It only cost him a couple hundred thousand to vote!

[Damocles]

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida voter may have unwittingly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars by using an extremely rare stamp to mail an absentee ballot in Tuesday's congressional election, a government official said on Friday.

The 1918 Inverted Jenny stamp, which takes its name from an image of a biplane accidentally printed upside-down, turned up on Tuesday night in Fort Lauderdale, where election officials were inspecting ballots from parts of south Florida, Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom told Reuters.

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[Cancel7]

That's really a sad story. "It's government property" now? And how can an absentee ballot have no name on it? I've never used one, but I would think it had your name, no? How do they know who is voting then? I don't understand.

 

[Prakosh]

That's really a sad story. "It's government property" now? And how can an absentee ballot have no name on it? I've never used one, but I would think it had your name, no? How do they know who is voting then? I don't understand.

The ballot is actually in two envelopes. The outer envelope the one the stamp would have been on, is the one that you have to sign in order for them to validate the vote by comparing your signature with the one on your voter registration application. So they have the name and address of the person who sent the stamp. At the same time the inner envelop has no markings but does contain the ballot, since the ballots are after all, supposed to be secret. Supposedly they separate the two at the time of counting the ballots; the outer envelop going to ensure that you get credit for voting and the ballot going into the tub to be recorded and counted.

 

[Damocles]

You have to fill it out and sign the envelope. If they didn't fill it out properly there is no way to tell. People do not want their names on a ballot exactly... Votes are supposed to be more anonymous than that. It is why we take the Oath of Judges...

 

[Cancel7]

The ballot is actually in two envelopes. The outer envelope the one the stamp would have been on, is the one that you have to sign in order for them to validate the vote by comparing your signature with the one on your voter registration application. So they have the name and address of the person who sent the stamp. At the same time the inner envelop has no markings but does contain the ballot, since the ballots are after all, supposed to be secret. Supposedly they separate the two at the time of counting the ballots; the outer envelop going to ensure that you get credit for voting and the ballot going into the tub to be recorded and counted.

I see. So the two envelopes were already separated by the time they noticed the stamp. That makes sense, to keep the vote private.

I hope whoever sent it, sees the article and gets an attorney. They'll need one in order to get it back. I just think it's such a shame for the government to be like, "it's ours now suckers".

 

[Immanuel]

I see. So the two envelopes were already separated by the time they noticed the stamp. That makes sense, to keep the vote private.

I hope whoever sent it, sees the article and gets an attorney. They'll need one in order to get it back. I just think it's such a shame for the government to be like, "it's ours now suckers".

It was me! It was me!

I want that stamp. I sent it. Honest... well... no, not honest, but I will take the stamp anyway.

Immie

 

[Care4all]

I see. So the two envelopes were already separated by the time they noticed the stamp. That makes sense, to keep the vote private.

I hope whoever sent it, sees the article and gets an attorney. They'll need one in order to get it back. I just think it's such a shame for the government to be like, "it's ours now suckers".

I guess I am wearing my blonde wig right now, which has been more common than not lately, but...I don't understand Prak....

The OUTER envelope, with the stamp, MUST HAVE the voter's name/signature on it, and must be dated, in order for the inner envelope to go foward to the proverbial ballot box, for the vote to be counted.

If the outer envelope, with the stamp, did not have a name with signature on it, and with a date on it, then the inner ballot is voided and not forwarded onward, and it is considered a botched vote/ballot and the second envelope stays with the first envelope....

Prak, am I wrong?

so, basically, whoever gave away this STAMP by using it to mail their absentee ballot, is not only out of his fortune, his VOTE DID NOT COUNT EITHER....

And Damo,

Anyone that does not sign the outside envelope does not get their vote counted....so WHY would someone bother to mail in their absentee ballot and be too shy...for privacy reasons, to put their name when the RULES are very CLEAR for absentee voting?

care

 

[Immanuel]

If the outer envelope, with the stamp, did not have a name with signature on it, and with a date on it, then the inner ballot is voided and not forwarded onward, and it is considered a botched vote/ballot and the second envelope stays with the first envelope....

I was thinking the same thing, but just didn't want to go into it.

But, what does it matter? Heck, if I received that stamp and realized just how valuable it was, you can be darned sure I would have soaked it off and added it to my collection. Once it goes in the mail it belongs to the receiver.

It would have been mine in a heart beat.

Immie

 

[Prakosh]

I guess I am wearing my blonde wig right now, which has been more common than not lately, but...I don't understand Prak....

The OUTER envelope, with the stamp, MUST HAVE the voter's name/signature on it, and must be dated, in order for the inner envelope to go foward to the proverbial ballot box, for the vote to be counted.

If the outer envelope, with the stamp, did not have a name with signature on it, and with a date on it, then the inner ballot is voided and not forwarded onward, and it is considered a botched vote/ballot and the second envelope stays with the first envelope....

Prak, am I wrong?

so, basically, whoever gave away this STAMP by using it to mail their absentee ballot, is not only out of his fortune, his VOTE DID NOT COUNT EITHER....

And Damo,

Anyone that does not sign the outside envelope does not get their vote counted....so WHY would someone bother to mail in their absentee ballot and be too shy...for privacy reasons, to put their name when the RULES are very CLEAR for absentee voting?

care

I concur, but I must admit first that I did not read the story, and second stipulate that I was only answering the question concerning how absentees worked in my post. The thread title implied that the person had voted; so I assummed that they had. And that meant that their name and signature would have been on the outside envelope. It was only later while watching Olbermann that I learned they had not put a name on or signed the outer envelope. You are exactly right. But I am right about how absentee's work if he or she had actually voted that is had signed the envelope. One has to wonder why someone would mail in a vote that didn't count in an envelope with a stamp worth half a million dollars. More importantly one has to wonder how many years this person has been voting this way and how many other absentee voters do the same thing. The envelope clearly states that if there is no signature the vote will not be counted.

 

[Damocles]

I concur, but I must admit first that I did not read the story, and second stipulate that I was only answering the question concerning how absentees worked in my post. The thread title implied that the person had voted; so I assummed that they had. And that meant that their name and signature would have been on the outside envelope. It was only later while watching Olbermann that I learned they had not put a name on or signed the outer envelope. You are exactly right. But I am right about how absentee's work if he or she had actually voted that is had signed the envelope. One has to wonder why someone would mail in a vote that didn't count in an envelope with a stamp worth half a million dollars. More importantly one has to wonder how many years this person has been voting this way and how many other absentee voters do the same thing. The envelope clearly states that if there is no signature the vote will not be counted.

Yeah, and the other one clearly stated to check to insure the hole had punched entirely through and there were no hanging chads. What they clearly state seems not to matter at all.