Election Day trivia....

[Ralph Damren]

The founding Fathers had three things in mind when they said ".....shall be the Tuesday that follows the first Monday in November.." Who can name 'em 

[ElvisLives]

Not sure about three, but 1) farmers needed time to travel to vote, after spending Sunday in church, and observing the Sabbath, and 2) farmers were between fall harvest and spring planting in November.

But, if I had the power to make it happen, we'd go back to hard copy ballots, and you vote on election day. That's it. No early voting. No mail-in. We know the next election is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of 2028. Mark it on your calendar. (It was already marked on my calendar for this year.) Make plans now to be available to vote, that day, in 2028. Yes, your vote is THAT important. All votes get counted beginning at 7pm Hawaii Standard Time. (Yes, special accommodations will be made for folks out of country in the service of their country.)
I can dream...

[GA Umpire]

The founding Fathers had three things in mind when they said ".....shall be the Tuesday that follows the first Monday in November.." Who can name 'em 

And many people at that time celebrated "All Saints Day" on November 1st so the "founding fathers" did not want election day to occur on November 1st.

[ElvisLives]

That seems like 3 good reasons.

[GA Umpire]

And many people at that time celebrated "All Saints Day" on November 1st so the "founding fathers" did not want election day to occur on November 1st.

Upon further review, the law to designate the Tuesday after the first Monday in November was passed in 1845, not before then.
Although the reasons stated earlier are all the reasons given for the date chosen.

[bama_stripes]

But, if I had the power to make it happen, we'd go back to hard copy ballots, and you vote on election day. That's it. No early voting. No mail-in.

Agree and Disagree.

I’m in favor of hard-copy ballots, but absentee ballots allow those who can't be physically present to exercise their constitutional rights.  I know many people with disabilities and physical limitations who are simply unable to vote in person.  And there are quite a few (not just active duty military) whose jobs require them to be out of town on Election Day.

[Ralph Damren]

You guys came up with the three. Good job  Man should have harvested his crops by November and shouldn't have to ride horseback to the polling places on Sunday as those were often a day's journey. Once every seven years the first Tuesday  would land on All Saints Day...nice call GA UMP .

  (seven man crew)

[ElvisLives]

Agree and Disagree.

I’m in favor of hard-copy ballots, but absentee ballots allow those who can't be physically present to exercise their constitutional rights.  I know many people with disabilities and physical limitations who are simply unable to vote in person.  And there are quite a few (not just active duty military) whose jobs require them to be out of town on Election Day.

We could figure out a way to get ballots to truly physically unable, but eligible, citizens (before and/or on election day). I am OK with spending tax money to send out election officials to those folks to let them complete their ballots, and place them in sealed boxes to be opened and ballots counted on election day. That may take having a volunteer from each political party to accompany each election official to observe the process, to be sure those ballots are collected and delivered to the elections offices legitimately. No mail-in ballots. No "absentee" or "early" voting, except for the truly physically unable.
As I said, eligible citizen that is/will be out of their normal voting precinct in official service of their country on election day would have a similar ability to complete a ballot before and/or on election day, if necessary.

It is a good day in the USA. God Bless the USA.

[Ralph Damren]

I'm for everyone that can vote being able to. Personally, I enjoy voting in person on election day just I enjoy in person being at a sporting event than watching it on the tube. Like Elvis, I'm strong GOP and was very happy with the outcome. I also have many friends who are not, but remind myself that we are all on the same team...

TEAM USA
 

[Grant - AR]

I think one of two things needs to happen in the near future.

1.  Make election day a national holiday so the majority of people are off work.  I realize many will still have to work so early voting still needs to be available.
2.  With the technology we have today, we could vote online.  Yes, there are vulnerabilities with this, but there are vulnerabilities with every kind of voting.  I work for a company that could make it as secure as any to vote online based on a SSN or a voter ID number. 

[Kalle]

2.  With the technology we have today, we could vote online.  Yes, there are vulnerabilities with this, but there are vulnerabilities with every kind of voting.  I work for a company that could make it as secure as any to vote online based on a SSN or a voter ID number.

FWIW, Estonia already has online voting in their national elections. I shudder when I think about it - fortunately Russia hasn't done any cyber attacks on their elections, but if eg. USA were to do that, good luck with avoiding massive DDoS attacks at the very least.

[ElvisLives]

I hesitated to comment further, simply because I don't want to offend anyone over politics. My opinions are no more valid or important than anyone else's. So, please, don't take anything personally. These thoughts are mine, and mine only.

We should NEVER allow our national elections to be done in any electronic form. Hard copy ballots should be the only method. There is no such thing as 'secure' electronic voting, whether on a single dedicated work station, a network (private or public), and certainly not via the internet. Somebody, somewhere, can disturb ANY electronic system and data (from practically anywhere).

All hard copy ballots should be received, stored, and counted publicly, in the presence of observers from all parties with candidates on the ballot. Yeah, that might take some time. But, how is that different than waiting days for mail-in ballots to arrive (even if our illustrious US Postal Service delivers them at all; not a ballot, but I have lost mail in the USPS system)? And the ballots are retained in a secure facility for some given period of time, to allow for re-counting, as may be permitted by law.

OK, there is that word "secure," again. How can we be sure a facility is secure? Well, as an architect, I feel confident I can design, and oversee construction of, a facility that can withstand intrusion, and access can be controlled such that no one person can get access to the most sensitive area(s). And, to continue the physical verses electronic argument, such access should never be electronic.

Electronic technology definitely makes many things far more 'convenient,' and faster than manual, physical technology. But, even at a fraction of a percent for failure or compromise, the risk is just too great for something like national election security.

Get to the polls on election day. If you physically can't get to a polling station, notify the election officials (in whatever time frame is specified) and we'll get your ballot to you ahead of election day.

The idea of a national holiday for presidential elections is a good one. That would definitely help a lot of folks (and would be necessary, if we don't have general 'early' voting).

Those are my thoughts.

Everybody have a great day, week, month, year, career, life! 

[Etref]

Hate the idea on National Holiday for voting

Many will just make it a 3-4 day weekend and go to the mountains or the beach,or Uncle Freds

[Snapper]

Most of the US already uses paper ballots.  And as I understand it, the rest is moving towards them. 

The feds kicked in $800 million for the states to make the move away from mechanical voting machines, punch cards, etc. after the 2000 election.

It looks like somewhere between 95 - 98% of the country now have paper ballots.

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/some-good-news-donald-trump-we-already-use-paper-ballots

https://verifiedvoting.org/verifier/#mode/navigate/map/ppEquip/mapType/normal/year/2024



Absentee and early voting doesn’t bother me.  I didn’t buy that there were truly that many “undecided” voters right up to election day.  And I don’t foresee early voting changing anytime soon.

[Ralph Damren]

I've voted absentee before if I was going to be away. IMHO, early voting is sorta' like us declairing a winner at the end of the 3rd period. What occurrs inthe 4th period may change our decision. I believe the Statute of Limitations has expired for voter fraud, so I'll share with you my first voting experence.....

SCENE : Living in Hartford, Connecticut, 1968, planning to vote for Humphry/Muskie (Muskie's a Mainer) .  My dad sent me an absentee ballot from Pittsfield, Maine

ACT I : The voting populatiion of Pittsfield was around 800 then.

ACT II : I knew, with Muskie onthe ticket, they would carry Maine.

ACT III : George Wallace was on the ticket running as a 3rd party.

ACT IV :  I voted for Wallace/LaMay, figering I'd be the only voter in Pittsfield to do so.

ACT V : I then voted for Humphry/Muskie on Election Day in Connecticut.

ACT VI : My dad sent me the election results for Maine, 51 other voted for Wallace in Pittsfield 

ACT VII: Neither Humphry or Wallace became president.

EPILOGUE : Since  then, I've obayed the law and only voted once. Flashing back to that era, brought back memories of my lone protest, at Consitution Plaza in Hartford, we would chant:
             "HEY,HEY HO,HO...LBJ'S GOTTA' GO !! "
My reasoning was two-fold,(1) I didn't want to go to war, (2) The 'Burn the Bra" movement had just begun and many of their protesters were  flashing .