General Discussion

MineralMan

(151,333 posts)

59. Voting by mail can still be manipulated, sadly.

Tue Nov 4, 2014, 02:18 PM

Nov 2014

There are many opportunities for votes to be "lost," before being counted. Depending on where you are and what party is in control of handling mailed-in ballots, there is always a chance that your ballot could disappear and never be counted.

One of the things I like about paper ballots and optical scanners is that the count can be checked manually. In Minnesota, that happened both in 2008 and 2010, across the entire state. Those manual recounts verified that the scanner counted ballots were accurately tallied. The only issues arose from absentee ballots, and that almost cost Al Franken his election.

I'd like to think that mail-in ballots would be handled correctly, but I'm not entirely certain that will be true in every county in the United States, frankly.

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Why I Vote in Person at My Polling Place [View all] MineralMan Nov 2014 OP

Don't we know everything about you yet? whatchamacallit Nov 2014 #1

By no means. There's still much left to tell. MineralMan Nov 2014 #5

NOoooooooo.... whatchamacallit Nov 2014 #6

I'm parsing it out, little by little. MineralMan Nov 2014 #7

Ok...going to have to ask... HipChick Nov 2014 #12

I'm sure I'll repeat myself, so it probably MineralMan Nov 2014 #15

"Codger privilege" FTW! riqster Nov 2014 #73

MM is one of the few people I come across regularly on the Internet and ChisolmTrailDem Nov 2014 #9

I'm pretty sure that whatchamacallit meant that as a MineralMan Nov 2014 #17

Yup whatchamacallit Nov 2014 #18

Oh, I knew that. Just wanted to chime in. nt ChisolmTrailDem Nov 2014 #21

Thanks for doing that! MineralMan Nov 2014 #23

You're welcome, MM. nt ChisolmTrailDem Nov 2014 #26

We pretty much do the same thing Skidmore Nov 2014 #2

Me and my whole office goes every election at 1:45pm. JaneyVee Nov 2014 #3

Fun! cyberswede Nov 2014 #8

That's a great tradition! MineralMan Nov 2014 #22

From another old codger Jim Beard Nov 2014 #4

I'm a huge techie HipChick Nov 2014 #10

How would you feel if you had to stand in line for many hours to cast your ballot? Bandit Nov 2014 #11

If I had to do that, I'm sure I'd meet some interesting people. MineralMan Nov 2014 #19

I like to vote that way, too cyberswede Nov 2014 #13

I always vote in person. bigwillq Nov 2014 #14

Voting is our right...That is why we vote by mail. We all get together, it has become a tradition. Tikki Nov 2014 #16

Sounds like you've started your own new tradition. MineralMan Nov 2014 #20

Not so new...we have been doing this for over 15 years... Tikki Nov 2014 #55

I agree with the old traditional way of doing it! logosoco Nov 2014 #24

Stickers Rule! MineralMan Nov 2014 #25

My great grandmother was a suffragist sarge43 Nov 2014 #27

That's a great reason! MineralMan Nov 2014 #33

Thanks sarge43 Nov 2014 #45

I like to vote in person also. William769 Nov 2014 #28

Republicans closed down 1/2 of the rural voting places in my county, so now B Calm Nov 2014 #29

Good for you for not being discouraged! hedgehog Nov 2014 #48

I voted three weeks ago. Waiting til election day is far too risky for me ecstatic Nov 2014 #30

I agree with you. Shit happens. Vote early/by mail if you can. nt SunSeeker Nov 2014 #37

+1. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the woods". nt Zorra Nov 2014 #111

I was number 80 to vote this morning. Jamastiene Nov 2014 #31

"There was barely any Democratic Party presence there at all..." Jenoch Nov 2014 #39

"Democrat" judges CreekDog Nov 2014 #61

Huh? Jenoch Nov 2014 #66

Should be "democratic". riqster Nov 2014 #67

I am unaware of that. Jenoch Nov 2014 #71

It's more complicated, grammar is involved. riqster Nov 2014 #79

I don't often refer to the Democratic Party Jenoch Nov 2014 #80

Fair enough. Just explaining why someone corrected you on usage. riqster Nov 2014 #83

I was talking about the people outside that you have to walk through, Jamastiene Nov 2014 #100

That does not hapoen in Minnesota. Jenoch Nov 2014 #114

I'm not sure of the feet, but they have to stay back some from the actual entrance. Jamastiene Nov 2014 #118

I can't ever remember Jenoch Nov 2014 #119

In my county, they are always there, a few feet back, but there. n/t Jamastiene Nov 2014 #122

I voted by mail-my commute and work hours preclude in- person voting. riqster Nov 2014 #65

Aww, I was really happy to have some I voted stickers for my Jackson. Jamastiene Nov 2014 #123

Jackson makes some very good axes. riqster Nov 2014 #124

I am not a glutton for punishment and hate standing in lines. RebelOne Nov 2014 #32

I have posted this several times now. Jenoch Nov 2014 #41

Just came back from my polling place. DinahMoeHum Nov 2014 #34

Wish I could vote leftieNanner Nov 2014 #35

Thanks for voting, no matter how you do it! MineralMan Nov 2014 #36

You cannot get a cool "I Voted!" sticker by mail, can you? FrodosPet Nov 2014 #38

Nice. Ours are red with I Voted in white. MineralMan Nov 2014 #40

I'll vote after work. Jenoch Nov 2014 #42

We're counting on your vote! MineralMan Nov 2014 #44

I have never missed voting in an election. Jenoch Nov 2014 #58

Speaking of old farts CanonRay Nov 2014 #43

Well, I don't care when anyone votes, or where. MineralMan Nov 2014 #46

No he didn't put you in your place, he was wrong CreekDog Nov 2014 #63

I generally vote in person on election day myself lark Nov 2014 #47

I vote in person on Election day because... meow2u3 Nov 2014 #49

That's how it was in Minnesota until this year. MineralMan Nov 2014 #51

I don't like to be around people PasadenaTrudy Nov 2014 #50

That's a good reason. I'm just glad you voted. MineralMan Nov 2014 #53

I, too, am an ancient traditionalist. JayhawkSD Nov 2014 #52

Funny--I was thinking pretty much the same thoughts as I went to vote Jackpine Radical Nov 2014 #54

I'm glad to hear about the large turnout in your state. MineralMan Nov 2014 #56

If everyone could vote by mail or on line upaloopa Nov 2014 #57

Voting by mail can still be manipulated, sadly. MineralMan Nov 2014 #59

My guess is voter ID laws reduce our chances at upaloopa Nov 2014 #60

The Republicans tried to enact voter ID in Minnesota MineralMan Nov 2014 #62

You check to make sure your ballot is received and if not, vote in person CreekDog Nov 2014 #64

OK. That sounds relatively foolproof, MineralMan Nov 2014 #70

But if your ballot is spoiled, it's kaput frazzled Nov 2014 #87

I miss the old voting booths with the curtain and the big metal handle. 3catwoman3 Nov 2014 #68

I've never been in a place that had those old voting machines. MineralMan Nov 2014 #74

It looks as if I am not the only one... 3catwoman3 Nov 2014 #84

there is nothing wrong with voting in person CreekDog Nov 2014 #69

There's nothing inherently wrong with any voting method. MineralMan Nov 2014 #75

There's a reason I vote on election day here in BC OnlinePoker Nov 2014 #72

Well, I wouldn't like that method much at all. MineralMan Nov 2014 #77

We like to go in person stopwastingmymoney Nov 2014 #76

Good luck with the results. MineralMan Nov 2014 #78

Yes, California is safely Blue stopwastingmymoney Nov 2014 #81

I identify with the old fart rationale... charliea Nov 2014 #82

On the other hand, Oregon has excellent turnout numbers. MineralMan Nov 2014 #90

Yeah, it's consoling ;-) charliea Nov 2014 #103

We do pretty well in Minnesota, too. MineralMan Nov 2014 #104

Well Damn! charliea Nov 2014 #112

Minnesotans vote. We do. MineralMan Nov 2014 #113

I'm another old fart who likes the tradition. Curmudgeoness Nov 2014 #85

You're not the only one who misses those old voting machines. MineralMan Nov 2014 #91

I despise early voting Reter Nov 2014 #86

Think That's Great dballance Nov 2014 #88

All in all, I agree that voting by mail should be MineralMan Nov 2014 #92

Already did. eggplant Nov 2014 #89

It will be interesting to see how many wrote that in. MineralMan Nov 2014 #93

I'm a disabled man with chronic back pain. geomon666 Nov 2014 #94

Well, as long as your ass brings the rest of you with it... MineralMan Nov 2014 #95

It's the best part of me so I just let it do what it wants. geomon666 Nov 2014 #96

LOL! MineralMan Nov 2014 #97

I used to go to the precinct and live vote, but glowing Nov 2014 #98

Thanks for your story and for voting. MineralMan Nov 2014 #99

I vote by mail because the savalez Nov 2014 #101

That would be a good reason. MineralMan Nov 2014 #102

I should have done that. savalez Nov 2014 #117

I voted in person. PADemD Nov 2014 #105

Thanks for voting! MineralMan Nov 2014 #106

Number 58 in my small village in southern Illinois at 8 a.m.. justhanginon Nov 2014 #107

Thanks for your reply! MineralMan Nov 2014 #108

I like to vote in person also. Hassin Bin Sober Nov 2014 #109

Cool. It feels good to go somewhere to vote. MineralMan Nov 2014 #115

Did it! To my surprise, there were young folk there, and the worker who helped me said they had.... Tarheel_Dem Nov 2014 #110

Sounds Promising. MineralMan Nov 2014 #116

I always vote in person Abq_Sarah Nov 2014 #120

I vote in person, too, because I want to be the one who puts my ballot into the scanner. I tblue37 Nov 2014 #121