Make A Voting Plan. Then Do It.
My apologies, because I don't really have enough time for a full column today. The reason for this is that I went down to my county registrar this afternoon to verify my voting registration and signature.
I'm one of those people who enjoys the ceremony of showing up in person to cast my vote, so before this year, my signature wasn't really all that important. However, due to the pandemic, this year California is mailing every registered voter a ballot directly, so signature-matching has become crucial. Whether you mail in your ballot or drop it off at a drop box or show up on Election Day and hand it in in person, the mechanics of voting will be the same -- the ballot goes in an envelope that must be signed. This signature will have to be verified in order for your vote to be counted. I'm assuming this is true, I should add, as I have yet to actually receive my ballot in the mail.
But better safe than sorry. Since for the past twenty years I haven't had to re-register, and since my signature has changed somewhat over time, I wanted to verify that it would match whatever they had on file. So I trucked on down to the county building and was able to verify that the signature on file is pretty much what I use today. Close enough, in other words. This set my mind at ease.
Some might see this as overkill, but if there's one election where I want my vote to count, it is this one. I don't want anything standing in the way of my vote counting, so I took the time to check.
This was all part of my own personal voting plan. Because the rules have changed so dramatically for this election, I would strongly urge every American voter to make their own voting plan. This could be as simple as: "I'm just going to vote exactly the same way I always have, because nothing has changed in my state," or it might require: getting registered or re-registered, requesting a mail-in ballot, verifying your signature, verifying what precinct to show up at, or what drop boxes will be available, or which days will be "early voting" days in your state. Deadlines or other scheduling issues may be involved. Filling out a new registration may be the way to go.
But for whatever your circumstance in whatever state you happen to live in, make a voting plan for this year. Make a checklist, and then do everything on it before any deadlines. If you have any questions at all about your status, double-check your registration status online, or even in person (as I did, today).
There are multiple websites set up to help you do all of this, I should mention. Just search for "voter registration" and you'll see a bunch of them. Or just go to your own county government's page to find out. Or call them up and ask them. Whatever it takes to be sure.
So while I do apologize for the lack of a full column today, I thought it was important enough to spend the time to make absolutely, 100-percent sure that my vote is going to count this year. And I urge everyone else out there to do anything that is required for them to have this same certainty.
Make a voting plan. Check every item off on it, on time. Do it! Vote like your life depends on it.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
I just learned that today is actually National Voter Registration Day.
So it looks like I randomly picked exactly the right day to check my registration!
Cool!
:-)
-CW
I just watched a discussion on the Chris Hayes show and I agree with their conclusion completely.
Democrats should not wage the upcoming supreme court battle about the nominee. It doesn't matter who it is. Whoever she is will be confirmed and the stakes are the same (ACA, abortion rights, voting rights, etc).
This fight should be entirely about making the GOP pay as steep a price as possible. Highlight their lies and hypocrisy. Highlight what will be lost. Voters will understand that.
Do not get bogged down in the nominee's history and allow the GOP to turn her into some kind of martyr. The spotlight should be on Moscow Mitch's gangsters.
CW-
I hope you use vote.org in your next voting article or the Colbert website better know a ballot.
Both websites have useful tools to help you get registered and the where, when and how to cast your ballot information that is simple to digest for those not as wonky as some of use.
CW: Some might see this as overkill, but if there's one election where I want my vote to count, it is this one.
There is no "overkill" in this election. :)
Public Service Announcement
FBI & CISA
FOREIGN ACTORS AND CYBERCRIMINALS LIKELY TO SPREAD DISINFORMATION REGARDING 2020 ELECTION RESULTS
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are issuing this announcement to raise awareness of the potential threat posed by attempts to spread disinformation regarding the results of the 2020 elections. Foreign actors and cybercriminals could create new websites, change existing websites, and create or share corresponding social media content to spread false information in an attempt to discredit the electoral process and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions.
State and local officials typically require several days to weeks to certify elections’ final results in order to ensure every legally cast vote is accurately counted. The increased use of mail-in ballots due to COVID-19 protocols could leave officials with incomplete results on election night. Foreign actors and cybercriminals could exploit the time required to certify and announce elections’ results by disseminating disinformation that includes reports of voter suppression, cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure, voter or ballot fraud, and other problems intended to convince the public of the elections’ illegitimacy.
The FBI and CISA urge the American public to critically evaluate the sources of the information they consume and to seek out reliable and verified information from trusted sources, such as state and local election officials. The public should also be aware that if foreign actors or cyber criminals were able to successfully change an election-related website, the underlying data and internal systems would remain uncompromised.
RECOMMENDATIONS
* Seek out information from trustworthy sources, such as state and local election officials; verify who produced the content; and consider their intent.
* Verify through multiple reliable sources any reports about problems in voting or election results, and consider searching for other reliable sources before sharing such information via social media or other avenues.
* For information about final election results, rely on state and local government election officials.
* Report potential election crimes—such as disinformation about the manner, time, or place of voting—to the FBI.
* If appropriate, make use of in-platform tools offered by social media companies for reporting suspicious posts that appear to be spreading false or inconsistent information about election-related problems or results.
____________________________
Follow the link. Read the entire warning. Forewarned is forearmed.
John From Censornati
2
Do not get bogged down in the nominee's history and allow the GOP to turn her into some kind of martyr. The spotlight should be on Moscow Mitch's gangsters.
Exactly this.
For tonight's entertainment after a day of battling idiots reading CDC disinformation coupled with the GOP fuck RBG actions, I think this is an appropriate song selection.
Since it cost a lot to win
And even more to lose
You and me bound to spend some time
Wondering what to choose
It goes to show you don't ever know
Watch each card you play
And play it slow
Wait until your deal come round
Don't you let that deal go down
I been gambling hereabouts
For ten good solid years
If I told you all that went down
It would burn off both your ears
It goes to show you don't ever know
Watch each card you play
And play it slow
Wait until your deal come round
Don't you let that deal go down
Since you poured the wine for me
And tightened up my shoes
I hate to leave…
Arggghhhh.
the preview button lied again. Sorry y'all will have to figure out the verse breaks.
GT
One-handed man in a drumming contest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0BznyjqEt8
JFC[2],
Absolutely, positively, unequivocally!
Kick-9
Nice use of the interwebs.... you win Weigant points...
Bonus points if you can name what the follow on tune was used dispel frigging idiots that are preventing operators from operating from getting in ones way.
Sorry, Idiot fatigue setting in.
Bonus points if you can name what the follow on tune that was used to dispel frigging idiots that are preventing operators from operating thus getting in ones way.
What those points are worth IHNFI, but it could be fun...
Don Harris -
This is not true in every state. In some, there is vote tracking that is as good as UPS or FedEx tracking. You can check to see that your vote was received, verified, and tallied.
Check your own state to see if that have this for mail-in voting. Since we have 50 separate elections systems, not everyone has it, but some do -- so check!
-CW
JFC [2] - Agreed
JFC [2]
100%
[13] Don Harris wrote:
"You vote and then do nothing because there is no way to verify if your vote was counted or counted correctly.
Yes, once you vote your ballot has no connection to you. If your vote wasn't counted or counted correctly you would never know.
And this means you could keep making the same mistake election after election and never know your vote didn't count or was not counted correctly."
NOT TRUE. At least in FLORIDA.
I voted by mail in the recent primary election. Each ballot issued in my county has a unique barcode that is assigned to and linked to me as an individual voter. You can go to your county supervisor of elections website and it will tell you: 1) If you requested a mail in ballot 2) If your ballot has been sent yet 3) If your ballot was received by the elections office and 4) if your ballot or vote has been counted.
What it does NOT do is track who you voted for or how you voted.
You can also review and update your voter registration on the same site.
As for if your vote was counted correctly, it is no different in that regard from voting in person, as your ballot is run thru the same type of optical vote scanning and counting machine regardless of whether you mailed it in or handed it over in person.
It feels like the entire national media is here today. So many choppers buzzing over my house.
So where are you in the K-Y state, JFC?
Blocks from what you're watching on TV today.
Something old and something
new from The Lincoln Project.
goode trickle
12
Sorry, Idiot fatigue setting in.
Heh. Tolerating ignorance can be so tiring. The trouble with stupid people is: They're too dumb to comprehend the fact they're useful idiots.
Bonus points if you can name what the follow on tune that was used to dispel frigging idiots that are preventing operators from operating thus getting in ones way.
Well, I can name that tune in zero notes!
What!? Are you friggin' kidding me!? You mean to tell me that you 'spect me to know what tune you played out of all the tunes in the world that you could have played!? And no hints!? Well, okay, I'll try.
The guy that wrote the lyrics to "Deal" wrote another tune at the same time... so if you didn't play "Loser"... you should have. ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last fair deal in the country,
Last fair deal in the town
Put your gold money where your love is baby,
Before you let my deal go down
Everybody prayin' and drinkin' that wine
I can tell the queen of diamonds by the way she shines
Come to daddy on the inside straight,
Well I got no chance of losin' this time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~