New Jersey has Early Voting from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. I had an important engagement on the 24th but now I'm home. Once I unpacked and did all the laundry, the next important thing on my list was to vote.
I've voted by mail for six years, so this was my first time voting in person in a long time. I was really impressed with how well-run and organized everything was, in addition to the friendliness of the poll workers. They have really made me seriously consider becoming a poll worker myself.
But for now I'm just going to wait, with a lot of hope and considerable apprehension. I'll be back tomorrow with a bit about that important engagement I attended last weekend.
We never had mail in voting here until the pandemic. I do like just dropping my ballot off in the drop box by the community center but I do admit it doesn't feel quite as special.
ReplyDeleteAfter our county clerk told me that she could guarantee that mail-in ballots got sent from her office, but she had no guarantees that the USPS would actually be delivering them, I elected to vote in person and it was only a very slight bit more difficult than doing mail-in. I got to see all the smiling poll workers and got an "I Voted" sticker!
DeleteI love the photo. You look so relaxed after your big weekend. I look forward to hearing whatever you are comfortable sharing. This election feels so important to me. We voted early by mail. However we hand deliver our ballots to the county election commissioner's office. I also have a web address where I can track my ballot to make sure my vote counts.
ReplyDeletewe always vote in person and it's usually not crowded unless it's a presidential vote.
ReplyDeleteI have voted as well! It is such a fantastic feeling!
ReplyDeleteNice job! I wish we had early voting here. They've sort of created it in that there are a few sites that are open to collect mail-in ballots on certain days, but it's not full voting like we have on election day. I'll be voting in person next Tuesday; I used to vote by mail, but my ballot got lost in the mail in 2020 and I've been worried about it happening again, so I've voted in person again since to be sure that my vote is counted.
ReplyDeleteI must have missed your post because you were doing the laundry. :) I have voted in person for the last couple of years. Like you, I was very impressed with how organized, efficient, and personable they were. I, too, have been seriously thinking about being a poll worker. My parents were poll workers when I was small, and I got to spend a lot of time there after school until the polls closed. I have really good memories of that. Thanks for voting, citizen!
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy to vote early but Dale prefers to vote in person and we like to vote together so I'll be voting next Tuesday. I think you'd make a fantastic poll worker!
ReplyDeleteI voted by putting my ballot in the drop box by city hall last week. Our mail doesn't get postmarked until it reaches a sorting facility in Spokane, so it's safer (and quicker) to use one of the county drop boxes. Ballots aren't counted till election day, but mine has already been accepted for processing. They check the signature on the envelope in advance.
ReplyDeleteBecause Tom and I ARE poll workers (or election inspectors as we're called here in Michigan), we always vote-by-mail . . . and we always use the drop-off box right at the county clerk's office at city hall. (Just in case the USPO is up to any shenanigans.) Then we track our ballot online to make sure it's actually been received. We also have early voting, so that remains an option for us, too. It's great to have options when it comes to voting! The important thing is . . . that we VOTE! (And Jane's so right . . . you do look relaxed!) (Also . . . I highly recommend election work. It's a long day, but such a good thing to do. For your community. And for democracy. XO
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