It Is a Good Day to Vote
Posted on November 3, 2020 Posted by John Scalzi 184 Comments
Mind you, almost one hundred million Americans have already voted, via early voting and mail-in voting (including me and my family). This is around three quarters of the number of people who voted in the 2016 election, so, well done them. But if you haven’t voted yet, today is a very good day to do so. You may find your polling place here. Be prepared to stand in line. If you’re an adult US citizen, don’t let anyone keep you from voting.
Reminder: Trump may try to declare victory before all votes are counted, and then try to use that as an excuse not to count all the ballots, on the basis that doing so would keep him from winning. Just remember he’s a liar and a cheater, and wait to hear from actual reputable sources. We may not know tonight who has won. It may take a while to count all the votes. Be patient.
I hope we see the end of this election with a new president for January. Whatever happens, I am proud of every American who took the time and effort to vote. This is the most important election of our lives. I’m happy so many of us stood to be counted.
Sound off in the comments if you’ve voted in this election!
— JS
Today the comment thread here is only for people to tell us they’ve voted. No other extraneous political back and forth, please. Trust me, there will be other times. Thanks.
Weeks ago. Vote like your life hangs in the balance, people.
Grace
Damn straight I voted!
I voted via absentee ballot about two weeks ago.
I voted via absentee ballot on 09/28. Walked the signed and sealed envelope into the clerk’s office myself.
I voted a few weeks back. I had taken a mental health day from work and decided voting was a very good use of such a day.
I voted nice and early. I’ve never seen so many people at my small, rural town standing in line to vote.
Voted, absentee/disabled/whatever by mail.
Voted last week!
My county went entirely vote-by-mail a couple elections ago. All ballots in my house were received by the county a couple weeks ago. Not that they’ll make much difference for the presidential race because California, but there’s a lot of ballot propositions to deal with as well.
voted!
I voted absentee in-person weeks ago. That strange phraseology brought to you by Alabama’s lack of early voting.
I voted by mail a couple of weeks ago, and my county allows me to track my ballot, so I know that it was already counted. I think it’s going to be a crazy next few weeks (months?)
I voted absentee late last week, but misread an instruction so my ballot was rejected. I’ll be going in today to cast a replacement ballet.
For those who’ve voted absentee: confirm your ballot has been received and accepted!
Re: Trump declaring victory . . . Like we can believe anything he says/said, anyway.
And yeah, my wife and I took the dogs down to vote last week. It was a nice day and far enough to tucker the pups out.
Dropped off ballots for me and my mom in the official drop box a couple weeks ago. Someone swiped one of our yard signs but left the ANY FUNCTIONING ADULT 2020 sign, which essentially conveyed the same message.
Voted last month and validated online. May this all end soon….
I voted the day I got my mail-in ballot.
My wife and I voted as soon as we got our mail-in ballots. We put them in a drop box this year, though, just to be safe.
By absentee about 6 weeks ago. I pressed down extra hard when filling in the little circles.
Voted by dropbox (go Oregon!) on the 28th
Yes, I voted. The very first day I could.
Today, I reposted your 2017 blog on “The New Year and the Bend of the Arc” to several groups and on my timeline, in hopes that, no matter the ultimate outcome of this election, hope and determination won’t die.
Today I wear pearls in RBG’s memory.
Voted on October 24th, first day of early voting in NYS.
I voted early from Singapore with a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot!
Voted in person at my town’s senior center last Tuesday. Go voters!
Voted and working on the Voter Protection and Information Hotline in Colorado! Thank you for using your platform to urge people to vote and to patiently wait for accurate results. VOTE!
Mailed in my ballot a while back and confirmed it was received. First general election as a naturalized US citizen, just missed 2016.
Received our ballots, filled them out, dropped them off a few weeks ago. The state ballot tracking system says they are accepted and will be counted, as of October 1.
Voted – dropped the ballot off at Walgreens – in the official ballot drop-off box. Received text it had been received. All set for the results.
Voted October 13th, the first day of early voting in Texas.
Voted two weeks ago in our vote by mail state. Ballot received in mail, filled out over the weekend, dropped in an official ballot box at the fire station, received email confirmation it was received and later that it was accepted.
Did it two weeks ago. Took my 18-year-old for her first time voting. I had wanted to do it today, and make more of a special deal of it (go to breakfast, etc.) but current events suggested that might not be a … prudent course of action. So, early it was. Literally. We hit the polling site at 7 am. She then went back to bed.
Voted! Dropped it off last week. Yesterday I got the email from our Board of Election saying “your ballot has been counted!” Kinda love getting the updates. I’m in Maryland, and this is the first year I’ve voted with a drop-off ballot.
I’ve voted in allll the elections possible, off cycle, etc but this definitely feels like one of my most important ones. Tied with 2012, when MD voted on legalizing same-sex marriage via popular vote referendum. Honestly my vote may have had more impact there – because MD and electoral college =/= lots of input. But still gotta vote to keep the electoral votes we have. Go vote everyone, no matter where you are!
Turned in my ballot yesterday, only because my new work schedule has messed up my sleep pattern, otherwise I’d have done it a week ago.
Yes! Voted by mail and my ballot has been received and validated. Mailed ballots don’t get counted until today but I know mine is there waiting
My vote has been at the local voting commissioner’s office waiting to be counted since Oct.7. I did use the mail but I think I gave it ample time. BTW, I saw that after California reported their numbers the total of early votes was over 100 million!
Voted via absentee ballot, as an expat living in Mexico.
Absolutely. I filled out my ballot a couple weeks ago, dropped it off at the drop box, and confirmed online that it had been received and processed.The local newspapers were again a great help with their voting guides so I could make informed choices on all the down-ballot candidates and initiatives, too.
Yup. Weeks ago and because Florida sensibly counts mail in ballots as they come in, I can see on the web site that it was counted as well.
Voted last week. About a 20 minute wait to get in to polling place. Spouse had same experience a day or two later
12 days ago.
And despite reactionary efforts to discard drive thru ballots, it still counts.
Voted a couple weeks ago. Put my ballot in the dropbox at the Elections Office, and verified a few days later that it was accepted.
In Massachusetts, it won’t technically make much difference, but I think it matters to run up the numbers as much as possible. Also, we had two state ballot questions, and other offices to vote on.
I’m heartened by the news that solidly Republican Dixville Notch, NH, cast all five of its votes for Biden, right after midnight as is traditional there.
I voted absentee last month. Dropped it off at the clerks drop box and checked on-line and they have it. Now just to see how the counting goes in MI.
My wife and I voted by mail several weeks ago, and the tracking said we were all good.
It’s a nice sunny day in New York, if a little chilly – 46 and very windy at the moment. A perfect day to vote. Our local polling place’s line is a lot shorter than it was for early voting, when it had to handle voters from a much larger catchment area.
The fam and I cast our votes about a week and a half ago. The whole process took minutes.
We live in a state that encourages voting and had not a single issue doing so. :)
Like tommyrocks1 my wife and I live in Oregon and we voted the day after our ballots arrived in the mail, using one of many county-managed drop boxes near our work or home. I hope more states pivot to an Oregon-style system going forward.
Voted using our local drop box. Verified online that my ballot was received on 10/20 and accepted on 10/23.
Now it’s just the long slog tonight (and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day) to find out if this nightmare is going to end.
I voted via absentee ballot on 10/3. I have tracked my ballot every day until it was accepted to make sure there were no issues to be corrected. Now chewing my fingernails to the quick waiting for this to be over.
Voted by mail a few weeks ago!
voted a couple of weeks ago thanks to Oregon’s all mail-in system, although I dropped ours off at the drop box closest to us. It’s a good system. I’m proud to have done my civic duty.
Haven’t missed an election since Reagan was in office. This one is more important than any of ’em.
Voted early (which I normally do every year, not just pandemic years), and confirmed at the official state website.
I haven’t missed an election since the 1970s and I am certainly not starting now. Ballot mailed to me the 14th, received the 16th, returned at a drop box the 20th, validated and queued for counting the 21st (it would have been sooner but for limiting my 20-km trips into town to the dropbox consistent with the pandemic — we have an unreliable postmaster). All verifiable through the handy everybody-votes-by-mail/dropoff-in-this-state official website.
Voted in person in hotly contested PA. Unlike other precincts, my semi-rural area had no line and I breezed through in five minutes. A big thank you to the poll workers!
Voted! Mailed my absentee ballot on September 18, it was recorded as received on September 21, so I have fulfilled that part of my civic responsibility.
I have also sent out repeated emails to everyone I know urging them to get out and vote, including just a couple of hours ago. And I’ve offered to give rides to the polls to anyone who lives within 40 miles of me, if they do not have transportation.
I was mildly floored to get a reply to this morning’s email from a very conservative relative who said that for the first time in their life, they had voted a straight Democratic ticket. I haven’t been very optimistic about today’s outcome, but that actually gives me a tiny glimmer of hope. Very tiny, mind you, but more than I had yesterday.
Thank you all for voting, and thank you, Mr. Scalzi, for all your GOTV efforts this year. They help, really they do. Be safe, all.
Dropped off our ballots in the ballot drop box two weeks ago. My husband did too. Our state has had all-mail voting for years and a great tracking system. My elderly mother, who is a new resident in a state with one of the highest COVID rates in the nation, waited in line for hours in two different government buildings with her mask on to get her voter ID, and then waited in more lines to apply for her absentee ballot, and then sent it back in the mail the day after she received it, about a month ago. I’m so proud of her.
I most definitely voted the moment I got my mail-in ballot. But feeling paranoid about US Postal Service possibly “losing” my ballot, I drove to my town hall and manually dropped it into the Voting Commission lock box.
Of course, this has been followed with the post-voting paranoia of wondering whether or not I did something incorrectly or missed something in the instructions that may cause my vote to be invalidated. Even though I read the instructions FOUR times and carefully reviewed everything that was written on the ballot ticket to ensure I did, indeed, fill out everything I was supposed to.
This is a pretty good indicator of just how stressful this year and this election has been for me. At least I can take solace in the fact that I have voted.
The last stressor is whether or not I should turn on the TV tonight to watch the results as they start rolling in. I love whiskey, but there is only so much that I can drink in a sitting…
Voted early by mail in ballot and confirmed via state website that it’s been received and counted.
I VOTED! Three weeks ago in my county clerk’s office. I drove 85 miles one-way, over three mountain passes to vote. I waited for one person ahead of me and when I left there was one person behind me.
Voted weeks ago. Deposited ballot in dropbox outside county election commission’s office. Verified online that ballot has been accepted.
I voted by mail, and confirmed that my ballot was received.
Also voted early by mail and confirmed that it’s been received. Read the instructions obsessively and made sure that the appropriate little ovals were completely filled in.
Not only did my husband and I vote, but I got my mom registered and dropped off her absentee ballot for her. She hasn’t voted since 1968, which gives me hope for this election. I hope lots more like her are coming out because he is just too bad to ignore!
I’m with Leah, above. I make that 170 mile round-trip drive every 4 years to vote early at my county clerk’s office. Living so far plus living in the high country where weather can be dicey, I have always been unwilling to count on being able to drive the 30 miles to my polling location on Election Day.
Other election years I do mail-in soon as I get the ballot. I have not had a problem doing so here in New Mexico.
I voted. Actually, it was the most fun I have had voting. My son and I opened our ballots, filled them out, celebrated by making pizza at home (hey, quarantine, you find your fun where you can.) The next morning I dropped the ballots at the official box, and four days later I checked online to see that they had been accepted. Going to the polling place has always been anxiety inducing for me. This was great.
I voted as soon as early voting opened in Georgia. I think that was October 12.
Well said, John. I completely agree.
And yes I voted (several weeks ago) and my ballot has been accepted. I checked.
Done. Now the waiting.
I dropped my PA ballot at the county office last week, and got my “ballot received” email the next day. Same for my husband.
About 10 days ago, via the nearest official dropbox (permanently in place at City Hall); would have been earlier, but 15 propositions took time to figure out. Tracking showed my wife’s ballot cleared a day later, mine two days later.
I have the very great fortune of living in a vote-by-mail state (go Washington!), so the spouse and I spent a Sunday morning a few weeks ago at the kitchen table with the voter pamphlets and a computer getting them filled out and we’ve already confirmed that they’ve been received and approved for counting.
Voted early two weeks ago – which is good because we had a big snowstorm yesterday and last night and flurries today and the roads are slick. May cause issues for those that need to vote before work today. Power was out for a while yesterday.
Dropped off my ballot at the library about 2 1/2 weeks ago, three days after I received it. Got the email by the end of the day that it had been accepted (meaning the signature had been verified). My wife did the same a couple of days later. My 89-year-old mother voted last week.
As of yesterday, 72% of the people in our county (Portland OR) had voted. Other counties in Oregon have done better. (We’re all used to voting early, since Oregon votes entirely by mail.) Estimates are that we’ve already set an all-time voting mark for the state.
Yep, voted the first day of early voting here. Also adding a shout of gratitude for the volunteer poll workers who keep the gears turning — they’re the true unsung heroes of this (and every other) election.
Voted in person, early voting. The line looked really long but some of it was due to distancing. I was prepared to wait for hours, but It moved fast, done in under 30 minutes. Voters were not lingering over their ballots.
Put my vote-by-mail ballot in a dropbox on Wednesday, receipt confirmed on Friday. This being California, there were tons of initiatives to be voted on, so the ballot made a very satisfying thunk as it landed in the dropbox.
I may have muttered an oath regarding a certain president when I submitted the ballot.
My plan was to check out the polling place the first day of early voting, then vote if I had time. The lines were too long and I had to meet the bus when the kids got home from school.
I went back two days later and the line was less lengthy. I had more time, so I waited two hours and voted.
I voted my conscience (and my conscience said vote for the Democrat in every race).
I voted by mail in Pennsylvania, for the first time ever in a general election. For those who didn’t know: PA just changed its election law to allow votes by mail in 2019, though this change was pre-pandemic. It’s really just no-excuse absentee ballot voting; the new system mirrors the old absentee ballot system. Strangely enough, PA did not the old abolish absentee voting system, meaning we now have this strange arrangement of two parallel mechanisms for voting by mail, one for people who have an excuse not to vote in person, and one for people who don’t, that have different paperwork but are in practice identical.
Under our voting system, mail-in votes (of either kind) are not counted until after the polls close. (Apparently, this is in case the voter makes a last minute decision to turn up in person after all.) So there will be nothing strange or suspicious if all the votes are not counted on election night. In Pennsylvania, the official vote count doesn’t even *start* until the Friday after the election.
I’m telling you all this because one of the candidates is out there broadcasting falsehoods about our state and how our voting works. No prize for guessing which one.
My county mailed my ballot on October 9, I received it on October 10, and I dropped it in a box on October 11. I then checked online religiously until I saw it had been accepted for counting on October 14. I’ve never voted so fast in my life.
(I live in Colorado, if anyone is curious. It is extremely easy to vote here, about which I am very happy. And they’re saying we might hit 80% turnout this year! That would be cool!)
Voted by mail weeks ago, and the Board of Elections was kind enough to text me and tell me that 1) my ballot had been received and 2) it would be counted. I miss the pleasant Election Day ritual of going to the polls with my Fellow Citizens, but technically I’m in a COVID risk group, so… Now I’m going to spend the day working and baking (sourdough pretzels to start, then… who knows?) and trying not to obsess.
Voted in-person on October 15, i.e. the first day of early voting in North Carolina. From getting in line to walking out of the library afterward took almost exactly 45 minutes. I did the same thing of voting for only Ds, and leaving the two races with unopposed Rs blank.
Got the job done last Friday…last day of early voting in Virginia.
Totally voted, was notified yesterday it’s been counted.
Voting its so last fortnight. But if you are behind the curve, get with it.
Voted in person last week with wife. In and out in minutes, great experience in LA County and big shout-out to all the helpful poll workers!! Both college student daughters voted by mail and tracked their ballots.
I dropped my ballot in a box a couple weeks ago, and got notified it was counted a few days ago.
I’m having some trouble getting things done today. I haven’t been this concerned about an election since Nixon’s re-election campaign.
My wife and I voted on October 14th by dropping off our absentee ballot here in NH. Will be spending the day trying not to stress eat everything in the house…
I voted Saturday!
Voted back in October, which was six months ago by my measure.
I voted two weeks ago by mail. Where I live is deep blue, so my vote is redundant, but voting is as close as I get to feeling a religious duty.
I voted at the beginning of October and I did not get a sticker. I have never gotten a sticker. It is deeply irritating.
Done. Whew.
Dropped my ballot in the box outside town hall on my way to work about 3 weeks ago and confirmed that it had been accepted on the Secretary of State’s website. If you need to check, a quick search for “track my ballot” + your state should find the right web form.
Been there, done that. Only one person in line in front of me, but it took a few minutes because they had to resolve an address issue.
Voted! Washington state, so received ballot and voter’s guide in the mail, filled out the ballot with a little extra research over the next two days, then dropped the ballot at the county courthouse. Confirmed that my ballot had been accepted on the website.
Mailed in my vote 3 weeks ago.
Another Colorado voter here – got my ballot on October 10, filled it out and biked over to the dropbox on October 12 to turn it in along with the spousal unit’s and the kids’ ballots. We were each notified within 5 days that our ballots were accepted.
(Colorado allows everyone to turn in a max of 10 ballots plus their own – so if you’re not mobile, don’t have transportation, ill, etc., someone else can do it for you.)
I’ll be spending the rest of the day calling people in my precinct to remind them to vote.
We dropped off our ballots a few weeks ago in one of our city parks, Our (deep blue) town sponsored an event on two successive Saturdays where they had certified poll workers to accept ballots at two dozen city parks – this in defiance of a baseless “cease and desist” order from the Republican leaders of the state Assembly and Senate. We’ve verified them online. Fingers crossed..
Family of four, voted and turned our ballots in at the Board of Elections.
Voted by mail-in ballot a few weeks ago (here’s hoping for a blue AZ this time around)! Now, to eat a whole loaf of sourdough bread (toasted slices with butter and black cherry preserves) as my designated stress-eating activity…yes, *one* stress-eating activity…>.> ….<.<.
Voted, both me and DH. Saddened to hear that my brother and SiL have a Trump sign in their yard in northern OH, but heartened to hear the neighbors had a Biden sign. Apparently despite the political differences, there is no discord.
Voted early, two weeks ago. There was a long line and a two hour wait–I’m crossing my fingers that when I drive past my local polling place today there is another line!
I requested an absentee ballot 9 weeks ago. It never arrived. I drove 300+ miles to vote this past Saturday.
TOTALLY worth it!
Your vote matters!
Voted two weeks ago in Houston, Texas. Straight-ticket (D) from president all the way down to dogcatcher.
Voted two weeks ago, received and counted last week.
Voted early a couple of weeks ago – a long line and a two-hour wait for me as well. The weather is supposed to be unseasonably warm for November, which is great standing-in-line weather … not that we should need it, but it’s where we are today. I hope a lot of folks are out there in it.
Voted Early in Orange County, Florida.
My wife and I went out to breakfast on Sunday and then went and voted.
I put my “I voted” sticker on my mask.
Voted absentee in Michigan. Dropped the ballot in the box by the Township Clerk’s office about 3 weeks ago. Checked to make sure it had been accepted, and saw it was recorded as received the same day I dropped it in the box. Never had a problem in the past so wasn’t expecting any weirdness this year, but as long as the tracking system exists I figured I’d use it.
We live in Washington State and before that, Colorado. Both states have a safe, sane, business-as-usual early voting by drop-box or mail. Got our ballots on Oct 15th. Held a ‘Family Ballot Marking Pizza Dinner’ on Saturday. Dropped them off at our convienent Ballot Drop-Box about a mile from our house on Sunday.
At some point, most of the rest of the country will (hopefully) catch up, and make the ACT of voting as straight-forward and simple.
Then maybe all the money being spent on voter suppression and challenge will go to something more useful, say, funding a streaming channel showing non-stop butterflies flitting about…. :-)
Turned in my ballot last Friday.
Yep, dropped my ballot off last week. I’d originally planned on voting today, but then considered how small the polling place is, and how many people might be there…though if I hadn’t had the option to mail in or drop off, I’d have stood in line as long as it took, with as many cootie-bearers as I had to, no matter the weather.
So of course, today it’s beautiful out, I hear the lines in town are short, and they’re doing an excellent job of keeping people distant.
Spouse and I voted early, by dropbox, a few weeks ago. Tracked the ballots’ progress, and they are accepted and to be counted, so yay.
Done and done. Ballot in the box (Oregonian), and the whole fam, spread over CA, OR, WA and TX have voted, too. Now I’m considering hibernating for a couple weeks.
I voted in Georgia by mail. I know my ballot was accepted by my county for counting on September 28th.
Mr. Scalzi, would do something nice for me, now? Would you tell me what you are currently writing (most actively, if you working on multiple projects) and when you think it will most likely be published in a form a can read. I would like some good news today, like a rough date around which I can hope a new Scalzi novel might appear.
I voted as soon as I could in Ohio and personally delivered my ballot to the Board of Elections.
Got my Absentee Ballot back in September, but transportation issues kept me from turning it in at the local ballot box until Oct. 15th. Was not going to trust the mail, considering I’ve had letters take up to two weeks to across town.
Voted in Minnesota on Sept. 21, ballot approved to be counted on the 22nd.
I voted early this morning. There was a small line, so I only waited about 5 minutes.
BTW, I’m in Missouri.
I voted two weeks ago, for Joe Biden (and others) in Maine. I live in the 2nd district, and frankly I think it’s going to swing to Trump again, but no one will be able to pin that on me. I exercised my right of franchise, and I was proud to do so. I hope all my neighbors did the same, no matter which candidate they favor.
Voted a couple weeks ago and dropped off my ballot and my parents’ ballots at the local drop box.
Dropped off ballot Oct 10, logged on Oct. 11.
Partner and I voted by dropbox a couple weeks ago. Ballot confirmed accepted by the county. My MIL did early voting in person in Florida. My sister and her husband did their first ever vote-by-mail in Chicago and liked it. My expat brother-in-law voted absentee and his ballot is confirmed accepted, too.
Voting!
Voted by mail, received and accepted a couple of weeks back.
Lets see what happens, I hope James Carville is correct about an early call, but I seriously doubt it – looks to be down to Floriduh for an early decision, so seriously unlikely without a blue tsunami.
I voted in person on October 13th, the first day of early voting in my state.
I voted here in Ohio on the first day that early voting began. (I wasn’t there at the crack of dawn or anything, but I wanted to cast my vote as soon as I got chance.)
My wife and I voted by mail in Iowa a couple weeks ago. Our state is neck-and-neck between the candidates, and if it goes the way we want, I’d like to think our votes were a part of that.
Voted early in-person a couple weeks ago. I’m privileged enough to have had the opportunity to take a vacation day from work and drive to my county’s courthouse. No line or anything that day. I know a lot of Americans aren’t nearly that lucky when it comes to being counted with ease. I hope that changes.
My spouse and I filled out our ballots about a month ago, dropped in the box the next Saturday, and they were accepted by the following Tuesday. I’ve been a permanent vote-by-mail voter for 15+ years, since they offered the option. I enjoy getting the ballot early and having time to fill it out and consider the various issues, and then going into the polling place on election day and dropping them off. Not this year; I wanted that thing in as early as possible in case disaster struck.
Personally dropped off my mail in ballot to county election office on October 15. County’s website confirmed receipt on October 16.
My wife and I voted on Saturday. I was surprised by how much better I felt after I voted even though I still worry about the outcome.
Yes! Voted by mail last week and verified it was received and counted already (go AZ!).
Also helped my husband locate his lost ballot and work through it last night so he wouldn’t have to cast a provisional one at the polls.
Not only did I vote early, but it turns out that the online widget for my county/state that tracks absentee ballots being accepted also tracks *all* ballots being accepted. So I ran my name and county through yesterday and it was like, yep, you early voted on this day and we accepted your ballot. So that was super cool.
I voted the second day of early voting in OH.
Took my completed ballot 2+ weeks ago to a Drop Box, then checked the County election site to make sure it had been accepted.
Husband and I got our ballots in the mail on the 16th and by the 19th they were in the designated ballot box, completed. Our state election website verified receipt as the 19th, which was pretty cool to see as a same day receipt.
California: Sent in my ballot just a couple days after I got it. Checked the QR code online and it has been accepted and waiting to be counted for over 3 weeks now.
Been waiting for this so long it barely seemed real. Now it’s here… and I have nothing left to do. It feels very odd.
I stood in line about 45 minutes this morning*. The line was about 4x longer (~3x the people?) than I’ve ever seen it before. Not that my vote will do anything to change who my state’s elector’s will vote for but maybe we’ll keep our junior senator.
*I know one couple in my county that spent over 2 hours in line, so I’m not complaining. Also the weather was nice.
Voted early in person the first day it was available in my state (October 18). Louisiana, though, so unlikely to do much of a difference except perhaps for the Senate race (which could end up in a run-off).
Weeks ago, by mail. Verified online that my ballot was received and accepted and will be counted. Wish I were a swing state voter, but nope, deep blue here. Working hard on maintaining sobriety while waiting for results…
Placed my ballot into the Town Hall dropbox two weeks ago. Verified online two days later.
(Would it be an unacceptable political statement to say how glad I am that the campaign ads are now over?)
The only reason I didn’t turn my vote in the day I got my vote-by-mail ballot was that there are five people in this house, and they didn’t all get their ballots filled out until the next morning.
So we dropped off our ballots in an official drop box the next morning.
It’s in, it’s confirmed, it’s rarin’ to be part of the results.
My wife and I voted on 13 October in Texas.
Also, not related to voting but very related to the site, I found out today that I am officially a professional writer (sold my first piece today)! That’s helping with the stress of waiting on results… sooooo much stress :(
Got my ballot in the mail several weeks ago, read the whole voter’s pamphlet, filled out and signed my ballot and then spouse and I walked exactly 1 mile to the ballot drop box (which was *already* being emptied by elections workers), dropped our ballots off and walked exactly 1 mile home.
Checked online and my ballot’s been accepted (at least my squiggly signature is consistent).
Every single eligible voter on both sides of my family has voted, even the ones who live abroad and had to pay a gob smacking amount for express shipping to get their ballot and get it back in time.
Recieved my Oregon overseas resident ballot around 6 weeks ago, voted and returned it via email (which waives my right to a secret ballot, but ensures it gets returned in a timely manner–go Oregon for allowing email/fax returns) about a month ago, and received confirmation that it would be counted about 48 hours later. Even if I didn’t STRONGLY believe in participating in democracy–I became a UK citizen because I want to have a voice in the laws I have to live under (like that’s worked well–Brexit 🤦♀️ ) I damn well voted this time because I’d like the world to exist for more than another 20 years.
I have, of course, voted – I’ve never knowingly missed an election, no matter how minor or local. I hope everyone else eligible has as well, no matter for whom. Why yes, I’m a bit militant about the importance of voting.
Voted today in Georgia. I live in the boonies so nothing significant to report.
Voted about 2 o’clock this afternoon. There were a decent number of people there but the line was short, I was in & out in about 10 minutes.
I kept my tradition of being one of the first 5 voters in line on election day. It was easy this time – i got there 15 minutes before the 7am opening and was #3. Usually i have to be there 45-60 minutes early.
I voted in person today. After two absentee ballots in the last two presidential elections, I wanted the feeling I had in 2008 again, or participating in our great civc moment.
I wrote a long, emotional Thing about voting and what it felt like being an American in Russia during previous elections and a lot of other babbling, which I could repost here, but it’s kinda long, so I will just leave this link here for anyone who happens to be my friend on Facebook.
Love WA State’s mail-in voting. (Though in person is possible for people who need machines that can assist them.) I checked my county’s ballot reception app, and my ballot was received. They have been doing signature validation for weeks now, byt scanner tabulation (of PAPER ballots) doesn’t start until after 8pm.
Voted by dropping off my ballot at one of official ballot boxes two weeks ago. California has made it super easy. Now I’m breathing deeply, playing with my cat, and trying not to stress eat. :)
Voted, in person, on the second day of Florida’s Early Voting.
Dear John,
Paula and I voted several weeks ago.
I hope the following isn’t unacceptably political…
~~~~
Dear folks,
Always remember– a SECRET ballot is one of the big safeguards of democracy. It frees you from the risk of harassment and intimidation for your political beliefs. That’s not only true on a national level. It applies to your city, your neighborhood, your friends and even your loved ones.
You are free to vote your conscience and NOBODY has the right — not legally, morally, or ethically — to demand to know how you voted.
You are, of course, free to trumpet your preferences to the entire world, but that is your choice, not anyone else’s.
pax / Ctein
Voted early, dropped my sealed ballot directly in the locked box at city hall.
Voted in California SF Bay Area by absentee ballot (dropped in OFFICIAL non-fake drop box) in mid October. My sister in central Ohio voted in person early this morning. Our votes will cancel each other out. Or worse — since she lives in Ohio, hers will make more of a difference to the final outcome than mine does.
Yes! Put my mail-in ballot into a secure and official drop box a few weeks ago, and received confirmation that my vote has been counted.
Nervous enough that I checked my Department of Elections website to make sure they didn’t do any takebacks on my VBM ballot. All good.
Confirmation from my Secretary of State’s office: “Your ballot was accepted on November 2, 2020 and will be counted.” I love MN!
I dropped off my wife and I’s ballots a few weeks ago in one of those official ballot boxes. I always get a sense of pride when we vote (especially, this election)!
Voted in person several weeks ago. Easy peasy! Line was about 10 mins long. Now waiting to see results….
We mailed in our ballots about a week ago. North coast of California county where we can trust they will be counted no problem.
I voted like it’s the last election ever
Family of 4 plus significant others all voted early….hand delivered ballots to the local auditor’s office and it felt good!
Voted in-person last week!
Voted.
Wife & I voted with an anxious and involved 17 year old throwing in his advice. Washington state does it right and has for over a decade with essentially nil issues-wish the rest of the country would catch up and end absurd and racist “voter requirements”. Thanks all who exercised your right and your duty.
Greetings from Texas! I voted!
50fh in line Fruday 8am to vote in person.
Sigh. :(
You truly got his number. “Trump may try to declare victory before all votes are counted, and then try to use that as an excuse not to count all the ballots”. Which is where we’re at right now. Fortunately, Democracy doesn’t work that way, and no one gets to make piles of “these I want counted, these are overflow”.
I’m still dismayed to see just how close it is, and how that means that an incredibly large number of people looked at the past 4 years and thought to themselves “this is fine, I want more please”. Voting firmly against their own interest. I’m aware echo chambers are a thing and that people tend to stick to their own specific news sources, but to be so isolated from what has been happening? I don’t live in the US, and it’s very odd to see. As is the electoral vote system.
For posterity: currently, Biden is at 238, Trump at 213 electoral votes.
“Fortunately, Democracy doesn’t work that way, and no one gets to make piles of “these I want counted, these are overflow”.”
I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Trump activists hold 3 of 9 SCOTUS seats, and SCOTUS has given a signal that they’re open for all sorts of post-election shenanigans. Might be that this one is all over but for the shouting.
My county in Oregon, I dropped off my “mail in” ballot at our local library – how nice is that? I’m 51 and can barely remember the few times I went to a polling place because OR went mail in so long ago.
Voted in person about 23 hours ago, more fear than hope about the results, because I’m outnumbered by the FOX-poisoned in Missouri, but I did my bit.
Voted by mail a hundred years ago (covid time) by mail because my state decided to allow anyone to use an absentee ballot this year with Covid added to the otherwise very limited list of reasons. Not sure why we don’t always allow absentee ballots without requiring special reasons.
Voted absentee in my liberal bubble, by dropping off the 3 family ballots (including that of D who just moved to DC not too long ago). Mildly disappointed but not surprised to see the (R) governor re-elected – although it may signify NH’s somewhat contrarian streak, and also that a reasonable number of R’s crossed the line to vote for Biden in NH. At least he does not seem to be part of the lunatic fringe:
Preliminary town results:
For President and Vice-President of the United States (Vote for not more than 1)
Jo Jorgensen – 128
Jeremy Cohen
Joseph R. Biden – 5970
Kamala D. Harris
Donald J. Trump – 1712
Michael R. Pence
For Governor (Vote for not more than 1)
Darryl W. Perry – 143
Dan Feltes – 4332
Chris Sununu – 3020
For United States Senator (Vote for not more than 1)
Justin O’Donnell – 216
Jeanne Shaheen – 5839
Corky Messner – 1525
For Representative in Congress (Vote for not more than 1)
Zachary S. Dumont – 179
Chris Pappas – 5656
Matt Mowers – 1661
I voted. And thanks Mr. S for the hyperlink to check voting status…was easily able to confirm both my and my mom’s votes had been accepted. Much appreciated!
Mailed mine in the day after I got it; verified that it was received, and got a digital “sticker” saying so. Mom’s went in a few days after mine.
I voted. Dammit!
I voted early, in person, masked & socially distant, on 10/25/2020. The line was about an hour and a half long and I stood uncomfortably close to a guy who either 1) talks to himself or 2) was having a *really* animated discussion with his magical invisible friend(s?). All while he was wearing an American flag that has definitely seen better days, tied on with boat rope, like a cape or perhaps a half of a toga. (Because voting is a formalwear occasion? Dunno.) Welcome to NY.
Waaaaaaaaaaa!