Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   One of the unfortunate tactics this election season is to get voters to visit the wrong polling place -- these voters may be prevented from voting, have to cast a provisional ballot [which may not count], or too confused or discouraged to find & visit the correct location. I'd read about this, and didn't give it much thought until I received a letter yesterday for just that purpose.

   On the face of it, it seems a friendly, unbiased, get-out-the-vote piece, until you get to the very end where it has a box with the wrong polling location. Google has no info on the name of the organization. The address listed is a place where you rent shared office space. The return address on the envelope is a P.O. Box in the state's capitol, I guess to imply legitimacy. The nonprofit org postage permit lists a 3rd city [different from the alleged biz address & the return address] -- to qualify for the nonprofit status my guess is that there's a parent organization hiding behind this.

   Posted 5 years ago #
2. 

   Dragonlair
   Member

   Best thing -- if you don't know your polling place -- check the county site and there's usually a place where you can interactively find your poling place based on your address. We did that, verified our voting status and found the poling place (less than 1/4 mile to home as the crow flies -- but we're not crows).

   Posted 5 years ago #
3. 

   Suze
   Member

   Yikes -- thank you for the heads-up, mikiem2! Adding to Dragonlair's suggestion, here's a legit website where you can find your correct polling place: https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/. If your state has an early voting option, you might want to take advantage of it.

   Posted 5 years ago #
4. 

   QunMang
   Member

   Just remember that voting is over a two day period now- [party I support] casts ballots on Tuesday 11/6, and [party I oppose] will cast theirs on Wednesday 11/7. Hope this helps! ;)

   Yes, the joke works better if I write the actual party labels, but I decided to just keep it generic to help your own social media posts. :)

   Posted 5 years ago #
5. 

   Dragonlair
   Member

   QunMang,

   The joke falls flat if you're in a state where you DON'T have to declare a party. The state where I grew up, you did have to declare a party - used only for primary elections. The state I live in now, you don't. When you vote in a primary, you simply declare your party for that election. The next time, you can switch!

   I don't think it's a joking matter in any case. It's a case where everybody should exercise their constitutional right to vote.

   On the plus side -- after Tuesday, the election commercial ads will stop at least for a few weeks before they gear up again for the next primary! I heard some complaints yesterday that they can't even watch the news because the commercials are always political ads pro and con.

   Posted 5 years ago #
6. 

   Suze
   Member

   QunMang: "Just remember that voting is over a two day period now"

   This may be the case in your state, but each state has its own setup. My state (MA) offers 'early voting,' whereby registered voters may vote starting October 23rd.

   Posted 5 years ago #
7. 

   QunMang
   Member

   @Dragonlair- there are states where you have to declare a party and can't switch after that? I know where I live you just ask for either ballot in the primary and that will go on your record, but any primary you can ask for either ballot.

   Also, lots of trees dying for all the 11 x 8.5 cardstock ads we get every. single. day.

   @Suze- it was a joke. Early voting aside, the official day is only 11/6. By saying the "opposing party" have to wait and cast their votes on 11/7, it means they would miss election day and not be able to vote at all.

   Posted 5 years ago #
8. 

   Suze
   Member

   @QunMang - Ha, ha :)

   Posted 5 years ago #
9. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Best thing -- if you don't know your polling place -- check the county site and there's usually a place where you can interactively find your poling place based on your address.

   You're 100% correct. I think folks should also check to make sure of their registration status. I keep reading where people have been dropped from the roles, or been assigned to a new polling place, sometimes much farther away, and never told about it.

   On the plus side -- after Tuesday, the election commercial ads will stop at least for a few weeks before they gear up again for the next primary!

   Maybe the only benefit I've found for being 1/2 deaf, is that I've no idea what nasty things they're saying in the election ads. Makes it super easy to look away & completely ignore them.

   As far as the ads stopping, even for a few weeks, I'm not so sure... Skipping all the partisan stuff, and skipping media commentary [both left & right], at his rallies for *this* election, Trump's staff has been wearing [& I *read* giving out] gear for the next election in 2020. I assume some politicians will follow his lead -- I'm just not sure how many.

   My state (MA) offers 'early voting,' whereby registered voters may vote starting October 23rd.

   I've had it easier since I received the absentee ballot a couple of weeks ago, but our state [MI] has a proposal on the ballot [finally] to make it easier for everyone.

   Also, lots of trees dying for all the 11 x 8.5 cardstock ads we get every. single. day.

   I wish now that I'd have kept track of which party sent how many. I know I'd never get paid, or even a reply, but it would have eased the pain a bit to send both party headquarters a bill for physical labor hauling those $#%@*!!! things out to the dumpster. They're not light!

   Myself, I already sent in an absentee ballot. I received another mailer from the one alleged org. directing me to the wrong polling place, while a piece of mail from the local election clerk never made it to our mailbox. I reported it to the USPS, not that they can do anything about it, & have no idea what it was or said -- USPS just sent a scan of the address side.

   When you do go to the polls, make sure as necessary, & possible, that the votes you cast are the same as the votes recorded. There are reports from early voting of machines switching parties, either across the board or for just some candidates.

   Posted 5 years ago #

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