Let's Talk About Absentee Voting

385 words 

3 minute read

It was a toss-up determining what was better news that day: that the heat in our building was turned on, or that we got our absentee ballots in the mail.

Recently, a friend asked: Honest question, is there a benefit to absentee voting?

Since we have lived in accessible housing, we have voted three times.  The first time, back in 2008, Tara and I bundled up against the chilly Midwestern November and walked/rolled to our polling place.  The line was long and afterward, we had to brave the cold again just to get home.  In 2012, walking was not an option, so we asked our dad for a ride.  He dropped us at a local church this time where we waited....and waited....and waited...and finally voted and had to call him again to give us a ride back.

This year was the first where absentee voting did not require a reason, and so Tara and I jumped at the chance to go online and fill out the basic information required.  A week later the ballots arrived, along with serious instructions and three envelopes.  We voted.  We were witnesses for each other, and the next day Tara dropped them off at our local post office on her way to work.

Today, I checked the status of my ballot, and saw this:

[Image is: a screen shot which reads ABSENTEE BALLOT STATUS  You have applied for an absentee ballot or you are a registered voter in a mail ballot precinct for the November 8, 2016 State General Election.  November 8, 2016, State General Election:  Your ballot was accepted on October 17, 2016 and will be counted.] 

Sending in my absentee ballot just made sense.  It saved our energy and it saved our family a couple of car trips to drop us off and pick us up. I think it's a pretty great option, and really makes the voting process easier.

This year's vote is super important.  If you are unsure where you stand, I recommend this quiz, which really helped me clarify my position.

Have you sent in your absentee ballot?  Will you be at your local polling place tomorrow? Will this be your first time voting in a presidential election?  Let me know in the comments.

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