I Voted!

 

^  I got my Absentee Ballot for the November 3^rd Election today. It is my third time voting by Absentee Ballot, but my first time in this State. The other two times were from New York (once when I was in College in Massachusetts and the other when I was studying in Russia.) The New York Absentee Ballot was folded like a map and when opened it was the size of a map of the world with Candidates and Questions on the front and back – I showed it to several groups of Russian students, - before I filled it out – since they had never seen one before. Like a map, it was very hard to refold and fit it in the envelope to mail back.

This Current Absentee Ballot was one regular-sized printer page (front and back.) It came with: An Instructions Page, the Official Ballot, an Absentee Voter Affidavit small envelope and a larger addressed envelope. The Instructions tell you to fill-in the oval, but do not tell you if you use a pencil or a pen. When you vote in person you get a pencil (my Mom always joked that it was because it is easier for them to change the votes afterwards.)

This year we are voting for: President and Vice-President, Governor, US Senator, US Representative, Executive Councilor, State Senator, State Representatives, Sheriff and other local offices. It’s nice to see some spaces have no Candidates and other spaces have the same Candidate for both Parties (that’s how it always is here.)

So I did my Civic Duty today and will mail it tomorrow. One thing I didn't like is that you not only have to put your own postage on the envelope to mail it back, but have to use extra postage. It should have been in an envelope that says: "No postage necessary if mailed in the United States."

My State has a website so you can track: 1) That you requested an Absentee Ballot 2) That an Absentee Ballot was mailed to you 3) That they received your Absentee Ballot back and 4) That your Absentee Ballot was accepted – ie. you followed the correct instructions.