If you are planning to vote by mail in November,

[MineralMan]

request your ballot as soon as your state allows. Then, fill it out and mail it back as soon as you receive it. The process couldn't be simpler, really. Don't delay. Don't wait. Just vote as soon as you can and your ballot will get counted.

I can't see any reason to delay if you already know you will vote by mail on an absentee ballot or whatever other vote by mail option is available.

Also, when you receive your absentee ballot, read the instructions that come with it closely, and follow them to the letter. Don't lose your vote by thinking you know what to do. Read the instructions and follow them.

Don't Delay! Vote Today! Or as soon as you possibly can.

[Mike 03]

1. Kicking with enthusiasm

My ballot goes back in the mail the day after it's received. Period.

[MineralMan]

2. Yes. I voted by mail in my state's primary the day the ballot arrived.

Why would anyone do anything else?

[Mike 03]

8. I'm so eager to vote I'm worried my hand will be shaking as I fill in the

little circles and I'll spoil my ballot.

[Mr.Bill]

12. Sometimes a voter could be waiting to make a decision on a local candidate.

For instance, they could be waiting to see a local debate between candidates. In my state local elections are non partisan and it's not always easy for everyone to know the political affiliation of a local person running for office.

I hand-deliver my ballot on or close to election day. I hand it directly to the Registrar of Voters, a person I know and trust. Now I understand that's not convenient for everyone. I happen to live within walking distance of the Registrar's office. But given who is in charge of the post office now, and other things that are going on, I think it's worth the trouble.

Trump has signaled many times that he believes mail in ballots are fraudulent, and it's not much of a leap to imagine him having his armed storm troopers confiscating them right at the post office. I dare anyone to say I'm being paranoid.

[Wounded Bear]

3. K & R...for visibility...

Yes, by all means do this. My primary ballot took me a couple of days, most of that just sitting there, but I already mailed it, and according to our website, it is received and counted.

Of course, I live in a VBM state and all of this is old hat to us, but like the venerable Mineral Man said, don't delay.

[Nictuku]

4. Some states require postage

At least they did in the past. And it is more than one stamp (oversized), so be certain to put enough postage on it if required.

Don't delay, I used to mail it right before the election, but with all the chicanery going on at the post office, I will not do that this year.

I live in a rural area, and we have been mail only voting for a long time. I haven't received anything yet for the November election, but I did receive my ballot for the primary several weeks ahead of the election. I also go to the secretary of state website to verify that I am listed as registered.

[we can do it]

34. Most places allow drop off option.

Then there is no worry.

[Nictuku]

37. If you have transportation

Not everyone has a car, or a ride to the polling place.

[Aristus]

5. My voting precinct has a ballot drop-box outside the public library.

One can drop one's ballot off anytime between when one receives it in the mail, and 8pm on Election Day.

I just dropped off my ballot and that of Mrs. Aristus on Sunday for the state primary next week.

[ihaveaquestion]

16. Washington state has only mail-in votjng

They pay for postage and there are several ballot drop boxes located in my county for both early voting and extra drop box locations are available on election day.

This seems to me to be a well run and reasonable voting system. Maybe it can be adopted elsewhere?

[yellowdogintexas]

17. Arizona has them all over the place, per my daughter

easy peasy.

[BadgerMom]

27. I vote by mail but hand deliver it to the County Clerk.

Besides knowing it got where it needs to be, the office staff member accepting it always looks at the signatures, etc. to make certain they are as they should be. It’s minimal human contact and whether in Thousand Oaks, CA where the City Clerk accepted them for Ventura County or in Santa Fe, NM where the County Clerk’s Office is, it’s been just a short drive. For sure, I’ll vote by mail and deliver it to the Clerk’s office this year.

[we can do it]

35. Same here.

[phylny]

36. This is our plan as well in Virginia. n/t

[soothsayer]

6. First check whether your state has early in-person voting

And if so, do THAT

[LisaL]

23. Not a very good option in my state during a pandemic.

Only one early voting location per county. Which might work for a small county, but not that great for a large county.

[Texin]

32. I voted early/first week possible in the Texas primary election. Two poll workers

in a large Dallas precinct bordering Richardson. The registration check-in process was lengthy and the poll workers were largely not familiarized with the process. I wouldn't recommend that people vote in person, as we know this process is only going to be sabotaged further by Shitler's goons.

[Delmette2.0]

7. Excellent advice!

The op and comments are all good advice.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I've already sent my application for an absentee ballot. I have encouraged friends and family

to do the same.

[murielm99]

10. My husband and I have already returned

our applications for an absentee ballot. They will mail the ballots September 24th. We will send them back right away.

I live in a red county. Our county clerk is encouraging everyone to vote absentee. They know they will not have enough poll workers.

[pandr32]

11. Good advice!

We all need to listen up!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Yes, follow instructions very carefully. Vote early. Post Office announced it is delaying mail!

It announced it will delay some mail as a cost saving measure.

Get your vote in early so they don't get delayed at the last minute.

[Sogo]

14. Now that Trump has a loyalist as head of the USPS,

I don't trust that he won't find a way to screw with the mailed ballots.

I will either do a mail-in ballot and drop it off at the auditor's office in my county courthouse or vote early at the courthouse.

[rustysgurl]

15. Johnson County, Kansas

Has the option to either mail your ballot, or drop it off in receptacle in front of the election office (monitored by cameras and well secured). We got our primary ballot, filled it out, sealed it in the envelope and drove it over to the election office. Easy as pie, and didn't have to rely on USPS.

[Texaswitchy]

18. Or walk it in by hand.

Make sure it gets their.

[nilram]

19. And some states allow depositing a ballot at a drop box or the elections department beforehand.

Sometimes I'm organized enough to mail it in ahead of time, but I usually take mine to a big metal dropbox, specific to that purpose, not far from me. Even closer is a cardboard drop box at the front desk of a library near me. Used it, too, but I like the hulking metal box with the election department workers coming to fetch.

[Grammy23]

20. In Florida we have the option to have standing orders for absentee voting that lasts for several

Election cycles or until you cancel the order. We received a notification from the Supervisor of Elections that our order is still standing so we will receive our ballots in the mail for any election we are qualified to vote in. Typically we receive our ballots well ahead of the actual Election Day. I also went on line to check our voter registration status. We both were fine with a standing order in effect through 12/31/20. We can simply renew the order when that one expires. No special reason needed in Florida. Just request an absentee ballot online or in person. Easy.

My husband and I sit at our kitchen table, fill our ballots out and check and recheck every step. The procedure is written out in easy to follow directions. Step by step. Easy. Just recheck your work, place in secret sleeve, place in envelope, seal, sign, affix postage and mail back early. Don’t put it aside and then forget until it is too late.
😳 🙄 🤔

[Fritz Walter]

29. Just checked with the Duval Supervisor of Elections website

A couple weeks ago, I got the application for a mail-in ballot in my Snail-Mail. I completed and submitted it the next day. So, I checked. And it still showed no request for a mail-in ballot. Odd! The instructions also said you can complete the application on-line as well. So, I completed the application on-line and will check back in a week or so.

You can also check on recent ballots cast, including the Presidential Preference one in March, where I went in-person to an early voting place (seems like eons ago).

I intend to watch my status very carefully between now and November. And perhaps for a few days after the polls close.

Trust. But verify!

[Grammy23]

33. That is exactly why I checked our status. I received the letter

But also went online to verify our status. It is important to verify, just as you said.

[CTyankee]

21. CT legislature finalizing our mail in ballot even as I type this. We're gonna be all set.

I thank goddess every day that I live in CT!

[ffr]

22. I like it! Catchy phrase too: Don't Delay! Vote Today!

[firstwife]

24. In Washington our ballots have a receipt/number you can use to track your actual vote.

[Heartstrings]

25. I just posted the state by state deadlines as posted by President Obama....

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213819652

[MineralMan]

28. Thank you for doing that!

[Texin]

26. Plus, everyone voting by mail needs to contact the voting administrator's office

following up to ascertain that their ballot was received, validated and that their vote is counted. If they find out that their ballot hasn't been received or a ballot received has been invalidated, they need to ask why it was invalid and what they need to do to correct the issue. That's why the voting needs to be done as early as possible, because they may have to resort to last minute requests for a new one, or voting in person.

[yellowdogintexas]

30. In Texas,once you put in the application,every ballot will be sent to you for the rest of the year

in plenty of time to turn them around. You have to request it every year.

The Texas Democratic Party sends applications automatically to all qualifying voters that can be identified as Democrats. Qualifications are age 65 or higher; disability; or out of county for the entire voting period. (if you request due to out of county your ballot has to be sent to an out of county address). The deadline for the application is 3 weeks prior to beginning of early voting.

TDP raises the money every year to send these applications.

When we get ours, if we are working elections we put them away in case we need to send them in if we end up not working. In our county we can vote in any precinct so we can vote where we are assigned.

We sent them in this year because COVID may keep us from working.

Our prelimary elections are finished and the general election ballots will be mailed probably 2 weeks prior to the first day of early voting.

We can drop the ballot off on Election Day at the Elections Office.

If you have a ballot and decide to vote in person , you must take the ballot with you.

[Trumpocalypse]

31. Yes