Early Voting/Absentee Voting: Why??

[Eddie]

So back to the original question...

I was at a meeting in which some Republican folks were talking about the absentee ballots and trying to get more registered Republican voters to sign up. One of their talking points was that a relatively low % of registered voters show up to vote (isn't it well under 50% typically?). However, in the last election more than 80% of folks with an absentee ballot voted. So if more Republicans had absentee ballots, they would get a better turnout of Republicans at the election (figuratively speaking...I realize they don't show up to mail their absentee ballot.)

Now - my initial reaction was that the kind of folks who request an absentee ballot are also the kind of folks who are more likely to vote. Folks who aren't likely to vote don't request absentee ballots. So I don't necessarily believe their premise that the number of voters would increase significantly if everyone had an absentee ballot.

But I'm guessing that these are the kinds of things they look at when trying to get more early voters or absentee voters.

Also - I agree with the concept that when there is only one day to vote, things can go horribly wrong and keep some folks from making it. An accident, issues at work, a sick child, etc. could all get my mind off of voting depending on the degree of seriousness.

[dabrockster]

Absentee voting fraud in Ohio..

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...back-john-fund

[Scott R Nelson]

Didn't read this whole thread, but find it interesting that the early posts are about Republicans wanting more absentee ballots, which is the opposite of what they seem to be saying now.

So I just turned in my absentee ballot at City Hall in their special collection box - a former mail collection box that got repainted and some new stickers on it. What I like about voting using an absentee ballot is that I can take my time to study every candidate and make a more informed decision on each one. Well, for everybody except the Fourth Judicial Court District which is all straight Yes/No of whether or not we should keep each of 14 judges. I had a hard time finding out anything about any of them.

I can remember in California receiving a voter information booklet with a reasonable copy of the ballot and additional information that was fairly useful. I have not been successful finding something similar for Meridian, Idaho. Maybe they send them to those who are not voting by mail or something. I used to go through that, mark it up, the just copy the information to the ballot when I voted. People shouldn't slow down the in-person voting process agonizing over a decision that they could have made before they got there.

Now if I could just find a way to not be subjected to political advertising for the next three weeks...

[Eddie]

Didn't read this whole thread, but find it interesting that the early posts are about Republicans wanting more absentee ballots, which is the opposite of what they seem to be saying now....

I don't think anyone has an issue with absentee ballots - because those are ballots that have been requested by the voter. There is concern about just sending out ballots to every registered voter - with stories of some voters finding ballots in the mailbox for a parent who died several years ago.

In Utah, if you skip voting in two general elections in a row, you don't get a ballot mailed to you. Of course - if I've been sending in Grandma's ballot for her for the last 10 years, I guess those general elections aren't ever missed!

[Uncle Ted]

I don't think anyone has an issue with absentee ballots - because those are ballots that have been requested by the voter. There is concern about just sending out ballots to every registered voter - with stories of some voters finding ballots in the mailbox for a parent who died several years ago.

In Utah, if you skip voting in two general elections in a row, you don't get a ballot mailed to you. Of course - if I've been sending in Grandma's ballot for her for the last 10 years, I guess those general elections aren't ever missed!

I have been told that never happens with mail-in voting.

[Scott R Nelson]

I don't think anyone has an issue with absentee ballots - because those are ballots that have been requested by the voter. There is concern about just sending out ballots to every registered voter - with stories of some voters finding ballots in the mailbox for a parent who died several years ago.

Yeah, I already mentioned elsewhere that I received a California (Alameda County) absentee ballot and I can't figure out how to get off of their voting rolls. I have never requested an absentee ballot in that state and I find it interesting that they sent it to my address in Idaho.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I have been told that never happens with mail-in voting.

There is that straw man again.