The USPS Debacle Is as Likely to Hurt Republicans More Than Democrats

[MineralMan]

The Democratic Party and its candidates need to work very hard to inform people about how to make sure their votes count. Take them to an official drop-off location connected with local government. Vote in person. Take any step you can to make sure your vote is tallied properly.

Republicans are unlikely to get that message and may thing that the USPS will somehow handle their ballots more carefully. Some Republicans will be likely to unaware of the issue, since Fox News is unlikely to cover it thoroughly, thinking that it benefits Republicans.

In any case, we should be able to ensure that Democratic voters' ballots are delivered safely to election authorities for counting. If we do that, the head-in-the-sand Republicans will be the ones whose votes don't get counted.

Every local Democratic Party organization and every Democratic candidate and supporter needs to focus on turnout and safe ballot delivery and proper tallying.

Send the message:

Vote Safely and Securely! Make Sure Your Vote Counts!

[c-rational]

1. A Good Message which also makes me feel less anxious at this moment. Thanks..

[MineralMan]

3. My wife and I have already decided to take our

absentee ballots directly to the county election office in St. Paul as soon as that option is available.

Every Democratic voters should plan to do something similar to make sure their vote is in the system. Either that or vote in person, wearing protective gear.

It's too important to leave to the USPS this year. Deliver your vote in person. Make sure it is received in plenty of time.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. You are spot on my friend.

Especially out state Minny. Understand there are Townships that will not have Polling Stations as of this week. So,only place to vote is by mail or travel to their County Seat Town to vote.

[MineralMan]

4. Yes. I expect there will be fewer polling places

just about everywhere. It's going to be up to us as individual voters to make sure our vote gets tallied. Spread the word.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Our Niece

volunteered to be a Poll Worker in here Township. No thanks,we are not going to have a Polling Place. Either use the mail or go to the County Seat. Here Neighbor is the Township Chairperson.

[Squidly]

16. This is going to hurt republicans the most

Rural and outstate MN has always been traditionally red. If they have reduced the polling places in these areas, its going to affect them the most. I see a huge backfire.

[Wellstone ruled]

17. Sure as hell will.

Especially the Western Border Counties.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. We're a little better off here than people in some states, since absentee ballots

will be counted if postmarked by the 3rd and received by the 10th. Still, I'm not taking any chances and will be hand-delivering mine as soon as I get it and complete it. They are to be sent out on September 18. I also noticed that they are not requiring witness signatures this time.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. Wow,that is a change with the signature.

Here we do not have that requirement,but,if your Signature on your Voter Registration does not match in a reasonably fashion,your ballot is set aside and you are contacted in person to valid you ballot or if they can not reach you,it gets thrown out.

[MineralMan]

12. I think there is a Republican objection to the no witness thing.

My wife and I will witness each for each other, just in case there's some sort of lawsuit or something. Better safe than sorry.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. There was an objection (of course), but there has been a consent decree

and a judge has signed off on it. In most cases consent decrees aren't appealable.

One of the lawsuits was filed by the Minnesota Alliance for Retired Americans, who had reached a consent decree agreement with Simon for next week’s primary election to lift the mail-in ballot witness signature requirement and allow ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked on or by primary Election Day.

Judge Grewing signed off on that agreement in June, and the group reached a subsequent agreement to do the same for the November election, which Grewing approved in her Monday order.

https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/08/03/mail-in-ballot-witness-requirement-waived-for-minnesotas-november-election/

[MineralMan]

18. Thanks for the info!

[Mme. Defarge]

5. This is how Oregon is doing it.

From the USPS General Counsel to Oregon: "The USPS recognizes that Oregon leads the nation with Vote by Mail and that we are using the latest USPS technology to streamline the process.

If any Oregon voter is concerned about the upcoming election, there are multiple steps they can take to ensure their ballot is received in time to be counted. Every ballot has a unique barcode so voters can track their ballot on our My Vote website. We also encourage voters to take advantage of the hundreds of conveniently located dropsites throughout the state to drop off their ballot in person. We will continue to work with our partners like county clerks across the state to make sure all Oregonians know the best options to return their ballots, whether it’s through the mail or in secure drop boxes to meet election deadlines.”

[SlogginThroughIt]

8. That isn't the point I am afraid

The point is that he will try to say there were so many problems with mail voting that he will say it is null.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. And We Ignore The Lie

That's hardly a source of fear.
Will they say that? Likely, yes.
Does it change anything? Almost certainly not.
PINO has revealed himself a whiny liar. This will be just another whiny lie!

[ismnotwasm]

10. I was wondering about rural Washington state

Our state has successfully done mail in voting for years. I’m pretty sure Seattle will be ok, In fact probably all of King county. We vote reliably blue. The eastern part of the state is quite red, less populated. I’m wondering how those red votes will be counted, when our USPS loses federal funding and ballots may not arrive.

Our Attorney general, Bob Ferguson, who has already successfully sued the Trump administration said this about delaying the election, as Trump implied, (because Trump is the biggest shit stirrer in the history of shit stirrers)

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-alleged-mail-voting-fraud-president-peddling-doesn-t-exist
Anyways the minute I see a ballot, I’m filling it out and taking it in.

[BlueJac]

11. Does not make me feel better.

Cheating is cheating!

[qwlauren35]

14. Almost everyone can comply.

In the 2016 election, my mom had such a hard time, that we had to make the hard decision that she would vote absentee in the future. I am sure it meant a lot to her to vote in person for Obama. If she was still with us, I think it would be painful for her to vote absentee.

There are probably millions of bedridden and severely disabled Americans who cannot vote in person, and who are depending on the USPS. I can think of one. She is 90. Full faculties and everything. But she had a stroke and is paralyzed from the waist down. It would be cruel to ask her to vote in person.

I think the only possible non-USPS choice they have is to have a relative deliver their ballot.

When I think of her, and the others who were in my mom's retirement community, I get extremely upset about this whole "slow down the mail" situation. In fact, upset doesn't begin to express my feelings.

Then, on top of that, I think about the soldiers (etc.) overseas, and then I think about the ex-pats, and then I think about the college students.

Looking at my thesaurus.... distressed. Distraught. Troubled. Shaken to the core.

Trump has done SO MANY THINGS in these past 3-1/2 years that have disturbed me. SO MANY THINGS. But to screw with the elections, our only hope, and to mess with people's bills and medications.

I figured out how to explain it.

It is fucking with my mind.

[MineralMan]

19. Yes. Trump is trying to screw with the very substance of

our constitutional government, and Republicans in the Senate are letting him do so. That is why it is so crucial to work as hard as we possibly can to win this election, both for the presidency and in the Senate.

With a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, Trump could be impeached and removed in just days. There is no constitutional requirement for investigations or hearings. A simple majority vote in the House and a 2/3 majority in the Senate can remove him almost immediately.

Can we achieve a 2/3 majority in the Senate in 2020? Probably not, but I believe that we could get enough Republicans to join in creating a 2/3 majority if we had just a 60-vote majority. In fact, I'm certain of it, since the Republicans in the Senate would be unable to do anything from that time on.

We must win. We must win decidedly. We can do that, if we have the will to do it. If we do not muster up that will, we will lose our form of government, without a doubt.

[panader0]

20. Yes, for the reasons you mentioned,

and perhaps the USPS scandal may push some fence sitting Republicans over the line to vote Dem.
It's very obvious and admitted voter suppression. And it doesn't just affect voting, but also timely
delivery of medications, bills, and payments.

[MineralMan]

21. Yes. I believe that Trump has made a fatal mistake with this.

The post office system is an essential system in the USA. Messing with it on such a wholesale basis is bound to alarm many Republicans, including some very conservative ones.

Trump has overstepped his authority by too large a degree, I think.