WWTBAM Bored

Since my thread about the Michigan legislature wanting to ban smoking in cars with kids in them generated a lot of commentary, here's another one.

Now there's legislation being considered that would allow you to file for an absentee ballot without needing a reason. Now you need to have a reason to file for one-for example, if you're over 65, are going to be working at the polls, will be out of town the day of the election, are in jail/prison, or you are unable to physically get to the polling place.

If this bill goes through, more people will probably file for absentee ballots and actual voter turnout at the polls will be even lower than it is now.

P.S. We have a Republican governor and a majority Republican legislature.

Colorado did what Kazoo describes for years, then two years ago voted in all-mail balloting. You get your ballot in the mail, then you either mail it back or deliver it to a vote center, typically the county courthouse and other designated county buildings. SteelersFan hand-delivers ours because the mail from our town goes to a "sorting center" four hours away, then back to town. I've sent stuff, one to an address in town and one to Denver on the same day, and the Denver item gets there first. But our snailmail woes are another story.

I love the all-mail balloting, and the county clerks feel the same and would rebel if the legislature tried to change back.

Kazoo65 wrote:Since my thread about the Michigan legislature wanting to ban smoking in cars with kids in them generated a lot of commentary, here's another one.

Now there's legislation being considered that would allow you to file for an absentee ballot without needing a reason. Now you need to have a reason to file for one-for example, if you're over 65, are going to be working at the polls, will be out of town the day of the election, are in jail/prison, or you are unable to physically get to the polling place.

If this bill goes through, more people will probably file for absentee ballots and actual voter turnout at the polls will be even lower than it is now.

P.S. We have a Republican governor and a majority Republican legislature.

I was kind of surprised that it was as hard as it is to get an absentee ballot last fall. The guy at the desk at City Hall (or was it a County thing? I can't remember) kind of gave me the stinkeye when I said I wanted one. He asked me why, and I told him I might be out of town on election day. "Do you know you're going to be out of town, or do you just think you might be?" I said it was more likely than not, and he stood there for, I dunno, probably 10-15 seconds but it felt like a lot longer, and then finally said "ok" with a look on his face that said he thought I didn't deserve one.

ToLiveIsToFly wrote:

Kazoo65 wrote:Since my thread about the Michigan legislature wanting to ban smoking in cars with kids in them generated a lot of commentary, here's another one.

Now there's legislation being considered that would allow you to file for an absentee ballot without needing a reason. Now you need to have a reason to file for one-for example, if you're over 65, are going to be working at the polls, will be out of town the day of the election, are in jail/prison, or you are unable to physically get to the polling place.

If this bill goes through, more people will probably file for absentee ballots and actual voter turnout at the polls will be even lower than it is now.

P.S. We have a Republican governor and a majority Republican legislature.

I was kind of surprised that it was as hard as it is to get an absentee ballot last fall. The guy at the desk at City Hall (or was it a County thing? I can't remember) kind of gave me the stinkeye when I said I wanted one. He asked me why, and I told him I might be out of town on election day. "Do you know you're going to be out of town, or do you just think you might be?" I said it was more likely than not, and he stood there for, I dunno, probably 10-15 seconds but it felt like a lot longer, and then finally said "ok" with a look on his face that said he thought I didn't deserve one.

I think it's who you get on a given day, although I'm sure that the threshold and reasons allowed are varied from state to state.

I've voted absentee four times in my life -- the first two when I was a student at Alabama, and the other two when they did some local magisterial gerrymandering and put me in a weird voting precinct where my polling place ended up 10 miles from my house, contradirectional to my commute. (To show you how absurd this was, I had walked to the old precinct, three blocks away, but I got shoved to a different district. To add insult to injury, I actually drove past four other polling places to get to mine, and there were 22 polling places closer to my house as the crow flies. Yes, I made a stink about it, and ultimately they put in a new polling station about a mile away).

The first one in Alabama was straightforward, but I had a similar problem that ToLive had with the second one (it was a special election, not a general election) -- "Why do you want this?" "Are you going to really be out of town?" (yes, and here's my student ID) "Why didn't you just register down there to vote?" (Because this is where I live and grew up). I figure I just had a stereotypical civil servant who basically didn't want to deal with it.

The two I had in Virginia were straightforward, although I suspect they knew I was "gaming" them. "Are you going to be out of town on election day?" (Yes, on business; of course, "business" meant my normal job and "out of town" meant in the city and not in the suburbs.) They didn't give me any trouble.

The voting methodology was also different, but that may have been the respective eras. In Alabama (1976-77), I was given a paper ballot (can't recall if it was physically given or mailed to me) which I filled out, have to have notarized, and mailed back. For Virginia (1991), they had me actually cast a ballot on site.

California has had at-will absentee ballots for quite a while now. I'm still old fashioned enough that I enjoy the ritual of walking to my polling place to cast my ballot the traditional way. --Bob