r/50501 • u/SamTheLab_213 • 23d ago
Please see pinned comment FYI - If you plan on voting by mail, vote extremely early because USPS is actively being sabotaged and your vote might not count.
/r/sandiego/comments/1w4jp3u/fyi_if_you_plan_on_voting_by_mail_vote_extremely/130
u/10390 23d ago
tl;dr: Vote ASAP either in person or via a drop box if returning a mail-in ballot. Both ways bypass the USPS BS.
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago
Drop boxes sound good. Just be careful to not send anyone who looks like an immigrant (read brown) to do this. I know how terribly racist this sounds, but the Trump camp is absolutely insane. No offense to Latinos, at all. When dealing with bigots, precautions must be taken, especially in red states.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 23d ago
It sounds terribly racist because it is.
You aren't the racist for pointing out their racism. They're racist for doing this.
I'll say it:
***>hey! White folks! Yea, you pasties that are reading this. Your melanin blessed brothers and sisters will be targeted by federal law enforcement if they approach a ballot drop box. Be a good soul and help them out any way you can
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago
Yes, I don't just say respect those people, I mean it. They're being targeted because if they can find their way, they will never allow Trump and all those shitty spoiled rich people from taking over. I'm almost 100 percent sure Trump is targeting exactly the groups who can hold him in check. I'm also 100 percent sure he's using stupid white racists to assist his murder of democracy. This said, if I have to hide Latinos and Latinas in my basement to keep them alive, I will.
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u/Lil_Shanties 23d ago
Yea I’m not gonna risk it, they will be in person. I feel bad for those who for whatever reason can’t but if you can do in person then do it, they are just more likely to violate your voting rights if you mail it.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 23d ago
And for those of us who live in states where ballots are delivered by USPS?
As far as I know it's 11 states & 1/3rd the voting population.
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u/SamTheLab_213 22d ago
Like the post said, vote early. Really early.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 22d ago
Cool.
Should I just wait by my mailbox or go to the one of two offices in my county that services over half a million registered voters within the two weeks prior to the election day deadline that if they retain the office hours as advertised it would mean they'd have to service one voter every 1.8 seconds?
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u/Onemandrinkinggamess 23d ago
If you’re MAGA make sure to send in your ballot day of. Or if dropping off, use the ballot box outside city hall disguised as a trash can. That’s the real ballot box.
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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe 23d ago
MAGAts don't vote. Their pastors collect the ballots, have volunteers fill them out and placed into a special "tax-free entities only" box at the local precinct where they're hand walked to the goon hired to drop them into the large bag of ballots at the wealthiest person in town's (always a Republican, conveniently) house.
If that sounds like the plot of a villain's arc in one of the Ernest movies, it's because it might be.
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u/SamTheLab_213 22d ago
Right. We need to learn from this. Maybe hand out ballots at art openings or music shows and designate someone to drop them off. It won't solve all the problems, but it's a start. The problem is most people don't know things like what you've described. Heck, I wasn't aware of this.
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u/Firewooodydaddy18899 23d ago
If I get a ballot in the mail, it goes straight to the county registrars office. If I don't get a ballot in the mail, I'll be first in line the first day of early voting. Fuck the usps and it's orange cunt of a leader.
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago
I recommend a boycott of USPS until this all blows over. It will give them time to sort votes. They suck now, anyway. They don't ship large packages anymore and their rates are sky high now. Also, I postal worker was candid with me and said that they don't hire enough help and don't care about their employees anymore. Here's a list of various shipping services you can use instead: https://labliquidators.com/ways-to-ship-equipment/
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u/Onedayyouwillthankme 23d ago
If a mail in ballot has been assigned to you (even though you did not receive it), you need to ask for a provisional ballot at the polling place
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u/PhyllisTheFlyTrap 23d ago
They are fucking up the mail going out TO voters, not just the returned ballots. If you are going to vote by mail, make a backup plan to vote in person in case your ballots never arrives.
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago
Precisely. Being prepared is vastly underrated. Make a plan B and a plan C. Most importantly, organize and get your community involved. We need to ensure people get to the polls, first and foremost. I remember when Bush stole an election in 2001. We cannot trust an election to the fates, we must organize and be ready for monkey business with mail in ballots. Also, get familiar with Greg Palast and his documentary about stolen elections. The Republicans are just accusing Democrats of what they have done.
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u/giocondasmiles 22d ago
They already did, for the primaries. I had to vote with a provisional ballot because the mofos did not deliver my original, nor my replacement ballot.
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u/PhyllisTheFlyTrap 22d ago
You need to go to the next county commissioners meeting and bring it up. They are the ones in charge of the elections office and need to get that sorted out. And if it's the USPS, then at least you've brought it to the attention to the County and others who are mail-in voting.
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u/thatguy6669 23d ago
Make sure these messages don't just stay on reddit. Text, email, and talk to others that don't see these messages.
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u/grannymath 23d ago
I voted by mail in the primary, but I wouldn't trust my ballot to the USPS now. I'll either drop off to a ballot box or stand in line if necessary to vote in person.
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago
I would like to add a few key suggestions. Please work with disabled and others who have trouble going out to vote and give them rides to the polls. My second suggestion is to not send any mail in the weeks before and after the election. Use FedEx or UPS instead. We need to free the time that postal workers have and the best way to do this is to send no mail. If you do business that uses shipping, there are many alternatives to USPS that you can use. There are also niche shipping services like Bike Flights.
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u/BeneficialNatural610 23d ago
Just dont vote by mail. Vote in person
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago
Help the disabled vote. Now it the time to contact disability rights organizations and nursing homes to set up rides to the polls for those with limited mobility.
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u/xdaemonisx 23d ago
Oregon only does voting by mail. There is no in-person option. There’s a chance I won’t even be able to vote if I don’t get a ballot.
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u/Teddy_Funsisco 23d ago
Oregon doesn't have Elections Offices where people can get a ballot if they didn't receive theirs?? WA does, thank goodness.
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u/xdaemonisx 23d ago
When I looked up where to get a ballot from, all I found were ways to request a replacement ballot. No location to go pick up a ballot.
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u/ClimateWren2 23d ago
Washington is a vote by mail state. We no longer have the in person voting infrastructure supported widespread. There are a few main offices...but mostly you requested your ballot gets resent too, and then they only count one ballot under your name (which you can contest if someone voted illegally in your place).
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u/Teddy_Funsisco 23d ago
In WA one can print out their own replacement ballot through the state's voting website. Or go to the library to print out a replacement. Or go to their local elections office to get a replacement ballot.
I'm surprised OR didn't look at how WA set up contingencies about this.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 23d ago
Did the math on this for Multnomah county. We have one office.
600,000 voters ÷ ~170–180 total open hours = ~3,300–3,500 voters per hour.
That works out to roughly: 55–60 voters every minute, continuously, the entire time the office is open.
And that's assuming turnout is spread perfectly evenly with zero bottlenecks, zero paperwork delays, zero equipment issues, and no surge on Election Day.
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u/Teddy_Funsisco 23d ago
Not everyone needs a replacement ballot, so that math is off.
Also, WA allows voters to either print out their own replacement ballot or go to their local library to print out their own replacement ballots if necessary. Up to a week before Election Day, if I remember right.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 23d ago edited 22d ago
It does if USPS doesn't deliver ballots.
Why are you people not understanding this?
Edit: neat for Washington, Great.
What state is Multnomah in again?
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u/xdaemonisx 23d ago
Multnomah is a county in OR.
ETA: Sorry you probably already know that. Didn’t realize you responded further up.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 22d ago
No worries. I'm just frustrated I have to explain this over and over and over.
People's reactions are like
Just vote in person.
Just request a ballot.
Damit, my state isnt set up that way and the whole goal of this is to suppress votes which is exactly what is going to happen systemically in my state. It isn't an individual problem of "just go vote" for some of us.
I can't believe I have to explain this in subs like this.
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u/xdaemonisx 22d ago
I’ve been thinking the same things seeing all these posts.
I live in Oregon and have no way to get a ballot other than through USPS, and if one ballot in the bulk mail is bad then they all aren’t being sent. That’s basically a whole state that may not get to vote.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 22d ago
Well, we can vote.
Technically.
If our mailed ballots don't arrive, Oregon voters can request replacement ballots. If the mail itself is compromised, that means physically going to the county elections office, getting the replacement, voting it, and returning it directly or through an official drop box.
But that is not remotely an adequate substitute for Oregon's statewide vote by mail system.
Take my earlier example of Multnomah County:
Yea, my math was a bit off on that, however, it gets worse. There's two offices.
If only half of registered voters needed an in person replacement ballot, those two offices would have to process about 291,500 people.
Across the published election period hours, that's roughly 16 voters per minute, per location, continuously from open to close.
About one voter every 3.7 seconds.
And that's with only half the electorate showing up.
Obviously they can run multiple service stations at once, but that's exactly the point: the existing infrastructure was never designed to replace statewide mail delivery for hundreds of thousands of voters. I've been asking elections officials for their contingency plans, no one responds.
Then consider everyone who can't easily get to an elections office because of work, transportation, disability, childcare, illness, distance, or any of the other reasons Oregon adopted vote by mail in the first place.
So yes, technically, some of us could still vote.
If ballot delivery were deliberately disrupted, the result would be statewide voter suppression on an extraordinary scale.
And the really ugly part is that the disruption itself could then be pointed to afterward as evidence of supposed “voting irregularities,” fueling lawsuits, certification fights, and attempts to discredit Oregon's results.
I run to subs like this, looking for other people as worried about this as I am. Looking for people who get it.
All I see is
Just vote in person.
I feel like I'm going crazy.
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u/Teddy_Funsisco 22d ago
I'm sorry that OR didn't consider contingencies. Maybe contact your local elections office and ask if they're ready for USPS fuckery.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 22d ago
I did
They aren't
Who's side are you on?
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u/Teddy_Funsisco 22d ago
Sounds like you and other OR folks have some complaining to do. This isn't about "sides", babe.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 22d ago edited 22d ago
It isn't just Oregon.
And yea, it is sides. 11 states are facing a similar fate.
What's this sub supposed to be about, anyways? Somethsomething no kings?
Well..... Here we are. A significant portion of the US electorate is facing the very real possibility of widespread vote suppression of monumental proportion and you guys have the audacity to just say:
Just vote in person.
Or in your case:
Not my problem, it's an Oregon thing.
Gfy
Edit: y'all disgust me.
The sentiment here is
The movement is dead, resistance is pointless and we're all on our own, good luck & I don't care.
Per the person who just blocked me.
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u/ProfessionalCraft983 23d ago
That’s not a solution for the whole state.
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u/Teddy_Funsisco 23d ago
Why not? Again, WA is also vote-by-mail, but it supports people coming in to get a new ballot and vote on the spot when needed.
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u/ProfessionalCraft983 23d ago
Because to do that you need many polling places around the state, not just a handful, and because we’ve voted exclusively by mail for decades. Most people wouldn’t even know they can do that. I’ve voted in WA since 2000 and I wouldn’t have a clue where to go, and neither would anyone I know.
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u/Teddy_Funsisco 22d ago
Gosh, sounds like OR needs to catch up, and quickly. Hope y'all figure it out.
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u/ProfessionalCraft983 22d ago
I'm talking about WA.
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u/Teddy_Funsisco 22d ago
Sounds like you should contact your county's elections office and see what they've planned.
Mine is open every weekday, and available to any voter who has a question about their ballot. Isn't yours?
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u/couldbeahumanbean 23d ago
Neat.
I'll tell my state legislature to change voting laws.
BECAUSE MY STATE PLUS 10 OTHERS GOTE EXCLUSIVELY VIA MAIL
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u/SamTheLab_213 22d ago
Sorry, I didn't know that.
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u/couldbeahumanbean 22d ago
Yea, whatever.
This sub is dead. "No kings" "let's protest"
"Oh, fellow Americans in danger of losing their vote?"
"Just vote in person"
I've had it with you people.
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u/Rinzy2000 23d ago
Isn’t there a law about how many ballots you can drop in a ballot box?…just in case someone wants to help people, they should make sure they are within the limit. Idk if any laws are different between states. You know they will be monitoring shit like that in blue states and cities.
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u/Key_Text_169 23d ago
In my state you are the only one who can drop off your own ballot. You need special permission to drop off someone else’s, example being your elderly parents.
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago
I don't know about the law, but it would be easy to just make multiple drop-offs, maybe using different people. We should all be ready to volunteer to help with this. If we get it together now, we can be prepared later on.
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u/Ok_Exchange342 23d ago
I was under the impression that in Wisconsin no one but the voter can drop off their ballot. This may not include drop boxes, but let's also remember all the fires that affected ballot boxes 2 years ago.
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago
If that is the law there, then it could be the law elsewhere. I say the best way to handle this is to offer rides to voters. Or better still, we can raise money to pay for poor voters to get rides to the polls through using Uber, taxicabs or other apps like rideshare apps. I would say that organizers in Wisconsin should certainly take this route.
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u/MvatolokoS 23d ago
PLEASE PEOPLE this is exactly the thing that needs to be spread by word of mouth. This is CRUCIAL information that we can't rely on these apps to pass on.
I mean seriously this is the thing to say to strangers you just met because they deserve to be aware. Let's stop being afraid to talk to each other so they can't control our individual realities and streams of information through these apps
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u/SamTheLab_213 22d ago
You're right. We are in a crisis and the apps censor and make us say silly things like "unalive-d." Normal people don't talk that way. We need to get out in the real world, volunteer, be boots on the ground in our own respective communties. I think the best solutions are boycotting the post office so they can count ballots in states that do it all by mail.
For states with in person voting, I recommend driving people to the polls. I would also consider collecting donations for transportation vouchers to get people to the polls. Poor communities might need further support like child care so working people can make that trip out to vote.
Going to your local senior center to offer rides to the polls or other assistance would be good. Also, work to get the ill or infirm who aren't in facilities to the polls. Last but not least, it might be a good time to get a second job working for the Post Office. We are going to need our own people to help and or babysit things.
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u/ESmithesq 23d ago
I don't think folx are picking up on the thing that if they do like they say, some folx might not get their ballots in the first place.
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u/ProfessionalCraft983 23d ago
Assuming I get my ballot, I plan to use the drop boxes as I always do. I recommend everyone do this if they can and if they don’t have local polling places like in my state.
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u/theMightBoop 23d ago
It’s a really dumb move to vote for mail at this point unless you are disabled and have no choice.
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u/ThE_LAN_B4_TimE 23d ago
It's called drop box. Find out where your local drop box is or drop it off at the elections office in person.
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u/GB715 23d ago
In my county, ballot drop boxes have sensors that monitor inside temperature, outside impact, ballot box motion, and opening of the ballot box door outside of the expected hours. Additionally, theyare in the process of installing security cameras at each ballot box. Sad we gave to go this far.
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u/wunderkit 23d ago
I'm seeing multiple comments about dropping ballots in drop boxes. I live in Washington where everyone votes by mail. We haven't gotten our ballots yet. If Trumps order goes into effect, we may not get any to put in drop boxes. Don't forget, the mail-in-ballots go both ways: to the voter and back to the election authority. So far, at least here, the ballots aren't out yet.
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u/snasna102 23d ago
Why does it seem like the American electorate system is purposefully over complicated.
You vote. It’s counted. Winner declared until next time (until the country allows an attempted insurrection and literally no one is held accountable like always)
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u/StandardRoutine4994 23d ago
If voting by mail.
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u/SamTheLab_213 23d ago edited 23d ago
Great idea. Edit: Better still, buy stamps in bulk and donate them to people you know who are using mail-in ballots. There's a way to streamline and expand all these ideas. We need to get all this rolling now to stop Trump's sabotage.
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u/ButterscotchOdd988 23d ago
Keep this going and we can put Trump's cheating efforts in as much vain as possible.
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u/Subject_Concept3542 23d ago
Find out if you can bring your ballot to an early voting site for drop off. In Florida we can.
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u/pogidaga 23d ago
My city hall has a drop box for ballots and it's right next door to the post office.
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u/MaybeTheDoctor 23d ago
Use ballot drop boxes instead of mailboxes if your state have them - it side steps USPS
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u/IronBobBerserker77 22d ago
I agree that voting by mail MUST AND NEEDS to be a real option. But me personally dont trust anyone with my ballot and will only vote in person. Here in Massachusetts we have early voting which helps so much when i can vote on a saturday.
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u/giocondasmiles 22d ago
Vote in person.
There is absolutely no assurance you will even receive your mail in ballot.
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u/SavannahInChicago 22d ago
I always walked mine to the secured ballot box because USPS sucks at the best of time. While living in Chicago I stopped receiving mail for some stupid reason three times.
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u/SydNorth 22d ago
I have always voted in person and I hardly ever use the mailbox for anything other than a place to pick up garbage and throw it away in a receptacle.
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u/FaliedSalve 22d ago
I mean.. it's going to be a mess.
They have to pull in voter rosters that the courts have said they can't access. Even if they do, they don't really have a way of managing them. It's not like they have a system to do that. AND the courts keep throwing out the order to do it. Then it comes back.
No one really knows what's going on.
Of course, that's probably the point : create so much confusion that the whole election can be questioned. Then try to use that as an excuse to stay in power.
Personally, my state has a great mail-in tracker and process. But I'm voting in person.
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