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estanton · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 9:34 pm Post subject: Absentee voting

While we're talking about Serious Things, I have a practical question.

I'm trying to figure out how to vote absentee in the next election.

I talked to my local county clerk, and they said I just need to submit a form with my new address and they'll send the absentee ballot. But, because of the unreliability of the Mexican postal system, I was thinking I shold have the ballot sent to my parents, who would Fed Ex it to me in Mexico. then I'd Fed Ex it back to the county clerk.

The clerk thought this was ok, but told me to hurry up and get my form in.

I also went to the U.S. Embassy in mexico website, and they say you can vote absentee by filling out a form through them, and they will then pay to send it to America and to send your ballot back.

I'd much rather have the US government pay to ship it than pay myself. But i wonder whether they use the regular Mexican postal service, which is supposed to be unreliable.

Also, the uS election is the first week in November, and absentee ballots are sent out a month before it. Early October seems like plenty of time from now. However...if the clerk is wanting me to have the thing in immediately FROM HOME, though, I wonder whether bureaucratic delays from th embassy, etc., would crete a problem in getting the ballot on time from Mexico (assuming it arrived).

Also, I don't know whether I'll get to Mexico City any time soon. Can you get the voting form from US consulates in other cities?

What experiences have people had with this?

And for the non-US citizens who have been reading the above with glazed eyes, you can comment on voting in your home country from Mexico if you think there's anything people would need to know.

Thanks a lot!

estanton

thelmadatter · Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 5:13 pm Post subject: internet voting

Supposedly Arizona allows voting by Internet so I am going to try that route. Already registered and everything. But it is an experiment so who knows what will happen. I hope it works well because by the time mailed ballots get in, the horse race is pretty much over. Unless of course we have another 2000 election situation. **shudder**

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

I believe you have indicated you are going to be in Guadalajara. The US Consulate there should be able to handle the absentee ballot process for you. As for whether your ballot will get there in time to be counted--I suspect it will depend on whom you vote for.

estanton · Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:26 pm Post subject: Mexican mail

I'm afraid who I vote for COULD have an undue influence on my ballot getting there, based on what happened in the last U.S. election.

But assuming no one actually opens my mail on the way to the county clerk's office, has anyone had experience in the past with the absentee ballot thing through the U.S. consulates or embassies? How long do they take?

Do you know if they use regular Mexican mail? And is that really as unreliable as everyone says it is?

Friends in India and Nepal, where corruption in the postal service is also a problem, say it's ok there with a letter as long as it's obvious your document is just a letter and doesn't have anything worth stealing.

For packages, my sister when she was over there would put items a guy wouldn't really want to handle on the outside. her package always made it Very Happy

. Unfortunately, that won't work for me.

Is FedEx really the only way to go?

estanton

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

Gringo Greg · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:55 am Post subject:

It's pretty easy, just visit the consulate. They provide a special ballot that ALL states have to accept. It just has the federal officials and the like, but you can handle it fairly easily and they pay the postage.

Just remember to vote early and vote often...I am! 4 more years!!!!! Bush!!!! Bush!!!! Bush!!!!

Gringo Greg · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:58 am Post subject:

It's pretty easy, just visit the consulate. They provide a special ballot that ALL states have to accept. It just has the federal officials and the like, but you can handle it fairly easily and they pay the postage.

Just remember to vote early and vote often...I am! 4 more years!!!!! Bush!!!! Bush!!!! Bush!!!!

MELEE · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 3:46 pm Post subject:

Greg touched on this, but I wanted to highlight it a bit more. If you go through the US embassy, you will only vote in the federal ellection. (I've lived abroad long enough to be fine with this). But I have one co-worker who goes through the having her parents send it on from the county clerk route, because she wants to vote in the local ellections there. In 2000 there was doubt cast on to whether or not any of the absentee ballets were counted.

estanton · Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 8:33 pm Post subject: Thanks!

I decided to go the county clerk route because I do want to vote in the local elections for board of supervisors, among other things.

And I want to be sure to have my vote counted to cancel out Greg's Evil or Very Mad

- actually cancel out more or less than Greg's vote, depending on the comparative importance of his state and mine in the Electoral College.

Which brings me to my next question. Don't know if anyone else cares about this, but how do they count these at-large votes in a presidential election, where we're technically choosing electors for states and not voting directly? Are there extra electors for Americans abroad?

Just curious if anyone happens to know.

Again, thanks everyone

Ethan