I voted yesterday... No Political statements just asking about the method you chose on casting your ballot.

[easyas123]

In Maryland, we will be voting in person on election day.

 

[design_mom]

We voted with a mail-in absentee ballot, but I dropped them in the drop box at the Board of Elections instead of sending them through the mail. There is an online dashboard where I can confirm that they received/counted my ballot.

For early voting, our county only has one early-voting location (it's at the county Board of Elections office). On election day, there are lots of 'neighborhood' polling places open, but you have to go to your assigned place. In both cases, "popular times" can be busy and have a line but there's usually also times where there's no line. On the way to work, "at lunch" and on the way home from work seem to be popular times, so if you can't go at a different time, you might have to wait.

 

[spiders]

Went to early voting. Took about 50 minutes.

 

[tobikaye]

OH: Absentee ballot sent to house - Returned to drop box outside County Board of Election on 10/16. On 10/17, I was able to see that the ballots I dropped off were scanned in and counted. I was going to vote in person, and just turn in my blank ballot on that day, but I knew I would not get there in time to make the line for voting that day so I dropped my ballot off.

EDIT: I had to drop off ballots for my parents and grandma, as well.

A question for American voters.....why are the lines 3-5 hours long to vote? Are there not enough polling stations or is it the process? I live in Canada and have never waited in a line to vote. We have many in each city.....our subdivision alone had two. Just curious on what causes the long lines.

For the current election, the date is November 3. Prior to November 3, in many states, early voting is offered early at the county's Board of Elections office. Ohio is divided into 88 counties and I live in the 10th most populated county, but that is only about 250,000 people. So, long lines at our county board are only about 30-45 minutes long. The only reason that they would be this long currently is that due to Covid-10, they have to space people out around the rooms more then in past years. In more populated counties, that equates to longer lines to get in to vote.

On November 3, there will be many more polling places open and each voter is assigned a place to vote, usually within their neighborhood. In my city, there are probably about 8-10 polling locations. The numbers for early voting this year far outpace those in past years and I believe the worry that an illness or Covid shutdown could impact that on November 3.

I started voting early at the county board since I was usually near there at least once or twice a week and it was simpler than the local polling location. If I go to the local poll, I have to be there waiting at 6 or 6:30 to get in and make it to work on time or go straight after work, which always was busy. Over the past 4-5 years, the actual election day, I was either out of town or had a work event to make it difficult for me to vote on election day. This year, I have a Jury Duty summons for November so did not want to chance have to spend the day stuck at the courthouse and not be able to get to the poll.

 

[soccerdad72]

Voted absentee - mailed in this weekend

 

[easyas123]

O Political Reference's, Innuendos, side bar snide remarks... NO discussion on the candidates either way...
This is just to see how other folks across our great nation, decided on which method they choose to cast their ballot.

Well OP - you tried.
Still, it is interesting to see how, where & when folks are voting. Until this year it has been a issue I have not personally given a whole lot of thought to.

 

[kymom99]

Kentucky
My husband dropped off our ballots a couple weeks ago to a drop box at the clerk's office. I could see online they were received. My son will vote one day when he comes up from school. Probably next week.

 

[mjkacmom]

I've been voting in Ireland since I turned 18 and the American systems intrigue me. As far as I know, in Ireland we only have in person on the election day voting or absentee mail in voting. I have always done on the day in person voting and we don't have the huge lines at polling stations. We still have paper and pen, mark an X beside the candidates name and photo, and then put the piece of paper in the box.

Seeing all the different ways in America is really interesting

It is interesting since different states are different. Usually here in NJ it’s absentee or in person, you go up to the table and give them your address, write and sign your name on a small piece of paper, show it to the worker who finds your page in a big book, checks your signature, you hand the paper to the worker by the machine, pull the curtain behind you and choose your candidates/answer questions electronically. This year is different, mostly mail in, filled out my ballot and dropped it in our towns ballot box installed about a month ago, and tracked it online. I also could’ve mailed it, brought it in person to a nearby city, or brought it to a polling place on Election Day. I’ve never waited more than a few minutes to vote in my lifetime, and I’ve never missed an election, even local ones.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

My wife and I requested and completed mail-in ballots a couple of weeks ago in Maryland. I dropped them in a ballot drop box nearby, and we each received a confirmation that our ballot was received about 10 days later.

 

[mjkacmom]

Hi, good thread, I wanted to share my experience but was concerned if the moderator would shut it down.

NJ

Yes, dropped of my ballot at the Board of Elections office in person. In NJ the only options are mail in ballot or provisional ballot at polling place but I was told by someone at the board of elections that I had to be disabled and my disability had to be that I'm blind to go to the polling place.

DH and I dropped off our ballots yesterday 10/19/20, I was surprised to see a line outside of the building.

I don’t think that’s true about having to be blind, ds19 messed up his ballot (put it in the envelope upside down) so plans to go in person.

 

[tstein12]

PA - mail-in ballot

 

[kdonnel]

Early voting, in person. Took about 25 mins.

 

[Moliphino]

Then that isn't voter suppression.
We have the option of mail in, early voting, or voting on election day. Unless someone is holding you hostage so that you cant take advantage of one of those options you aren't being supressed.

Not all states and counties have all of those options, for one.

 

[barb969]

Maryland
Applied for mail in ballot on line beginning of September
Received ballot beginning of October
voted and dropped off at county Board of Elections middle of October
Received online confirmation my ballot was accepted a day later

 

[MJB03]

TX - My husband and I will be early voting, in person, sometime over the next day or so. Our county voting website has a tracker that shows approximate wait times (and number in line) for the various early voting locations, so we will choose a time when the tracker is showing low wait times at the location closest to our house and go. Last week, when early voting began, the tracker was usually showing wait times of about 45-60 minutes, at most of the locations in our general area.

 

[RamblingMad]

Mailed mine in. Signature confirmed. My state starts counting today, so I’ll check the status later this week to make sure it was counted.

 

[GreatLakes]

Ohio.

Mailed it in. We are able to confirm online that it was received.

Other than one other time when I was out of town and voted absentee it is the first time I didn't vote in person on election day. I much prefer that method as it just feels more like you are part of democracy, plus I have a tradition of incorporating it into a run, but with the pandemic I didn't feel like risking it.

 

[MillauFr]

Early voting opened early in Florida yesterday, and I went in person to vote, 3 hours 30 minutes to cast my ballot

Wow 3 1/2 hours? You didn't have a fastpass?

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

VA - We dropped off our absentee ballots at the County Gov't Center. A clerk sat next to the ballot box to guard it (in a friendly way, of course!).

 

[Gary M]

Indiana-I voted by absentee ballot a couple weeks ago. I'm over 65 years old which qualifies me to vote absentee.