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/112 "2026-10-29T01:28:20Z")
Dropped off ballot today at LAVC! Sealed it, pollster confirmed it entered. I’ll wait for email confirmation, which will take at least six months since I live in Los Angeles County. 😂 Only bad part was filling out TEN pages. Had to keep looking up each issue to vote on. Need a nap now. 😴 ---
**Author:** ![ThisOneGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@ThisOneGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisOneGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/113 "2026-10-29T15:26:32Z")
Voting in Utah was boring as usual. Has been vote by mail for 10+ years now. Got my ballot the day after it was mailed, sat on it for a bit, then spent an hour or two looking up the obscure stuff (why is the County Auditor an elected position?). Biked over to the library on my lunch break to drop it in the box. On the bad side, somebody did send a “[suspicious white powder](https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/10/19/letter-with-white-powder-addressed-to-utah-lt-gov-henderson-intercepted-given-to-fbi/)” to the Lt. Gov. who runs elections in the state. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/114 "2026-10-29T19:09:13Z")
el donald sent a list of 20,000 or so suspicious voters to California. That list was apparently put together by Elon Musk and his DOGE’s. Do you suppose those 20,000 people could start a class action suit against Musk for defamation or something? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/115 "2026-10-29T19:12:04Z")
Speaking of which, Kimmel had Gavin Newsome as a guest last night and he laid out what CA is doing to stop the nonsense and protect voters. He also talked about their preparations for likely flooding in Nov-Dec. Smart guy who would make a good prez. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/116 "2026-10-29T19:22:16Z")
Voted early in-person yesterday. Smooth sailing. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/117 "2026-10-29T19:38:58Z")
Just voted here in Austin, Texas. In and out in 15 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/118 "2026-10-29T19:59:21Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > Do you suppose those 20,000 people could start a class action suit against Musk for defamation or something? Not defamation. Not unless there is something personal about each one of those people being published to the world at large. That’s why something like a false police report isn’t subject to defamation laws (though that can be a separate crime in and of itself). It’s actually pretty common to try to remove people from voter rolls, often for spurious reasons, and it’s also used in partisan ways to weaponize what is supposed to be a way to keep elections fair. It’s clearly an abuse of the system but it’s unfortunately legal, at least to my understanding. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/119 "2026-10-29T20:16:21Z")
Early voting in MA started two Saturdays ago, and my wife and I were the first people to vote in our small town. We then went to the No Kings/Vote Early rally we organized with our Indivisible group in a nearby town. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700/120 "2026-10-30T00:44:00Z")
Voted today at my county office building. (All early voting in person in this small county is at the county office building; for voting on the 3rd there are poll locations scattered around the county, though some people still have to travel several miles.) I combined the trip with several other errands I had in that village. I got there in the middle of the afternoon, and it was also about the middle of NY’s early voting period, which runs from October 24 through November 1. And, as I said, it’s a small county. Nevertheless, there was a line, though not a long one. They said turnout had been running high in general; though who that’s a good sign for, in this area, may be another question. Everything went smoothly and normally. I wasn’t expecting anything else, here. Afterwards I went to the grocery. The checkout clerk noticed my sticker and said “Oh, is that today?” I said, early voting’s been going on all week; the actual election day is the 3rd. I’m not sure she’d even heard of early voting. I also wasn’t sure I wanted to encourage her to vote if she was that clueless, and decided I could legitimately get away with just having told her accurately when she could do so. It now occurs to me that the last day to register in NY was the 24th, so quite possibly she can’t vote anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-2026-good-bad-and-ugly/1033700.md?page=7)