America Is Going To Vote by Mail. We're Not Ready.

[PoS]

America Is Going To Vote by Mail. We’re Not Ready. – Reason.com

The bigger problem facing states as they prepare for the 2020 general election is not the president's tweeting or the spectral fears of voter fraud. It's that there is no time to build out the infrastructure necessary for a full-scale vote-by-mail operation like the ones in Colorado, Oregon and elsewhere.



So far, Congress has authorized $400 million in new spending to help states get prepared for what's likely to be the weirdest election in recent history, but the Brennan Center says it will take $4 billion in additional election spending to cover the cost of ballot printing, postage, security measures like drop boxes and bar codes, and hiring additional staff to count votes. Hasen estimates that, despite spending more than $3 trillion on coronavirus aid, Congress has provided to states only about 20 percent of what would be necessary to run an election in the middle of a pandemic—meaning not only expanded absentee balloting, but also funding for things like protective equipment for poll workers.

Excellent article. Prepare for chaos in the upcoming elections.

 

[Parrish]

I will be voting on Sept. 19. and will hand deliver my ballot at the registrar's office. I would advise others to do the same.

 

[swing_voter]

50,000 American troops voted by mail during the Civil War.

Over a million American troops voted by mail during WWII.


Military people have been voting by mail for over a hundred years without major problems.

 

[Diesel]

I will be voting on Sept. 19. and will hand deliver my ballot at the registrar's office. I would advise others to do the same.

Good for you and I agree. I'll be voting early and by mail as well. I hope as many people as possible do the same because if the election were held today, Trump would lose. That's probably part of the reason he's against voting by mail.

 

[PoS]

50,000 American troops voted by mail during the Civil War.

Over a million American troops voted by mail during WWII.


Military people have been voting by mail for over a hundred years without major problems.

Not every citizen in the US is in the military you know... :roll:

 

[Parrish]

:roll:

 

[Diesel]

Went right over his head.

 

[rocket88]

America Is Going To Vote by Mail. We’re Not Ready. – Reason.com


Excellent article. Prepare for chaos in the upcoming elections.

I think we probably aren't prepared, but....

 

[The AntiDonald]

I think we probably aren't prepared, but....

Instead of everyone complaining and arguing about our preparedness, how about the government step in and fund it and prepare us. A little instruction and some well trained poll workers is all we need. Fund the P.O. and everything will be fine.

That's not what Trump and the GOP want. They want to scare as many democrats out of voting as possible. Make it real hard for them. A lovely perspective on what's going on.

 

[Mycroft]

50,000 American troops voted by mail during the Civil War.

Over a million American troops voted by mail during WWII.


Military people have been voting by mail for over a hundred years without major problems.

Now compare that to around a hundred million who have never voted by mail. Compare that to states who's absentee systems were never designed to handle millions of mail in ballots...in each state.

We'll be luck if we know who supposedly won the election a week after voting day.

 

[Mycroft]

Instead of everyone complaining and arguing about our preparedness, how about the government step in and fund it and prepare us. A little instruction and some well trained poll workers is all we need. Fund the P.O. and everything will be fine.

That's not what Trump and the GOP want. They want to scare as many democrats out of voting as possible. Make it real hard for them. A lovely perspective on what's going on.

You need much more than that. You need the state legislation to provide the basis for everything done during the state election process.

Look at what happened in PA. There's a thread here about it. Some counties installed drop boxes for people to present their votes if they don't want to send it in the mail. Good idea, right? It is...except PA state law says drop boxes are not allowed. Those counties were breaking their own state laws by doing something necessary for good mail in voting.

You also need laws that establish which ballots will be counted. For example, Colorado closes their in-person polls at 7:30pm on election day. They also require ballots to be in the hands of election officials at 7:30pm. Anyone who comes to the poll after that time doesn't get to vote. And votes that are received through the mail after that time are not counted. That's a state law. How many state legislatures have enacted similar laws? How many states are going to allow someone to show up with boxes of ballots 4 days after the election and then spend the time to count them?

It's not as simple as "A little instruction and some well trained poll workers".

 

[Eatomus]

Just wear your mask like you do going into the other half a dozen public places you go into everyday .
Duh!

 

[RealityNow]

Anyone who is responsible will be responsible in how they process their vote.

Reporters Call Trump on his Lies about "Veterans Choice"... and his lying ass "Ran Off Stage"... "BUSTED IN HIS LIE" for the World To See"

_____________________________________________________________________________________​

American people ARE NOT like the Russian Operative that sits in our Office of the Presidency.... American people are more honorable, and WILL NOT let some tin pot wanna be Dictator ... try and convince them otherwise.

Trump and His Republican Right Wing Cult... is and should be charged as a Treasonous S.O.B..... and process and convict him and every one of his enablers and comfort givers with the stiffest penalty for Treason

TRUMP AND REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS,
SHOULD HAVE CHARGES LEVIED AGAINST AND UPON THEM,
AND
THEY SHOULD BE TRIED AND THEY SHOULD BE "CONVICTED" OF THE FOLLOWING CRIMES AGAINST AMERICA​

CHARGES:

18 U.S. Code § 2381.Treason

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 807; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(2)(J), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)



CHARGE THE REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS WITH _ 18 U.S. Code § 2382.Misprision of Treason

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States and having knowledge of the commission of any treason against them, conceals and does not, as soon as may be, disclose and make known the same to the President or to some judge of the United States, or to the governor or to some judge or justice of a particular State, is guilty of misprision of treason and shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than seven years, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 807; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)



18 U.S. Code § 2384.Seditious Conspiracy

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; July 24, 1956, ch. 678, § 1, 70 Stat. 623; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(N), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)

 

[Mr Person]

Not ready? :lol:

The systems are already set up. If the country isn't ready it is because Trump is actively undermining USPS.

 

[Helix]

it's funny how scared Republicans are of more people voting. That must suck.

 

[btthegreat]

This is a problem because some states that have not developed this system fully, will have problems with logistics and communication to voters who simply have not done this before. Its going to be new. But lets not pretend that there won'tl be lawyers and an RNC and a DNC representatives attacking every ballot and every system, and every computor tally, in every state with equal venom whether it is vote by mail or traditional polling station voting. The 'hanging chad' debacle in three Florida counties, that produced a SCOTUS case ( Gore v Bush) was not about vote by mail or absentee ballots.

This election is totally screwed because there has never been such a hyper vigilant agenda driven interest to sabotaging the legitimacy of one of our national elections. Heck its not just a local sport in Boston or Mobile, its now an international sport involving hacking and foreign actors.

 

[iguanaman]

50,000 American troops voted by mail during the Civil War.

Over a million American troops voted by mail during WWII.


Military people have been voting by mail for over a hundred years without major problems.

But they did not have Trump's flunky sabotaging the USPS did they?

Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, a Democrat who leads the committee that oversees the postal service characterized the USPS overhaul as “sabotage.” Connolly wrote on Twitter that the overhaul is “really a Trojan Horse” and amounts to “deliberate sabotage to disrupt mail service on the eve of the election — an election that hinges on mail-in ballots.” He wasn’t alone. Sen. Elizabeth Warren linked to a story of the shakeup and wondered: “How many ways can the new Postmaster General sabotage the @USPS?” Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon also used the word “sabotage” to characterize the administration’s actions regarding the Postal Service. Sen. Kamala Harris also joined in on the criticism, saying that the shakeup in the Postal Service’s leadership shows how “they are trying to take down the United States Postal Service from the inside—at a time when we need it the most.”

Democrats decry “sabotage” after “Friday Night Massacre” at Postal Service.

 

[Ikari]

it's funny how scared Republicans are of more people voting. That must suck.

Well they are trying desperately to defend Trump, and that is a ****ty position to be in.

But many States are going to move to mail-in voting this election and then with luck they'll be able to formalize it so that it's the standard.

 

[iguanaman]

You need much more than that. You need the state legislation to provide the basis for everything done during the state election process.

Look at what happened in PA. There's a thread here about it. Some counties installed drop boxes for people to present their votes if they don't want to send it in the mail. Good idea, right? It is...except PA state law says drop boxes are not allowed. Those counties were breaking their own state laws by doing something necessary for good mail in voting.

You also need laws that establish which ballots will be counted. For example, Colorado closes their in-person polls at 7:30pm on election day. They also require ballots to be in the hands of election officials at 7:30pm. Anyone who comes to the poll after that time doesn't get to vote. And votes that are received through the mail after that time are not counted. That's a state law. How many state legislatures have enacted similar laws? How many states are going to allow someone to show up with boxes of ballots 4 days after the election and then spend the time to count them?

It's not as simple as "A little instruction and some well trained poll workers".

Tell Trump to leave our F**king Postal Service alone then. Now is not the time to fire the people that are in charge of making sure our mail is on time is it?

S

everal Democrats accused the Trump administration of trying to sabotage the country’s mail system after a broad restructuring of the United States Postal Service that some have characterized as a “Friday Night Massacre.” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy moved forward with a significant reorganization of the Postal Service leadership along with a hiring freeze for leadership positions. The reorganization involves the reassignment or displacement of 23 USPS executives, including some who had been at the Postal Service for decades. Among the targets of the reorganization were the two top executives who oversee daily operations at the Postal Service.

Democrats decry “sabotage” after “Friday Night Massacre” at Postal Service.

 

[Helix]

Well they are trying desperately to defend Trump, and that is a ****ty position to be in.

But many States are going to move to mail-in voting this election and then with luck they'll be able to formalize it so that it's the standard.

I'm tired of standing in line anyway. Forty five minutes last time at the ass crack of dawn. Voted by mail in the primary. It took like three minutes.

 

[Ikari]

I'm tired of standing in line anyway. Forty five minutes last time at the ass crack of dawn. Voted by mail in the primary. It took like three minutes.

Honestly, in 2020 I don't see why this isn't just standard everywhere. It's a solid system, it allows tracking your vote and to see when its been counted, it increases voter participation, etc. I think it's a great system to switch to and we wouldn't be in this "holy ****, what are we going to do?" moment now if we had made this switch earlier.

 

[Mycroft]

Tell Trump to leave our F**king Postal Service alone then. Now is not the time to fire the people that are in charge of making sure our mail is on time is it?

S

Democrats decry “sabotage” after “Friday Night Massacre” at Postal Service.

yawn...

Once again, you deflect. (seriously, don't you ever get tired of doing that?)

 

[TomFitz]

America Is Going To Vote by Mail. We’re Not Ready. – Reason.com


Excellent article. Prepare for chaos in the upcoming elections.

We voted my mail in the Maryland presidential primary without a hitch. We had never done mail in ballots before.

Of course, if your fuhrer would stop trying to undermine the Post Office, it might be easier. He’s doing this precisely BECAUSE mail in ballots have a good track record.

It is a good article. It doesn’t really support your claim, unless you’re thinking about the words of Hans von Spofsky, whose credibility on election issues is below zero.

 

[Old 'N Chill]

Instead of everyone complaining and arguing about our preparedness, how about the government step in and fund it and prepare us. A little instruction and some well trained poll workers is all we need. Fund the P.O. and everything will be fine.

That's not what Trump and the GOP want. They want to scare as many democrats out of voting as possible. Make it real hard for them. A lovely perspective on what's going on.

They are using distraction and fear mongering to cheat in this election. That's the only way the Trump Klan Party repugs can win elections, by cheating and by help now from the Puppet Master, Mr. Putin. I'm in Colorado and will be voting by mail as usual......for Joe Biden.

 

[Diesel]

Instead of everyone complaining and arguing about our preparedness, how about the government step in and fund it and prepare us. A little instruction and some well trained poll workers is all we need. Fund the P.O. and everything will be fine.

That's not what Trump and the GOP want. They want to scare as many democrats out of voting as possible. Make it real hard for them. A lovely perspective on what's going on.

Preparation? What's that? This is the same administration that could have been planning to open schools for schools. Instead, it did worse than nothing and then demanded that children be thrown into schools that are epically unprepared to educate students in a COVID world.