More Than 550,000 Primary Absentee Ballots Rejected In 2020, Far Outpacing 2016

[mzmolly]

Last edited Sun Aug 23, 2020, 12:11 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/22/904693468/more-than-550-000-primary-absentee-ballots-rejected-in-2020-far-outpacing-2016

Even with limited data, the implications are considerable. NPR found that tens of thousands of ballots have been rejected in key battleground states, where the outcome in November — for the presidency, Congress and other elected positions — could be determined by a relatively small number of votes.

For example, President Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by almost 23,000 votes. More than 23,000 absentee ballots were rejected in the state's presidential primary in April. More than 37,000 primary ballots were also rejected in June in Pennsylvania, a state Trump won by just over 44,000 votes.

The numbers are also significant because of large partisan differences in how Americans plan to vote this fall. Democrats have expressed more interest than Republicans in voting by mail — 47% to 28% in the Democracy Fund/UCLA survey. Forty-eight percent of those who intend to vote for Joe Biden say they will use mail-in ballots, compared with 23% of Trump supporters.

[Phoenix61]

1. Matching signatures makes it too easy to toss ballots.

I’m voting in person.

[samnsara]

6. we are 100% mail in here so it is very impt to get your ballot in early..

...i did have my signature questioned once and I cant even remember how I resolved it but it as well within the time I had to get my final ballot it. One can be a poll watcher for mail ins as well. In my state we are allowed one of each party to just sit in the room where signatures are being verified and the ballots stacked into the machine. We were allowed to question a decision if a ballot was put aside for signature etc but I never found the reason to do so when I was observing. In my 4 hour shift there was only one ballot put aside and neither observer chose to challenge it.

[lark]

2. I think anyone who trusts the mail is taking a huge risk and I won't do it.

In FL, mail in voting is the most INSECURE of any other state in the nation, AFAIK. We have a very stringent voter signature matching program and if it sees any differences, it kicks out your ballot and I guarantee you Dems will not get notified of this because no one did in 2018 when over 100,000 people had their ballots rejected - most of them Dems. We will early vote on the first Tues. it's offered to avoid lines, be safe and to ensure our votes actually count. We have a plan!

[mzmolly]

3. Good plan!

[kurtcagle]

19. Of course

You still have to GET Your ballot to vote by mail. I understand drop-boxes are being targeted now.

[samnsara]

4. if you can do it safely please do..

...our state has no option other than mail in. We have drop boxes near the courthouse which I will use for the first time ever. But even before all mail, my polling place was in the gym of a very rural and historic country school house. There were always more workers than voters and maybe only 10 ppl at the most in there at one time.

If you can safely vote in person do it..those votes will be counted faster.

[mzmolly]

8. Safety is key.

I understand voters can follow up in some states and see if their ballot was counted or rejected? I'd think if it's rejected one could vote in person?

[pamdb]

5. voting

I would do the same if Michigan had early voting but being the backward state we are, we don't. It's one day. You would think that considering the weather we could have, even in early November, we would have at least a week to vote but nooooooo, the republican dominated House and Senate won't allow it. SO this year, for the first time, my husband an I (age 68 and 69) will
be voting by mail. We will, however, drive downtown and drop our ballots off at the drop box. And we will vote as soon as we get
the ballots. We did it in the primary and apparently we did it correctly, so it should be ok for the presidential. I much prefer voting in person and at our polling place there are usually more people working there than voting (of course being retired we can go whenever we want) but both of us being asthmatic, we are still Covid careful.

[LisaL]

7. I prefer voting in person too, but I don't want to do it during a pandemic.

Here we have only one early voting place per a large county, so early voting is not convenient or very safe as far as I am concerned. I also managed to get my ballot accepted for the primary so apparently I did it correctly.
Now we just need post office to deliver it.

[mzmolly]

9. Can you follow up with your local SOS

and make sure your vote was counted?

[LisaL]

10. I can track the ballot to see if it was accepted or not.

I am assuming if it was accepted it was counted.

[mzmolly]

13. My state indicates "Your ballot was counted"

which is great because it leaves little doubt.

On second thought, I may vote by mail with a back up plan if I'm guaranteed my vote will count.

[Chainfire]

11. I plan to vote in person, and often!

Just to be sure.

Culling the primary votes is just practice for the big one.

[mzmolly]

12. Yep.

They're approaching this from all angles. 1. F with the USPS. 2. Limit the number of places people can vote in person. 3. Challenge legit votes. 4. Voter intimidation at the polls.

I hope we leave no doubt Biden won this election - on election night.

[Hoyt]

14. Other studies I have read indicate primary reason ballots are rejected is they are postmarked late.

Don't wait until last minute. Seems simple.

[mzmolly]

18. And follow up to be sure

your vote is counted with your local SOS. My state has simple online tool.

[Wounded Bear]

15. I think this is a little bit of shit stirring...

I mean, is the proportion of ballots rejected really that much higher than before?

Are the reasons for rejection understood?

Frankly, I think the primary was a decent dry run for November. Take all these stats as motivation to do it right.

Dems are going all in on voter education, connectedness, and planning/looking ahead for how to do this right. IMO that's a sound strategy for the fall.

[JI7]

16. Yes, if a lot more people voted than that means more ballots could be rejected

but also more counted also. Need to know percentage numbers.

[mzmolly]

17. The article has some insight about who is most likely to have a ballot rejected.

Black and Hispanic voters were more likely to be voting by mail for the first time and, if so, were twice as likely to have their ballots rejected than white voters who were voting by mail for the first time.

I found that my primary ballot was counted and my husbands was not received. We mailed them back at the same time.

The notion that some election judge can decide my signature doesn't match what's on file and reject my ballot is not comforting to me.

The key is to be SURE your vote is counted. Vote early, follow up and if possible have a back up plan.