Comments on: Exclusive Breaking: 1,100 Florida Voters Disenfranchised Today

By: SBD

SBD — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:37:33 +0000

Update: It turned out they sent her ballot to the address she last voted absentee (as a college student in 2008). So, even though you are registered to vote under one address, they will send your ballot to the same address as the last absentee request, unless you tell them otherwise.

By: Lorenz Gude

Lorenz Gude — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:29:43 +0000

I was surprised to read that these two Florida counties didn’t include a FAX option. I got my absentee primary ballot in timely fashion here in Western Australia from Pam Beach County. I forgot to fill it out until about a week before election day and so used the Fax option that the instructions offered. The ballot was too big for the throat of a regular fax machine (this is the gummint after all) but I was able to fit it onto my flat bed scanner in two parts and then fax it to West Palm Beach using a free internet based fax service. To my surprise I got an email acknowledging it as accepted from Palm Beach County.

By: Fox 2

Fox 2 — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 07:56:23 +0000

I received a Brevard County absentee ballot two or three weeks ago. Plenty of time to send it back.

By: Leigh

Leigh — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 04:34:54 +0000

Maybe incompetence, but I doubt it. This will have the affect of discouraging Republicans in Republican-dominated counties in Florida from using absentee ballots. That means many will end up not voting at all, and with fewer Republicans voting early through absentee ballots, it will distort the perception of how the vote in an important swing state is going to go, making it look like Obama is doing better than he really is. This could energize Democrats and demoralize Republicans.

Also I have a family member who works for the USPS, and her co-workers are, shall we say, "energetic" in their hatred of Republicans. So, if I had to guess, I'd say it was deliberate.

By: Mkelley

Mkelley — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 03:59:01 +0000

USPS: When it absolutely, positively has to get there eventually.

By: Charles Fenwck

Charles Fenwck — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 02:30:25 +0000

Indeed, I said as such in my last paragraph.

It's not clear from your write up where these voters in question are located. Granted, logically,, ballots going through Jacksonville aren't going to voters living in Martin or Indian River Counties... But given the SNAFU that occurred, there's no telling.

.

If you have information that the voters in question are exclusively legal residents of said counties who live out-of-state or out-of-country, you ought to update your post accordingly. Much greater probability that there was military voter disenfranchisement if that's the case.

Side-comment addressing a couple of other comments: In Florida, absentee voting is pretty common, a fair bit more so than in some places as one isn't required to affirm that they would be unable to vote in person (It may be more accurate descriptively to refer to it as voting by mail.) When I voted today, there were cards available that would have allowed me to request having absentee ballots automatically mailed to me for every election from the 2012 general election to the 2014 general election.

By: Christian Adams

Christian Adams — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 01:57:36 +0000

Whether it is incompetence or malice isn't the most important issue. The most important issue is that thousands of people didn't get their ballots in time to participate fully in the political process, regardless of the reason.

By: Christian Adams

Christian Adams — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 01:54:33 +0000

People who received their ballots today and are located thousands of miles away CANNOT "handcarry their ballot to the Supervisor of Elections.

By: Mr. Krishan

Mr. Krishan — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 01:25:46 +0000

Thing is, I believe that the majority of absentee balloters ARE military and infirm.

But even if they weren’t – to not allow them to those who aren’t is potentially the equivalent of a poll tax. Let’s not go there.

By: Another Don

Another Don — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:10:03 +0000

Don,
I always show up on election day. It makes me feel more a part of the process and I like to see my vote actually enter the machine. On the other hand, my girlfriend always votes absentee. This year, she was suddenly called away because her mother had emergency surgery. Had she not mailed her vote in, she would have, for the first time in her adult life, missed it.