General Discussion

frazzled

(18,402 posts)

87. But if your ballot is spoiled, it's kaput

Tue Nov 4, 2014, 03:09 PM

Nov 2014

When voting in person, if you mismark a ballot, you are immediately informed when you put the paper ballot into the reader. It will spit it out, and you will have a chance to get a new ballot and fill it out again. Same for a computer screen, which tells you when you've made a misstep.

I'm an experienced voter (have voted every local, state, and federal election since 1972), and it happened to me once about 6 or 8 years ago. I screwed up on the hundreds of judicial retention yes/no questions (must've filled in the "no"s first and then accidentally added a yes for a candidate when I filled in the rest.

When you mail in your ballot, if it's spoiled it's spoiled. And this affects less educated or experienced voters. Indeed, one could say it's a form of voter suppression. Just a cautionary note. No system is perfect--and that includes mail-in. There's tons of room for error or mishandling.

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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