How many of you vote absentee?

[SeattleGirl]

I have done that since the 2002. Just mailed in my ballot today. Anyone else vote absentee?

[Spirochete]

1. Sent mine in a week or so ago.

They've changed the absentee ballots. they used to be punch cards.

[flamingyouth]

2. I do

:hi:

[SeattleVet]

3. We have for several years, but I don't mail the ballots in

I take them and drop them off at the local polling place on Election Day.

[eridani]

7. Same here.

Don't like the idea of folded ballots sitting around under unknown conditions of temperature and humidity, and then being run through a cancelling machine and getting blots on non-voting areas. The ballot duplication process is very transparent and well done, but it's an expensive hassle. In 2005 I was an elections observer at "the buck stops here" final desination for duplication, and at least half the ballots I saw had no obviously visible reason for being rejected by the machines.

[RobertSeattle]

4. Since 1996 - haven't missed on election

I'm a solid supporter of vote by mail.

[frebrd]

5. Mailed it about 10 days ago.

All of Mason County votes absentee.

[geniph]

6. I missed an election (an off-year special) in 2001

because I had to work late, and our local school levy failed by 62 votes! I went and registered absentee right after that, and have never missed an election since. And none of our school levys have failed since then, either!

[uppityperson]

8. I missed one once, off season 1, school levy failed by 13 votes.

I have never ever missed any election since then and, while the levy passed the next yr by a big margin, the schools still had a difficult yr and I still feel guilty.

[SnohoDem]

9. We do n/t

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. Never have, never will

I refuse to trust my fundamental duty to the mail. Far too many anonymous hands with absolutely no chain of accountability. Next year when state law abolishes polling places and makes mail-in voting mandatory, I will probably stop voting entirely.

[The empressof all]

12. There are drop off boxes

You don't have to mail your ballots.

[TechBear_Seattle]

13. As long as the drop off boxes are secure and convenient, I'll be happy

By convenient, I mean within walking distance and not requiring that I spend any money for the bus to get there (I don't have a car.) I refuse to pay a poll tax, whether it is bus fare or postage.

[satya]

29. You can drop it off at any polling place (not just your own).

(I'm assuming you live in KingCo.)

The op-scan machines used at the places I've seen have a slot in the side, where you deposit the envelope, just like a mailbox slot -- only no postage required. I drop mine at the poll closet to my house, which is within walking distance. The polling place for my precinct is 8.5 miles away.

I would still rather see "lockboxes" at multiple convenient places for a week leading up to Election Day, and have these boxes monitored 24/7, then counted in public at the precinct level before being (securely) transported to a central place, but that's just me ...

King Co Absentee Ballot Info

[American Jesus]

11. Absentee since 1992 here.

Right now I'm hoping that a LOT of Democrats in this state are voting absentee, especially the ones who live in flood areas. Obviously those of us who have lived here a while ain't afraid of driving in the rain, but it's a little different if the road's buried under a few feet of water. Or if (God forbid) the storm gets worse and power outages interfere with the voting process.

[progressivebydesign]

14. Interesting thing happened to our absentee ballots...

I mailed them last week. I put stamps on each of them.. I know I did, because I walked into the post office and realized I hadn't stamped them. So... I stood at the little table and stamped each of them. 2 days later, one arrived back at my house with a big RETURNED FOR POSTAGE stamp on it. Odd.. I though perhaps a postal worker realized that they needed more stamps and took one off of one of the ballots and returned the other. It made no sense, as I know I stamped it. I stamped and remailed.. with extra postage this time just in case. Then.. on Saturday, MY ballot was returned as well! It had been cancelled, and then marked with a label saying 'returned for postage'. I popped it back into the mail today. Oh, and my privacy flap had been ripped open, for all my info to be seen, and the other one of my husband's wasn't ripped open.. but torn.

[icymist]

15. One can only vote absentee in Kitsap County.

eom

[Raster]

16. Yep, mailed mine Saturday. Said a little prayer/incantation/mantra

as I slid the envelope into the blue recepticle:

Dear God/Goddess/Allah/Jehova/Nameless One:

Drive these bastards from power and restore the Universe to Light and Good.

Amen.

[marlakay]

17. My county is all my mail

I am in Leavenworth Chelan County...sent in a few weeks ago. Straight dem...

[SeattleGirl]

18. Can't wait until King County goes all mail-in voting.

Good on you for voting! For me, it's one of the great privileges and responsibilities in my life.

[Lynnwood_Dem]

19. I did before I moved

... guess I should be Renton_dem now, heh

Going to vote in person after work today

Here's hoping for the good news tonight and tomorrow

I'm going to hold my nose and vote for Cantwell,
because the alternative is so much worse

[LisaM]

20. Not me. I enjoy voting in person

and I don't want my ballot Wellstoned.

[sentelle]

21. Northern Kitsap County

We are all vote-by mail..... not that any of the votes here are in key races.
(I am in WA-1)

[spuddonna]

22. Nope! Just voted in person, along with hubby...

Our polling place had every station full. I asked one of the poll workers how turnout had been and they replied it was steady. I looked at the optical scanner and it showed 96 votes had been cast, but there are touch screen machines there now, too. I think I vaguely remember seeing the optical scan showing about 400 in the evening during the 2004 election (there was only optical back then) so I think turnout is ok, even with the steady rain.

Just got off the phone with my parents and sis in PA. They are going to vote in a few minutes and are really excited about seeing a 'three way win - Rendell, Casey, Altmire'.

[SeattleGirl]

23. As long as you voted.....

I just drove past my polling place, to see if there was any sign of problems (intimidation, etc.). There wasn't, but I noticed there were a lot of people in there voting. Woohoo!!!!

[upi402]

24. yep, for many years.

I used to like to go to the poles and feel that I did my civic duty.
Then Bush won in 2000.

[Quantess]

25. I did, but I dropped the envelope off in person

because it didn't get mailed out in time.

Is it true that the absentee ballots get counted last?

[upi402]

26. yes, they are critical in the tight races.

[Jansen]

27. voted in person - nt

[satya]

28. Voted absentee, dropped it off at the polling place. nt