5 ms·

Voting by mail is fraught with huge problems. Zero proof the person filling it out and mailing it are actually the person they should be. Campaigns often block

Voting by mail is fraught with huge problems. Zero proof the person filling it out and mailing it are actually the person they should be. Campaigns often block walk, “helping” people complete their ballots, for example. Also ballots get sent to dead people quite frequently. Voting by mail should only be done for those overseas and hand delivered to a consulate where ID can be verified. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/us/politics/as-more-vote-by-mail-faulty-ballots-could-impact-elections.html https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/us/politics/as-more-vote-... https://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_983f423e-d3e9-11e8-9bd6-a7ddaa46a712.html https://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_983f423e-d3e9-... https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article219920740.html https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-wort... A single person at a polling location committing fraud affects one vote, but a few people committing mail in fraud can affect hundreds or thousands of votes. “Helping” people vote, while not illegal, is definitely ripe for abuse. “Want to keep your social security checks? Here, sign this ballot.” In person voting with your thumb dipped in dye just like they do in developing countries along with photo ID, along with auditable paper ballots is a sure-fire way to eliminate fraud. Those that oppose this generally are the ones who benefit the most from the current system.

rootusrootus 8y ago
Make elections a federal thing, put the FEC in charge of tracking down and providing photo ID (free of course) to every last citizen, and put them in charge as well of maintaining a sufficient number of polling places conveniently located, well staffed, and open enough days/hours to accommodate everyone. Then I'm totally on board. As it is, the issue of requiring photo ID is just used by people who know that it will disproportionately disadvantage people who don't vote like them. Conveniently they also support fewer polling places, located in hard to reach places, open for as few hours as possible. And then they make photo ID more expensive and inconvenient to get as well.
com2kid 8y ago
The counter argument is that it is much harder to intercept the mail en-masse than it is to interfere with elections in person. Every year there are stories of polling places having "technical difficulties" or being "moved at the last minute" in certain neighborhoods. Roads get closed down, signs directing people where to go to vote are not put up, and 4+ hour lines out the door become common place in areas where those in power want to suppress votes. In contrast, with vote by mail people don't have to take a day off of work, they don't have to wait out in the cold for hours, and they don't have to risk not being able to vote at all if their local polling place decided that all the machines are "no longer working".

rootusrootus 8y ago

Make elections a federal thing, put the FEC in charge of tracking down and providing photo ID (free of course) to every last citizen, and put them in charge as well of maintaining a sufficient number of polling places conveniently located, well staffed, and open enough days/hours to accommodate everyone. Then I'm totally on board. As it is, the issue of requiring photo ID is just used by people who know that it will disproportionately disadvantage people who don't vote like them. Conveniently they also support fewer polling places, located in hard to reach places, open for as few hours as possible. And then they make photo ID more expensive and inconvenient to get as well.

com2kid 8y ago

The counter argument is that it is much harder to intercept the mail en-masse than it is to interfere with elections in person. Every year there are stories of polling places having "technical difficulties" or being "moved at the last minute" in certain neighborhoods. Roads get closed down, signs directing people where to go to vote are not put up, and 4+ hour lines out the door become common place in areas where those in power want to suppress votes. In contrast, with vote by mail people don't have to take a day off of work, they don't have to wait out in the cold for hours, and they don't have to risk not being able to vote at all if their local polling place decided that all the machines are "no longer working".