Well, now that THAT's over

by: Jeff Gardner

Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 09:33:35 AM EDT

While the local, state, national and (good lord) international media (everyone really, except NJTV) whipped itself into a frenzy during the last week over whether a first-term governor with no foreign policy experience could be the savior of the GOP by running for President of the United States, I decided to do something about this year's actual race. I voted.

That's right - last Wednesday I filled out and sent in my Vote-By-Mail Application, which took about a minute to do. My ballot arrived on Saturday - just 3 days later. I filled out the ballot on Monday night, which took about 2 minutes (just because I read every instruction, to be safe). And, yesterday, I mailed it in. It really was that fast, and that easy.

Jeff Gardner :: Well, now that THAT's over

So, now (if the campaigns are doing their jobs), volunteers for my local Hawthorne candidates, and Passaic County candidates, and the 38th Legislative District candidates don't have to waste time calling or visiting my house. And, I know for certain that my vote will count, and be recounted if necessary. (Remember paper trails?) It's win-win! And, now I'm on a mission to get others to do the same.

So, why does voting by mail matter? Because accidents happen. And work runs late. And cars break down. And family matters take precedence. Things have a way of happening in the "off-year" elections that make voting seem less important.

Yeah, but why does a reliable voter like myself need to vote by mail, you ask? That's easy. Because when you actually vote by mail yourself, you instantly become an expert on how it works, and you suddenly are in a far better position to convince the less reliable voters in your midst to follow your lead.

Election Day may be less than 5 weeks away. But, there's no need to wait. Go vote.

Tags: ballot, Absentee voting, Vote by Mail, legislature, election day, (All Tags)

Print Friendly View

Send As Email

Well, now that THAT's over | 3 comments

Smart thing to do (0.00 / 0)

We are fortunate that New Jersey has a liberal vote-by-mail policy. You don't need to prove you have jury duty, are out of town, or anything else. You can just request an absentee ballot and fill it out and mail it in. With all the GOP voter suppression activities, it also gives me piece of mind that there's a paper trail. I sent my application in on Monday and will be voting as soon as my ballot comes in the mail.

Blog: http://www.deciminyan.org

by: deciminyan @ Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 13:39:16 PM UTC

The ladies at Flemington #1 (0.00 / 0)

Big proponent of vote-by-mail here, if campaigns fully track their voters all the way through the process.

But for us, voting in person is a big family deal, with its own little election-day traditions and (obsessive) little good-luck traditions. Besides, if we didn't show up, I'd miss the ladies who run Flemington Voting District #1.

It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.

by: Rosi Efthim @ Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 13:40:32 PM UTC

I have my ballot already (0.00 / 0)

But Mother Nature decided to mess with me and the humidity sealed my envelope shut. I have it all filled out, I just have to get to the clerk's office in person to see what I can do with the envelope. The last thing I would want is my vote to not count because humidity sealed my envelope shut.

Voting by mail is very easy, and I wish more would do it. In fact it felt strange voting in person in the primaries in June.

http://outspokenliberal.blogsp...

by: tabbycat31 @ Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 15:07:40 PM UTC