States that expanded mail voting already seeing a ‘turnout’ spike

[floridafan]

At least four of the eight states that held primary elections last Tuesday saw higher turnout than they did in the 2016 primaries, with most of the votes being cast by mail, according to an analysis of state data by The Hill. Each of the four states sent absentee ballot applications to every registered voter earlier this year.

Iowa’s turnout reached 24% last week, a 15% increase from the 2016 primaries and the highest turnout the state has ever seen for a primary. About 411,000 of the 524,000 votes cast were by absentee ballot, a nearly 1000% increase from 2016.

Montana, which held an all-mail primary this year, saw turnout surge to 55%, a 45% increase from 2016.


South Dakota saw a 28% turnout, a slight increase from 22% in 2016. About 89,000 of the 154,000 ballots cast were by mail, a massive increase from the 19,000 absentee ballots requested ahead of the 2016 primary.

New Mexico also saw turnout increase from 34% in 2016 to 40% last week. About 270,000 of the 400,000 votes cast were by mail.

“The June 2 primaries proved what we already knew – access to absentee ballots increases voter turnout,” Tom Ridge, a Republican who served as the Homeland Security secretary under George W. Bush and now chairs the bipartisan group VoteSafe, told The Hill. “That’s especially good news for someone like me who does not believe voting is a privilege, but rather a responsibility of citizenship. Voters should have options to demonstrate that responsibility safely and securely during this pandemic.”

Not all states saw turnout increases, however. Indiana, which allowed anyone to vote by mail but did not mail applications to every voter, saw a dip in turnout. Turnout in Washington D.C., which also did not mail applications to every voter and struggled to get absentee ballots out in time, only saw a 1% increase in turnout.

The numbers could encourage other states to follow suit and mail absentee ballot applications to every voter amid concerns about in-person voting due to the coronavirus. A growing number of states have seen cases spike since Memorial Day.

Trump has led the charge against mail ballots, pushing a number of baseless conspiracy theories alleging it could lead to increased instances of fraud, despite ample evidence refuting the claim.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...mail-in-voting

[TOP]

At least four of the eight states that held primary elections last Tuesday saw higher turnout than they did in the 2016 primaries, with most of the votes being cast by mail, according to an analysis of state data by The Hill. Each of the four states sent absentee ballot applications to every registered voter earlier this year.

Iowa’s turnout reached 24% last week, a 15% increase from the 2016 primaries and the highest turnout the state has ever seen for a primary. About 411,000 of the 524,000 votes cast were by absentee ballot, a nearly 1000% increase from 2016.

Montana, which held an all-mail primary this year, saw turnout surge to 55%, a 45% increase from 2016.


South Dakota saw a 28% turnout, a slight increase from 22% in 2016. About 89,000 of the 154,000 ballots cast were by mail, a massive increase from the 19,000 absentee ballots requested ahead of the 2016 primary.

New Mexico also saw turnout increase from 34% in 2016 to 40% last week. About 270,000 of the 400,000 votes cast were by mail.

“The June 2 primaries proved what we already knew – access to absentee ballots increases voter turnout,” Tom Ridge, a Republican who served as the Homeland Security secretary under George W. Bush and now chairs the bipartisan group VoteSafe, told The Hill. “That’s especially good news for someone like me who does not believe voting is a privilege, but rather a responsibility of citizenship. Voters should have options to demonstrate that responsibility safely and securely during this pandemic.”

Not all states saw turnout increases, however. Indiana, which allowed anyone to vote by mail but did not mail applications to every voter, saw a dip in turnout. Turnout in Washington D.C., which also did not mail applications to every voter and struggled to get absentee ballots out in time, only saw a 1% increase in turnout.

The numbers could encourage other states to follow suit and mail absentee ballot applications to every voter amid concerns about in-person voting due to the coronavirus. A growing number of states have seen cases spike since Memorial Day.

Trump has led the charge against mail ballots, pushing a number of baseless conspiracy theories alleging it could lead to increased instances of fraud, despite ample evidence refuting the claim.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...mail-in-voting

Everything will be open by November...including the polls
If you can protest, loot, and/riot in person, you can cast a ballot in person...right

[floridafan]

Everything will be open by November...including the polls
If you can protest, loot, and/riot in person, you can cast a ballot in person...right

There is no guarantee that everything will be open by November, so what is wrong with mail in voting? A vote is a vote regardless of how it is cast.

[Triplelefthook]

There is no guarantee that everything will be open by November, so what is wrong with mail in voting? A vote is a vote regardless of how it is cast.

Good question - what is the problem with mail-in voting? Why is it not adopted in all states?

[jacksonsprat22]

Mail in ballots should be the way national elections are done.

[Jack]

Didn't Trump use a Mail-in Ballot?

[T. A. Gardner]

This points out another bad thing about mail-in voting. It doesn't occur at once, but over a protracted period of time. That means people can be influenced by current events to vote one way or another now and then possibly regret their choices several months later when the actual election is held because events and circumstances have changed dramatically.

Other clear problems with mail-in voting:

If you make a mistake on your ballot it could be invalidated and you might not have time to fix it or might not be notified at all that it was.

It can get lost in the mail

You have no idea who is handling it from your mailing it to it being delivered.

There is no control on who fills it out. Yes, you have to sign it but that's hardly an effective deterrent.

When you add ballot harvesting the potential for fraud skyrockets. Now, political operatives who have a vested interest are handling your ballot.

With all the inaccuracies in voter registration rolls, using mail-in ballots only increases the odds of ineligible voting occurring since these rolls are used to mail ballots out.

There are others, but mail-in voting is a bad idea.

[Phantasmal]

This points out another bad thing about mail-in voting. It doesn't occur at once, but over a protracted period of time. That means people can be influenced by current events to vote one way or another now and then possibly regret their choices several months later when the actual election is held because events and circumstances have changed dramatically.

Other clear problems with mail-in voting:

If you make a mistake on your ballot it could be invalidated and you might not have time to fix it or might not be notified at all that it was.

It can get lost in the mail

You have no idea who is handling it from your mailing it to it being delivered.

There is no control on who fills it out. Yes, you have to sign it but that's hardly an effective deterrent.

When you add ballot harvesting the potential for fraud skyrockets. Now, political operatives who have a vested interest are handling your ballot.

With all the inaccuracies in voter registration rolls, using mail-in ballots only increases the odds of ineligible voting occurring since these rolls are used to mail ballots out.

There are others, but mail-in voting is a bad idea.

If you’re worried about a current event changing your mind wait till the last minute to post your vote.

The military is another example of mail in voting working.

[floridafan]

This points out another bad thing about mail-in voting. It doesn't occur at once, but over a protracted period of time. That means people can be influenced by current events to vote one way or another now and then possibly regret their choices several months later when the actual election is held because events and circumstances have changed dramatically.

Other clear problems with mail-in voting:

If you make a mistake on your ballot it could be invalidated and you might not have time to fix it or might not be notified at all that it was.

It can get lost in the mail

You have no idea who is handling it from your mailing it to it being delivered.

There is no control on who fills it out. Yes, you have to sign it but that's hardly an effective deterrent.

When you add ballot harvesting the potential for fraud skyrockets. Now, political operatives who have a vested interest are handling your ballot.

With all the inaccuracies in voter registration rolls, using mail-in ballots only increases the odds of ineligible voting occurring since these rolls are used to mail ballots out.

There are others, but mail-in voting is a bad idea.

Any number of states have been using mail in ballots for many year without any problems. So why now , all of a sudden, does it become a problem.
Would you rather mail in your ballot or stand in line for possibly hours at a polling place?

[TOP]

There is no guarantee that everything will be open by November, so what is wrong with mail in voting? A vote is a vote regardless of how it is cast.

There's no need for mail in voting unless there's a specific need...
If you can go to a memorial, a funeral, protest, loot, and/riot etc. in person, you can cast a ballot in person...right?
If you need to vote by mail you can. Otherwise get up and go...If it's important enough, you should want to
( Bonus question: Who won the mail in ballots in 2016?)

[TOP]

This points out another bad thing about mail-in voting. It doesn't occur at once, but over a protracted period of time. That means people can be influenced by current events to vote one way or another now and then possibly regret their choices several months later when the actual election is held because events and circumstances have changed dramatically.

Other clear problems with mail-in voting:

If you make a mistake on your ballot it could be invalidated and you might not have time to fix it or might not be notified at all that it was.

It can get lost in the mail

You have no idea who is handling it from your mailing it to it being delivered.

There is no control on who fills it out. Yes, you have to sign it but that's hardly an effective deterrent.

When you add ballot harvesting the potential for fraud skyrockets. Now, political operatives who have a vested interest are handling your ballot.

With all the inaccuracies in voter registration rolls, using mail-in ballots only increases the odds of ineligible voting occurring since these rolls are used to mail ballots out.

There are others, but mail-in voting is a bad idea.

All good points... but there's simply no need to go to all mail-in voting....

[floridafan]

There's no need for mail in voting unless there's a specific need...
If you can go to a memorial, a funeral, protest, loot, and/riot etc. in person, you can cast a ballot in person...right?
If you need to vote by mail you can. Otherwise get up and go...If it's important enough, you should want to
( Bonus question: Who won the mail in ballots in 2016?)

Would you rather mail in a ballot or possibly stand in line for hours to vote?

[TOP]

Any number of states have been using mail in ballots for many year without any problems. So why now , all of a sudden, does it become a problem.
Would you rather mail in your ballot or stand in line for possibly hours at a polling place?

I've never waited more than 15 minutes to vote....have you?
If you live in the states where there is mail in/no reason as an option use it. If you need to request a ballot for a legitimate reason, do so now...
There's simply no reason to go to all mail in....

[floridafan]

I've never waited more than 15 minutes to vote....have you?
If you live in the states where there is mail in/no reason as an option use it. If you need to request a ballot for a legitimate reason, do so now...
There's simply no reason to go to all mail in....

Did you see the clusterfuck in the Georgia primary? People waited hours to vote. Let those who want to vote in person do so, and for the others, they can mail a ballot in.

[TOP]

Did you see the clusterfuck in the Georgia primary? People waited hours to vote. Let those who want to vote in person do so, and for the others, they can mail a ballot in.

There's no reason to go mail only.....leave the system just the way it is... requiring photo ID would be nice, though, wouldn't it?
I'm sure you want this election to be by the book....so that there's no question about the result....