Down Ballot

[Yppej]

Are you following state and local races?

Last night I watched an uninspiring debate between Joe but I'm young and I'm a Kennedy and I fumble along in broken Spanish vs I won't answer your questions if I don't feel like it because I have the endorsements Ed Markey. What a contrast with our senior senator Elizabeth Warren.

Kennedy, who repeatedly dry coughed, criticized Markey for spending too much time at home. Hmm.

[iris lilies]

I’m afraid to ask which generation this Kennedy is.


The main reason that I’m going to the poll in August for our primary is our city attorney race. The person in office is very very bad. Very bad. I will vote for her opponent even though rumor mill says she’s kind of a weak candidate.

The rest of the races I dont care about, I may not even mark the ballot. It’s a democratic ballot they will hand me because I have to use that to vote for the city attorney’s opponent.

[Tradd]

Yeah, I want to get rid of Kim Foxx as Cook County state’s attorney (prosecutor). I even pulled a Democratic ballot in the primary to vote against her opponent, but she still won.

[iris lilies]

Yeah, I want to get rid of Kim Foxx as Cook County state’s attorney (prosecutor). I even pulled a Democratic ballot in the primary to vote against her opponent, but she still won.

Our girl is named “Kim” too, Kim Gardener. She is in all out war with our police department. That makes for effective law enforcement. Not.

[Yppej]

For the first time a Kennedy lost in his or her home state (NY not being Bobby Kennedy's home state). All the ads with his famed dead relatives were not enough for Joe. Ed Markey, with his endorsements from AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and the Globe turned out the youth paper ballot vote.

[Tradd]

Kim Foxx’ conduct in the Jussie Smollett case has is apparently going to be reviewed by a board from the IL state professional licensing agency. The special prosecutor said she didn’t do anything criminal, but her conduct was highly unprofessional. We’ll see what happens, but there is speculation that one result might be her license to practice law might be revoked. She’s still the front runner even with all this.

Iris, she’s another of the ones who is being criticized for not having come down practically hard on the looters and rioters.

[iris lilies]

For the first time a Kennedy lost in his or her home state (NY not being Bobby Kennedy's home state). All the ads with his famed dead relatives were not enough for Joe. Ed Markey, with his endorsements from AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and the Globe turned out the youth paper ballot vote.
I am glad the reign of the Kennedys is on the wane.

[catherine]

I am glad the reign of the Kennedys is on the wane.

A few more years and voters will be saying "Kennedy who?" Camelot is over, if it ever was. The Kennedy's have such an interesting history that only proves there is no such thing as pure good or bad. The soil that fertilized the Kennedy idealism and optimism was rife with crime and evil. The best crops grow from cow sh*t I guess.

[Teacher Terry]

I always follow the state and local races. We are voting by mail.

[nswef]

Us, too, Terry.

[Alan]

We are voting by mail.
For the first time ever we received applications for absentee ballots in the mail last week. Apparently they are being sent to every registered voter in the state. We threw them away and will be voting at the polls on election day. I may be old fashioned but I think voting is important enough to require effort.

[Tybee]

For the first time ever we received applications for absentee ballots in the mail last week. Apparently they are being sent to every registered voter in the state. We threw them away and will be voting at the polls on election day. I may be old fashioned but I think voting is important enough to require effort.

We also got these applications and threw them out and will also vote in person.

[Teacher Terry]

Our state is doing both. I don’t see the point of going to the polls and exposing myself to the virus. I don’t intend to mail it in but I am going to drop it off.

[Alan]

Our state is doing both. I don’t see the point of going to the polls and exposing myself to the virus. I don’t intend to mail it in but I am going to drop it off.
I don't see any difference between going to the polls or going to Kroger and it's certainly safer than my wife spending each day with a gaggle of special needs kids. I tend to think the only real argument for avoiding the polls is the hope of more universal mail in voting in hopes that those who wouldn't otherwise bother will take a moment to check a preferred box and send it back in a postage paid envelope.

[Yppej]

I think going to the polls is more important, and offers briefer exposure, than going out to restaurants or hosting card parties.

[Tybee]

Voting takes much less time at our local polling place than going in a store--it's about five minutes, and everyone will stay apart because they already do; we are very undemonstrative and distant naturally up here, thanks to our handy Scandinavian heritage.

[ApatheticNoMore]

The thing is it was probably better to have voted by mail in the primaries as I did, because they literally could not handle the new voting system, people waited hours past close of polls just to be able to vote, it was such a complete and utter mess. So Trump might try to mess up mail in voting however localities it seems can't get in person voting right!!! So there is the trade off. And even before the new system you would wait in line an hour or so to vote. One can go in person to turn in a mail in ballot of course.

[JaneV2.0]

For the first time ever we received applications for absentee ballots in the mail last week. Apparently they are being sent to every registered voter in the state. We threw them away and will be voting at the polls on election day. I may be old fashioned but I think voting is important enough to require effort.

Arrogant much? If you have no mobility issues, and if your polling place isn't miles away or doesn't require hours of waiting--as they often do in poorer or minority neighborhoods--voting takes little effort. My polling place was a few blocks away, and rarely crowded. Now that walking is problematic for me, I'm happy to vote absentee. Here in the PNW, we routinely vote by mail, and are not the lesser for it. ETA: Any time i can avoid the public during these times, I will do so. I haven't been in a Kroger, or any other grocery store, since March.

[JaneV2.0]

Voting takes much less time at our local polling place than going in a store--it's about five minutes, and everyone will stay apart because they already do; we are very undemonstrative and distant naturally up here, thanks to our handy Scandinavian heritage.

Ha! That may explain the vibe in the Seattle area, too. I fit right in.

[Alan]

Arrogant much? I try not to be. If I could help you get your mail in ballot to the post office I would, because that would be the nice thing to do. I just think it's better to put in the effort if you're able. I guess it's that qualifier that you object to.

[iris lilies]

I don't see any difference between going to the polls or going to Kroger and it's certainly safer than my wife spending each day with a gaggle of special needs kids. I tend to think the only real argument for avoiding the polls is the hope of more universal mail in voting in hopes that those who wouldn't otherwise bother will take a moment to check a preferred box and send it back in a postage paid envelope.

At a presidential election, the masses come out and the lines will be super long stretching out well into the middle of the parking lot since 6 ft in distance must be maintained. Only there will be plenty of people who do not honor that.This polling place in in a church that has a feeding program for the homeless who are are always hanging around.

no thanks. I am voting absentee. And arrogantly, I am avoiding specifically the unwashed masses.

At my grocery store I can shop non peak times and avoid much of the crowds.

[Alan]

At a presidential election, the masses come out and the lines will be super long stretching out well into the middle of the parking lot since 6 ft in distance must be maintained. Only there will be plenty of people who do not honor that.This polling place in in a church that has a feeding program for the homeless who are are always hanging around.
We never have large crowds and the only time we really have lines is early morning and after work. I guess that's the beauty of suburban life. Our polling place used to be in a local church as well but some years ago somebody made a stink about separation of church and state. They were wrong in their argument but made enough noise that our new polling place is in a school. Oh well...

[iris lilies]

DH will be voting at the polling place, however. He wants his “vote to count” whatever that means! Haha.

[Yppej]

Voting takes 5 minutes, maybe 10 in a presidential election, and the lines are outdoors where I live. People trying to solicit votes have to stay a certain distance away from the polling place as well, and that's all the time, it"s not a new covid thing.

[JaneV2.0]

I have no worries about my vote counting. We have a reliably secure system here, and I can track my ballot on line.

[jp1]

I have no worries about my vote counting. We have a reliably secure system here, and I can track my ballot on line.

Me too. Even though I have the luxury of living in a district where voting is not a hassle as it is in many places, I will still be voting absentee.

I used to love going to the poll in NYC. At the time they still used those big gray monster machines with the big arm that you flipped and your vote made a resounding KERTHUNK as it got tabulated. In California voting is a matter of drawing marks on a piece of paper. It's the identical experience whether I do it at home or at the polling place.

[LDAHL]

My state makes it pretty easy for anyone with a valid id to register and apply for a mail/in ballot online. While I suppose going to the polls can be a nice ritual where they give you a sticker, I opted for the easy route.

[JaneV2.0]

I regularly went to the polls when we had them, but I don't miss them.
Voting by mail is more efficient, and certainly less hackable.

[nswef]

Maryland has on line application for absentee ballot for this election, the primary was all mail in and no major problems even in Baltimore city. We both applied and received notice that we will get a ballot. I think I might do early voting drop off of the ballot rather than mail in. But, may change my mind. In our county they have added drop offs and moved the early voting and main day voting to larger venues. They seem to be prepared.

[iris lilies]

I have no worries about my vote counting. We have a reliably secure system here, and I can track my ballot on line.
I didn’t know they had electronic tracking in the states that have well-established vote by mail programs.

So how do you know who wins? Or at what point do you know who wins? By “who “I mean any race or any ballot issue.

[Tradd]

In Cook County (Chicago), at least, if you request your mail in ballot online, you will get emails when they receive it, and such. Worked well for me in the 2018 election. There are going to be drop off boxes this time around for ballots. Might use one depending on location. I completed my ballot and mailed it off within a few days of receiving it in 2018. Cook County covers the postage.

I requested a mail in ballot for this election. I hate standing in line, as I did even with early voting in the 2016 election. Between my knees and sciatica, it just hurts. Plus there is better use of my time. The first election I voted in, 1988, I had an absentee ballot as I was away at college.

IL did away with “absentee” ballot language a few years back. Just “vote by mail” now. I don’t get all the nonsense aboit voting by mail. I do disagree with sending a ballot out to everyone registered if that hasn’t been the practice. But allocations to everyone? Not an issue.

[iris lilies]

To respond to electronica communication: I requested an absentee ballot from

1) First, vote. org and that seem to go nowhere because I never got a response from the machine

2) Sec of state office for my state and that went nowhere because that system didn’t recognize either my name or my address, who knows.


So I called our local election board and got a human being who was able to send me an absentee ballot request in the mail. I completed that and I hope to get an actual ballot

[Tradd]

To respond to electronica communication: I requested an absentee ballot from

1) First, vote. org and that seem to go nowhere because I never got a response from the machine

2) Sec of state office for my state and that went nowhere because that system didn’t recognize either my name or my address, who knows.


So I called our local election board and got a human being who was able to send me an absentee ballot request in the mail. I completed that and I hope to get an actual ballot

IL, just curious, why would you go the roundabout way and not request the ballot from your local election authority?

[iris lilies]

IL, just curious, why would you go the roundabout way and not request the ballot from your local election authority?
I wanted to do it the easy way which is online. Since that did not work, I had to place a phone call. You know, talk to human being. ick. A decided second choice.

[Tradd]

I wanted to do it the easy way which is online. Since that did not work, I had to place a phone call. You know, talk to human being. ick. A decided second choice.

St Louis? Sounds about right.