4 responses to “Vote Once and Vote Early!”

1. Joanne

   October 27, 2008

   This is a word of warning to any voters who intend to vote by mail: DON’T.

   I have always enjoyed the small-town feel of voting in a garage in Hillsborough. I enjoyed the smell of coffee, the neighborly welcome of the poll workers and the gift of an “I voted” sticker with the American flag posted on it. However, before the March primaries we were told that our polling place had been eliminated and we must now vote by mail.

   The week before the primary I noticed that the ballot must be RECEIVED (not post-marked) by the day of the election. I thought that was an odd rule, since the voter has no control over the U.S. Postal Service. However, in an effort to ensure plenty of time I took my ballot to the main Burlingame post office before Saturday noon — thinking it surely couldn’t take more than Saturday to Tuesday to make its way from Burlingame to San Mateo. I checked the shapethefuture.org all Tuesday night — no receipt. I checked on Wednesday after the primary, no receipt. Etc.

   In June, I hand-walked my ballot into a polling place after my March experience.

   For this election, I thought I would once again try the vote by mail experience. I put my ballot in the box on October 6 (almost a full month before the election). It was received on October 19 — almost TWO weeks after I mailed it.

   I think this is a real flaw in San Mateo County’s vote by mail system. Most people surely would not expect their vote to take two weeks to get from one suburb to the next — and it will most certainly get worse the closer to the election that one mails it. My advice: Don’t rely on the mails. Walk your ballot into a polling place.

2. Peter Garrison

   October 27, 2008

   Here’s what might be happening to slow things down with the mail-in ballots.

   My place of work is a polling-place. Before this election, I have received 3 or 4 out-of-country mail-in ballots, delivered not to the voters, but to the polling-place. So- I’ve had to walk the ballots back to the post office and have them sent away again- after taping over the polling-place address so the postal workers don’t make the same mistake again and cost the voter overseas another wekk.

   Yikes.

   P.

3. Valerie

   October 27, 2008

   FYI–I just checked. I mailed mine on October 8 and it was received October 22!!!!

4. Anonymous

   October 27, 2008

   As usual, I will vote early and take my absentee ballot to Tower Road and hand it over the counter.

   Can’t be too sure – especially with this election!