Anyone who can early vote in person

[Awsi Dooger]

12. So many things can go wrong with an absentee ballot

I filled one out last week for the Miami August primary. These were the troubling aspects that stood out to me:

* The fill bubble was much, much smaller this year, almost as if designed to cause spillover and therefore spoiled votes

* The mailing envelope folds smack over the middle of where you are supposed to sign your name on the outside. Therefore it's a question of whether to squeeze your name fully on the left of the fold, or partially cover both sides. All of this with the lengthy disqualifier that your signature must match the recorded signature, otherwise it won't count and they'll attempt to contact you to verify signature

* You have to place the ballot inside a folder before sticking it inside the mailing envelope itself. I guarantee countless people will either not be aware of that aspect or simply forget about it, and place the ballot directly inside the envelope while throwing away everything else

* The mailing envelope was ridiculously thin in the area where you lick to seal. That area basically collapses when wet. Then the wet area attaches to the other side of the envelope directly opposite the bar scan code. Now the wetness seeps through to the bar code.


I was in disbelief throughout. I'm doing it carefully enough so I'm confident my ballot will count. But the slightest problem in any of those areas is going to lead to rejection