# Voting by Mail in 2020: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 30, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897 "2020-04-30T14:35:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/81 "2020-08-14T19:08:04Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Pennsylvania judge orders Trump to put up or shut up on mail-in vote fraud A judge appointed by Trump, no less. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/82 "2020-08-14T20:13:08Z")
Mailboxes now being removed in Portland and Eugene. > > **[USPS removes mailboxes in Portland and Eugene, cites ‘declining mail volume’](https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/08/usps-removes-mailboxes-in-portland-and-eugene-cites-declining-mail-volume.html)** > > The removals caused concern among many residents of both cities, following remarks from the president about impeding vote-by-mail ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/83 "2020-08-14T20:15:22Z")
> **[Five Ways Trump And GOP Officials Are Undermining The Election Process](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/five-ways-trump-and-gop-officials-are-undermining-the-election-process/?fbclid=IwAR2u5qZb6i0P2I0Ar9P3Wdeuei8E--C3Z1v_xpB6hENVuiABGpbg46clMwg)** > > There has long been conflict in the United States over who gets to vote and how. In the years since Barack Obama’s election as president, those voting debates h… ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/84 "2020-08-14T21:27:04Z")
Again the decreasing letter volume makes sense. Hearing from carrier friends people barely put letters in them now and consolidating them into a single letter box makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/85 "2020-08-14T21:34:35Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Thus doing things that make it harder for working people to vote (particularly ones who can’t easily take a few hours off) will help them. This is also why the US doesn’t make the day a national holiday - it would be contrary to the Republican goal of voter suppression. > > Of course this year all the retired olds going out to stand in line to vote will probably fasttrack a bunch of them to their deaths, but once they’ve cast their vote the republicans won’t need those people anymore. However, the younger people are more likely to be out of work, and thus have the time to vote in person. Although it might not work out that way because I suspect that the cohort of young people who are civic-minded enough to be more likely to use their spare time to vote are also ones who are taking the virus threat seriously and might be more likely to stay home. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/86 "2020-08-14T21:36:43Z")
I must admit this makes some intuitive sense. Before the current president was elected I have wandered around downtown looking high and low for a mailbox, and wondering if I was the only person in the 21st century who needed to do something so quaint as mail a letter. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/87 "2020-08-14T21:38:06Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > However, the younger people are more likely to be out of work, and thus have the time to vote in person. Although it might not work out that way because I suspect that the cohort of young people who are civic-minded enough to be more likely to use their spare time to vote are also ones who are taking the virus threat seriously and might be more likely to stay home. The olds have long been considered the most reliable voting block because they both have free time and tend to be more civic-minded (due to having grown up during depressions and wars). Current circumstances may have made the youngs the same way. We do live in interesting times. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/88 "2020-08-14T21:43:28Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Again the decreasing letter volume makes sense. Hearing from carrier friends people barely put letters in them now and consolidating them into a single letter box makes sense. And you know, there may be perfectly good reasons to make some changes in addressing how mail is carried/delivered. But now is not the time. You can’t say the changes DeJoy is implementing have had no effect on mail delivery, not when the _postal service itself_ has notified 46 states that they cannot guarantee all ballots can be delivered in the time frames they have been given within which to work. You just can’t say it. Citizens have a right to have confidence in their institutions. These changes, needed or not, have not been implemented before now. They can wait for three months longer. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/89 "2020-08-14T22:00:57Z")
Suggested question for the next press conference: _Mr. President, how does crippling the US Postal Service contribute to making America great?_ ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/90 "2020-08-14T22:11:47Z")
Well, that’s easy, it keeps democrats from winning elections. (Not my view) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/91 "2020-08-15T17:09:15Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Again the decreasing letter volume makes sense. Hearing from carrier friends people barely put letters in them now and consolidating them into a single letter box makes sense. Looking more like “declining mail volume” is just an excuse. > **[USPS Officials Warn of Deadline Issues with Upcoming November Election](https://www.wboc.com/archive/usps-officials-warn-of-deadline-issues-with-upcoming-november-election/article_bbf2e25b-2b3b-582a-9394-2faf9274a377.html)** > > The U.S. Postal Service is warning states coast to coast that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted... > At least 25 mail boxes were removed in mid-July in Montana with another 30 scheduled to be taken away soon, said Julie Quilliam, president of the Montana Letter Carriers Association. She rejected the claim that the boxes were removed because of low usage. > > “Some of the boxes scheduled to be removed from downtown Billings are nearly overflowing daily,” Quilliam wrote in a Facebook message. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/92 "2020-08-16T17:38:44Z")
> **[House Committee Calls On Postmaster General To Testify On USPS Changes](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/house-committee-calls-on-postmaster-general-to-testify-on-usps-changes_n_5f39511bc5b65bbd8c8e91aa)** > > The changes have stoked fears they are aimed at holding up mail-in election ballots. > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top [Democrats](https://www.huffpost.com/news/topic/democratic-party) in the [U.S. Congress](https://www.huffpost.com/news/topic/us-congress) on Sunday called on [President Donald Trump](https://www.huffpost.com/news/topic/donald-trump)’s appointed postmaster general to testify this month on changes that have stoked fears they are aimed at holding up mail-in ballots ahead of the November election. > > The Postal Service’s internal watchdog has begun investigating a wave of cost-cutting kicked off by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that has slowed mail delivery around the country, alarming lawmakers ahead of the Nov. 3 election when up to half of U.S. voters could cast ballots by mail. > > Congressional Democrats called on DeJoy, a donor to Republican President Donald Trump, and U.S. Postal Service Chairman Robert Duncan to testify in an Aug. 24 committee hearing. > > “The President has explicitly stated his intention to manipulate the Postal Service to deny eligible voters access to the ballot in pursuit of his own re-election,” Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney said in a joint statement. “ **The Postmaster General and top Postal Service leadership must answer to the Congress** and the American people as to why they are pushing these dangerous new policies that threaten to silence the voices of millions, just months before the election.” > … My bold. If only the House is holding hearings, then that’s not “answering to Congress,” i.e. the _whole_ Congress. To wit: > **[Democrats Rush to Halt USPS Sabotage as McConnell Announces Senate Vacation](https://gizmodo.com/democrats-rush-to-halt-usps-sabotage-as-mcconnell-sends-1844720531)** > > Two Senate Democrats late Thursday announced plans to introduce a bill they say would halt any “abrupt operational changes” at the U.S. Postal Service amid rising concerns the Trump administration is trying to interfere with the delivery of mail-in... ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/93 "2020-08-18T19:11:46Z")
Indie rocker Tim Kasher asked John “Cliff Clavin” Ratzenberger to record something supporting the postal service. He agreed. > ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/94 "2020-08-18T20:51:55Z")
> **[Postal Service backs down on changes as at least 20 states sue over potential...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/18/politics/post-office-dejoy/index.html)** > > Embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy reversed course Tuesday, saying that all changes being made to the Postal Service would be suspended until after the November 3 election, just as 20 Democratic states announced plans to file federal lawsuits. “(CNN)Embattled Postmaster General[Louis DeJoy](http://www.cnn.com/2020/08/18/politics/louis-dejoy-senate-testify/index.html) reversed course Tuesday, saying that all changes being made to the Postal Service would be suspended until after the November 3 election, just as 20 Democratic states announced plans to file federal lawsuits. DeJoy said that some of the deferred decisions mean that retail hours at post offices will not change, mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain in place and no mail processing facilities will be closed. At least 20 Democratic attorneys general across the country are launching a multi-pronged legal effort to push back on the recent changes that disrupted mail delivery across the country and triggered accusations that Trump and his appointees are trying to undermine mail-in voting.” Sounds like “vote early because the 4th we’re gonna fuck shit up.” You know, to a cynic. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/95 "2020-08-18T20:54:11Z")
But how many collection boxes and processing equipment have already been removed? Will that be restored, or are we still going to have diminished capacity ahead of the election? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/96 "2020-08-18T20:55:43Z")
I don’t know. Is he still testifying before the House? Let AOC at him. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/97 "2020-08-18T20:56:13Z")
AOC? Give me Katie Porter. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/98 "2020-08-18T20:56:37Z")
1-2 punch! ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/99 "2020-08-18T20:56:56Z")
I’m down with that. 😃 Oh, and yes, the hearing is still going forward so the question posed by @Dewey_Finn can be answered, along with others. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897/100 "2020-08-18T21:35:17Z")
> **[Analysis: Voting in Texas is different from other places. It’s a hassle.](https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/17/voting-hassle-texas/)** > > Lots of states make it as easy as possible to register and vote, whether there's a pandemic or not. Texas is not one of those states. > …Texas doesn’t offer vote by mail to everyone. You can vote absentee — by mail — if you’re going to be out of your home county during the elections, if you’re disabled, jailed or 65 years old or older. Fear of voting in person during a pandemic doesn’t count as a disability, the courts have said. > > Even if you do qualify for a mail ballot in Texas, watch those deadlines. Election officials have to have your application in their possession by Oct. 23 — just days before the Nov. 3 election. With slow mail deliveries, that’s pressing your luck. You send an application, they send a ballot, you vote and send it back; even in good times, that’s tight. > … > > Texas is full of them [prominent stumbling blocks]. You can’t register to vote online, and you can’t register at all for this year’s general election after Oct. 5. Texas requires voters to carry government-issued photo identification, a security measure that has survived court challenges but not criticism that it’s an unnecessary complication designed to intimidate and impede voters. > > It’s not like this everywhere. Some states allow voters to register to vote on election day. Most don’t require excuses or extra qualifications from voters who want to vote by mail. Some simply send ballots to all of their citizens, who then cast votes by mail or by dropping their ballots in secure public boxes where they can be gathered and counted. > > It’s like they’re trying to make it easy. > … At least Texas allows dead people to vote. Not every state can claim that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-by-mail-in-2020-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/852897.md?page=6)