Voting

[steve_bank]

Other than the fraud ramts, anybody having problems with voting?

Here in Wa it can not be easier.

I got a localized pamphlet preeminent all candates and any ballot issues. Deabts and speeches by candates are online.

The mail in ballot was clear and easy to fill out. Drop it in the mail and it is done.

You have to sign on the outside and the signature is checked against what you have on your state ID. I can check my vote status online.

If yiu provide email or phone number you will be contacted if there arer any issues with your ballot.

In King County there are a number of drop boxes near public transit.

There is no reason not to vote. Unless you are lazy.


There was news segment on a group that was going door to door checking voyer info. Theymade numerous false claims checked by reporters.

I can see why conservatives have such a hard on against mail in voting. It is near impossible to suppress voting, especially of minorities. The only choke poinI can see is requirements for registration. Here in Wa you do not need a stae drivers license or ID card. You need to prove residence and citizenship.

Other than language I don;t see here in Wa that anyone can be disenfranchised in an election.

To register in Washington you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a legal resident of Washington State, your county and your precinct for 30 days immediately preceding the election in which you want to vote
• be at least 18 years old by election day (16- and 17-year-olds can sign up as Future Voters and be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18)
• not be disqualified from voting due to a court order
• not be currently serving a sentence of total confinement in prison under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections for a felony conviction in Washington State, another state, or in federal court
• not be currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction

There are news reports that black ballots are rejected at a higher rate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/us/mail-voting-black-latino.html

Feb. 2, 2022
SEATTLE — Among the thousands of mail-in ballots that were rejected in Washington State during the 2020 election, auditors have found that the votes of Black residents were thrown out four times as often as those of white voters.
The rejections, all of them because of problematic signatures, disqualified one out of every 40 mail-in votes from Black people — a finding that already is causing concern amid the national debate over voter access and secure balloting. Washington, a state with broad experience in mail-in balloting, found that rejection rates were also elevated for Native American, Hispanic, and Asian and Pacific Islander voters.

Same reports in other states.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

There is little trouble at middle class and above.

 

[southernhybrid]

I didn't have any problems voting, but I put an article in the thread about Georgia about how the Republicans were challenging huge numbers of voters, making it difficult for some to vote. Those who were denied their rights had to go to a lot of trouble to have their votes reinstated. I imagine that some became discouraged and didn't bother to vote. And, a homeless person was denied her right to vote because she lacks an address. Using a PO Box as your address is illegal, even if you're registered and simply don't have a place to live. That seems very wrong to me.

 

[Politesse]

There were no barriers to voting for me, and I was happy to get the Ballotrax notification that my vote had been counted, really just a few hours after dropping the thing off at the local library. But, I have a regular address and live in a so-called "liberal state", so ease of voting is the general ethos.

 

[ZiprHead]

I didn't have any problems voting, but I put an article in the thread about Georgia about how the Republicans were challenging huge numbers of voters, making it difficult for some to vote. Those who were denied their rights had to go to a lot of trouble to have their votes reinstated. I imagine that some became discouraged and didn't bother to vote. And, a homeless person was denied her right to vote because she lacks an address. Using a PO Box as your address is illegal, even if you're registered and simply don't have a place to live. That seems very wrong to me.

Of course it's wrong. Republicans don't care that it's wrong. Have you ever once seen a Republican complain about removing a voter from the rolls simply because they have the same or similar name as someone on the roll in another state and that it is wrong?

 

[Shadowy Man]

I didn't have any problems voting, but I put an article in the thread about Georgia about how the Republicans were challenging huge numbers of voters, making it difficult for some to vote. Those who were denied their rights had to go to a lot of trouble to have their votes reinstated. I imagine that some became discouraged and didn't bother to vote. And, a homeless person was denied her right to vote because she lacks an address. Using a PO Box as your address is illegal, even if you're registered and simply don't have a place to live. That seems very wrong to me.

Of course it's wrong. Republicans don't care that it's wrong. Have you ever once seen a Republican complain about removing a voter from the rolls simply because they have the same or similar name as someone on the roll in another state and that it is wrong?

They quite likely see it as acceptable should this happen to a Republican voter as long as they think it happens more to Democratic voters.

 

[southernhybrid]

There were no barriers to voting for me, and I was happy to get the Ballotrax notification that my vote had been counted, really just a few hours after dropping the thing off at the local library. But, I have a regular address and live in a so-called "liberal state", so ease of voting is the general ethos.

Actually, voting has always been easier in Georgia, compared to any other state I've lived in and I've lived in 6 different states. We have three full weeks of early voting and anyone can request an absentee ballot. The problem is the crazy Republicans have attempted to put up barriers in certain parts of the state that are known to be Democratic majorities, by questioning the validity of some voters. To my knowledge, this has never happened here before. At least the vast majority of the requests to remove people have been rejected by the state. We can thank the MAGA crowd for this attempt to suppress the vote.

The most recent problem, that I mentioned in the Georgia thread, in that Cobb County forgot to send out absentee ballots to about 1000 people. About 25% of them have already voted and the ACLU is trying to sue to allow the others to have more time to have their votes counted. I read that poll workers are putting in over 80 hours per week, and I think this was an hones mistake. Anyone who didn't receive an absentee ballot can still vote in person, but this is a problem for those who are homebound due to medical issues or to those who are temporarily living out of state. I hope the ACLU wins the case.

 

[Elixir]

Received a voters guide a few weeks ago covering all the issues, candidates, judges etc, and read over the parts I didn't know. The ballot came in the mail, filled it out in less time than it takes to make a decent sandwich and Mrs Elixir dropped both our ballots off on the way (less than 100yds detour) to the grocery store. Confirmed a day later. Almost as easy as falling off a log.
I love the job our Secretary of State Jena Griswold is doing, and will be devastated if she loses this cycle.

 

[steve_bank]

I checked online and my te was tallied.

For a few candidates I looked at debates and interviews online.

 

[Politesse]

An organization in my area is very good about scheduling public discussions with all the county and city level positions; always an interesting (and often telling) resource on how to vote.