Vote Early! Vote Absentee!

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

I was just listening to National Public Radio and heard them answer questions about voting. They just debunked a myth that I heard at this forum and elsewhere--the myth is that absentee or early votes don't get counted unless there is a "tie." I've heard this myth several places and I suppose it's an "urban myth." It may also be one of those "voter suppression" misinformation games promoted by one of the parties (guess which one!).

Please consider voting early! Your vote WILL count! There will be very long lines many places on Election Day, and by voting early, you won't be one of those folks making the lines longer! By casting your vote early, you may keep some other would-be voter from giving up on Election Day because the lines are long, or being denied the vote because ballots run out.

It may well be the people who wait until Election Day who won't get their votes counted!

Vote early!

Steven Webster

[Alecto]

Wait...ballots run out?! Does that happen?

[Rick336]

It may also be one of those "voter suppression" misinformation games promoted by one of the parties (guess which one!).

Could it be the Silly Party?

I think their presidential candidate's name is Malcolm Peter Brian Telescope Adrian Umbrella Stand Jasper Wednesday Stoatgobbler John Raw Vegetable Arthur Norman Michael Featherstone Smith Northgot Edwards Harris Mason Frampton Jones Fruitbat Gilbert Tiger-drawers Pratt Thompson 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' Darcy Carter Pussycat 'Don't Sleep In The Subway' Barton Mainwaring Smith.

(This is from an old Monte Python sketch from the sixties )


Rick

[Steven E. Webster]

Friends,

Today my husband and I went downtown to the Wisconsin State Capitol to a rally where Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts spoke (as did our own lesbian Congresswoman, Tammy Baldwin). Then the whole crowd marched over to city hall and we cast our early votes (absentee ballots).

I also got signed up to help with a get out the vote effort near election day.

We were urged by the speakers to help others to vote by not being in the long lines on election day. Kerry also reminded us of our opposition's voter suppression efforts--another reason for us to get our votes "in the bank" ahead of any election day shenanigans.

It felt good!

Steven Webster

[tdogg]

Absentee ballots have arrived. We will be voting soon and probably hand carrying them to a voting location (instead of trusting the USPS). :D

[Rick336]

We were urged by the speakers to help others to vote by not being in the long lines on election day.

Steven Webster

I wanted to wait until election day to go vote just to be a part of the excitement. But this is a good reason to vote early.

Thanks Steven.

Rick

[Steven E. Webster]

Wait...ballots run out?! Does that happen?

Yes,

It does happen. It happened in this city (Madison, Wisconsin) a few elections ago. A similar problem is when certain wards don't get allocated enough voting machines. Sometimes this is just the inability of officials to predict turn-out, sometimes it could even be a "voter suppression" strategy to keep the number of votes down in districts that are dominated by "the other party."

Another voter suppression trick is to have challengers at the polls who deliberately hold up the lines by challenging certain voters and making a scene.

Some people just do not have the time to wait out delays at the polls. Vote early so you aren't making those lines any longer!

Steven Webster