I just received an email from the Obama campaign urging me to vote absentee, saying it's "safe, quick, and reliable. But most importantly, it allows you to vote early from the comfort of your own home, freeing you up to volunteer for the campaign on Election Day, November 4th."
The email contains a link to request an absentee ballot.
What's the problem?Vote By Mail/absentee voting may be safer in that you're less likely to fall down your stairs or trip on the electrical cord of a voting machine while doing it, but
it is not a way to protect your vote!When you put the ballot in the mail, the "chain of custody" is broken. When it arrives at the elections office before election day, it is likely processed with significantly less oversight than what can be provided by political parties and community groups during the processing of ballots that come in on election day.
For More info, read The BRAD BLOG'S
Why 'Vote-by-Mail' is Terrible for Democracy.
Election integrity advocates are recommending:- Vote on paper if you possibly can.
- Vote at the polls on election day if you possibly can.
- If you *must* vote absentee, deliver your ballot in person if possible and on election day if possible.
If you're planning to help out on election day with Video The Vote, the Election Verification Project, Election Monitoring, Being a Pollworker/Trained Observer, or getting out the vote (GOTV), sure, fill out that absentee ballot so you won't have to wait in line. But deliver it in person to your elections office or your precinct. For details of how to do GOTV, contact the office of a campaign you support. For details on how to do any of the other projects listed, check out the
Featured Projects at
STEALING AMERICA: Vote By Vote's Action Site.