I really, really detest voting by mail

[LisaM]

For one thing, I never have stamps plus I don't think you should have to pay to vote. I can't walk my ballot to the polling place on my lunch hour - it would take it all up. And I don't like to vote ahead of time, in case something changes.

This really sucks.

[The empressof all]

1. I don't like it either.

Although there are drop boxes located in major areas I think we miss a "community" spirit when we lose our polling places. It's a time to eyeball our neighbors who we may not know and gives us opportunities to connect with others. We're all too busy in our own lives and this public activity makes an important contribution in connecting us all.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. I rather like it, myself.

No waiting in line. I can do last minute research. I don't to worry that it might be snowing or have something come up that keeps me from the polling station.

[quiller4]

7. As do I. I've been a permanent absentee 10+ years.

[eridani]

3. There are quite a few alternative drop-off sites on the Elections Dept website

I prefer using them, or at least getting to a secure post office dropoff. There were instances of ballots being taken from people's mailboxes and ripped up last year.

[eridani]

4. One advantage to it is that if you vote very early--

--just about every campaign has matchbacks to the elections department, and those voters whose signatures have been validated are stricken from doorbelling and phonebanking lists.

As a longtime absentee voter, I liked the polls as well. I'd just drop my ballot there on election day. I've done elections observation, and have seen what happens to some ballots that get mailed. Now I go to the White Center Library dropoff as early as possible.

[LisaM]

5. There is no dropoff remotely near my house

The closest one is Lake City and I live near Northgate. There is likewise not one downtown that's the least bit close to where I work.

One reason I don't like it is that I remember what happened with the Wellstone election - more absentee ballots had been cast for him prior to his death than the margin of victory Norm Coleman "won" with - but Minnesota law did not provide for those Wellstone ballots to be counted or re-cast. I called King County and asked what would happen in this instance and they couldn't answer my question!

People who wanted to vote by mail before could - it hasn't changed for them - but I really don't like being forced to vote this way.

[pscot]

6. I like it because it lets you figure out

who to vote for in the more obscure, non-partisan races, like judges, county commissioners,school board members and such. I used to walk into the voting booth not having a clue who most of those people were, or even that they were on the ballot.