US Embassy: presidential election voting reminder for citizens in ARG

[jantango]

Here is the experience of an overseas citizen who votes in Ohio.

Today I feel compelled to share my experience of sending in my absentee ballot for the US Presidential election of November 5. As many of you know, I have dual citizenship (Dutch, US) and, as a US citizen, I am registered to vote in one of the ‘swing states’ (Ohio). This always makes me feel that my vote counts. I should also note that I have a Ph.D degree and have had a long academic career in the social sciences and should, therefore, be assumed to be able to read and understand a ballot. This assumption should not be taken for granted, however. The ballot of 12 pages, single-spaced, was full of traps that were almost impossible to avoid. I was, of course, aware of the shenanigans currently being pulled to make it harder (not easier) for citizens in the US and abroad to vote, so I read and re-read and re-read all the instructions to make sure I avoided making any mistakes. Even a misunderstanding about the date (date of birth or present date), putting one of the pages in the wrong envelope, not sealing the envelope correctly, not putting enough postage on the (correct) envelope or not mailing it in time could all invalidate the vote. But that is not all. Then there were the joys of trying to figure out the party alliances of the candidates for state and local offices. In a polarized nation like the US, you really want to know whether a candidate is a Republican or Democrat (even if you are not sure what a ‘Judge of the Court of Common Pleas’ actually does), but, alas, even this essential information was not always provided, requiring additional internet research in order to figure out what kind of candidate I was voting for. But the icing on the cake, was a ‘Proposed Constitutional Amendment’ (one page long) about gerrymandering. It was worded in such a way that I first thought a ‘yes’ was needed to eliminate a practice I oppose, only to discover (again, after many re-readings and some more internet research) that a ‘no’ was, in fact, the answer I was looking for. The issue obfuscated in this amendment was that all decisions about gerrymandering would be placed in the hands of a select committee that did not have to be accountable to the general public. I was only able to side-step this trap through more investigation on internet. Several hours later, I mailed off my absentee ballot, remembering the words of our national anthem. America is a far cry from the ‘Land of the Free’ and in greater need than ever of being the ‘Land of the Brave.’

I have a long list of instructions that I have to follow for voting in Illinois. The local stationery shop doesn't have standard letter size paper, only A4 which is longer and narrower. Nor do they stock the standard 9-1/2 x 4-1/8 mailing envelope for printing the template. I will address the envelope by hand and enclose my ballot in another sealed envelope for security and privacy. The link for ballot tracking blocks me from entering, so I will email the clerk to know the date my ballot was received.

 

[jbeas176]

jantago, how about the standard manilla envelope. in my state you have to sign the outside bottom left for it to be valid. good luck

 

[jantango]

It is likely that every county in every state has their own way of managing election ballots. Lake County, Illinois, provides a BALLOT CERTIFICATION form that requires the voter's signature accompanying the ballot. My name and former address are printed on the form.

 

[jantango]

I mailed my ballot today with Correo Argentino in a hand-addressed envelope. Two envelopes. one containing the ballot verification form, and a smaller one containing my ballot weighed in at 15 grams for a cost of $7.500ARS for a simple handling that is estimated to take two weeks for delivery in the US and then sorted for Illinois delivery. I am blocked from using the link for checking when my ballot was received, so I will be monitoring the situation by email.

 

[retiredbanker]

I'll try using my iPhone to fax my ballot.

 

[retiredbanker]

Just faxed my ballot, online, at a 1 time cost of 99 cents! I can't believe it was that easy.

 

[toast]

Here is the experience of an overseas citizen who votes in Ohio.

Today I feel compelled to share my experience of sending in my absentee ballot for the US Presidential election of November 5. As many of you know, I have dual citizenship (Dutch, US) and, as a US citizen, I am registered to vote in one of the ‘swing states’ (Ohio). This always makes me feel that my vote counts. I should also note that I have a Ph.D degree and have had a long academic career in the social sciences and should, therefore, be assumed to be able to read and understand a ballot. This assumption should not be taken for granted, however. The ballot of 12 pages, single-spaced, was full of traps that were almost impossible to avoid. I was, of course, aware of the shenanigans currently being pulled to make it harder (not easier) for citizens in the US and abroad to vote, so I read and re-read and re-read all the instructions to make sure I avoided making any mistakes. Even a misunderstanding about the date (date of birth or present date), putting one of the pages in the wrong envelope, not sealing the envelope correctly, not putting enough postage on the (correct) envelope or not mailing it in time could all invalidate the vote. But that is not all. Then there were the joys of trying to figure out the party alliances of the candidates for state and local offices. In a polarized nation like the US, you really want to know whether a candidate is a Republican or Democrat (even if you are not sure what a ‘Judge of the Court of Common Pleas’ actually does), but, alas, even this essential information was not always provided, requiring additional internet research in order to figure out what kind of candidate I was voting for. But the icing on the cake, was a ‘Proposed Constitutional Amendment’ (one page long) about gerrymandering. It was worded in such a way that I first thought a ‘yes’ was needed to eliminate a practice I oppose, only to discover (again, after many re-readings and some more internet research) that a ‘no’ was, in fact, the answer I was looking for. The issue obfuscated in this amendment was that all decisions about gerrymandering would be placed in the hands of a select committee that did not have to be accountable to the general public. I was only able to side-step this trap through more investigation on internet. Several hours later, I mailed off my absentee ballot, remembering the words of our national anthem. America is a far cry from the ‘Land of the Free’ and in greater need than ever of being the ‘Land of the Brave.’

I have a long list of instructions that I have to follow for voting in Illinois. The local stationery shop doesn't have standard letter size paper, only A4 which is longer and narrower. Nor do they stock the standard 9-1/2 x 4-1/8 mailing envelope for printing the template. I will address the envelope by hand and enclose my ballot in another sealed envelope for security and privacy. The link for ballot tracking blocks me from entering, so I will email the clerk to know the date my ballot was received.

I was a former resident in Hamilton County, state of Ohio. Republicans control the state government, and have gerrymandered the congressional districts that has resulted in "packing" 5 congressional districts with Democratic representatives, while the bulk (ten) of the seats have Republican representatives. Google searches revealed Democrats, teachers' union, endorse "yes" for Issue 1, the proposed constitutional amendment. I voted in favor of Issue 1. For the "Judges of the Court of Common Pleas", the candidates who supported tough on crime on their profiles/web pages were not the ones who were endorsed by Democrats. I voted for judges endorsed by Democrats.

 

[toast]

Here's something interesting I stumbled across about the election. Apparently, If no candidate gets 270 electoral college votes, (for whatever reason), then the House of Representatives decides among the top three candidates, with each state having only one vote.

At the moment, although democrats have more representatives in the House, Republicans control more state delegations, 28-22 with the other two mixed.

Possible reasons for no candidate getting 270 electoral college votes would include multiple states failing to certify the results.

How's that for weird?

At the moment, Mike Johnson, Republican, is Speaker of the House, as Republicans have a slight majority in the US Congress.

 

[julia_en_ruta]

Just sent my ballot to NH for a whopping ~U$D 30, because with two envelopes it was slightly over the weight limit for the cheaper weight class. Also hiking up the price was that I sent it certified, since in a few past elections our ballots arrived late. For the September primary we tried using the diplomatic pouch service to send our ballots in and dropped them at the embassy with a month to spare before the deadline. They still haven't arrived .

 

[retiredbanker]

Just sent my ballot to NH for a whopping ~U$D 30, because with two envelopes it was slightly over the weight limit for the cheaper weight class. Also hiking up the price was that I sent it certified, since in a few past elections our ballots arrived late. For the September primary we tried using the diplomatic pouch service to send our ballots in and dropped them at the embassy with a month to spare before the deadline. They still haven't arrived .

I used the embassy twice: in 2020 I dropped it off and it was never received in Ft Lauderdale. In 2022 I rushed it to the embassy with 24 days to spare but it was received 10 days late. The fax today worked like a charm.