My experience w/ Absentee ballot process in PA -PITA and confusing

[evident]

I am overseas for work and won't be able to vote at my polling place. So i went thru the process of applying for an absentee ballot. it's not intuitive and if i wasn't so passionate about voting this year, i probably would have given up. most of my co-workers and fellow expats will probably not follow through. I missed the primaries because they messed up my account and didnt get it fixed in time.

1. applied to the PA website- have to physically mail an application to the board of elections
2. get an e-mail for access to a PA state website
3. sign up for said website with special access code
4. wait a few days, then get a confirmation e-mail to log into a different pa state website to print my ballot out.
5. log into website, ballot does not show up
6. dig through said website to find my election board official- email some lady in doylestown who then forwards the mail to another dude and wait for them to fix my account... after i followed up with them twice.
7. finally get my ballot on the website

but now here is what really ticks me off about the absentee ballot itself and is more confusing than it should be.

I basically need a supporting declaration from my employer to certify that i am who i am and that i can vote?! wtf is this crap. Also the wording is not clear. i "may" have to fill out the supporting declaration if i am a citizen temporarily outside of the us. but the supporting declaration states in convoluted legalize english

"TO BE COMPLETED IN CASE OF ELECTOR, SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT OF ELECTOR
IN RELIGIOUS OR WELFARE ORGANIZATION ASSISTING SERVICEMEN, CIVILIAN EMPLOYED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES (CONTINENTAL) OR MERCHANT MARINE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES INLAND WATERWAYS."
so if i am none of these... i dont have to let my manager that i am going to vote and i can leave it blank... i think... right?!


this is not as easy as it should be.

 

[Thebobo]

That run is a pita the ass to read. All caps was killing my eyes and brain.

To be completed in case of elector
spouse or dependent of elector in religious or welfare organization assisting servicemen
civilian employed by the united states government outside the united states (continental)
Or merchant marine outside the united states inland waterways.

Call your voting board and ask?

 

[fskimospy]

As someone who grew up in PA I am exactly 0% shocked that they made voting as hard as possible.

 

[evident]

That run is a pita the ass to read. All caps was killing my eyes and brain.

To be completed in case of elector
spouse or dependent of elector in religious or welfare organization assisting servicemen
civilian employed by the united states government outside the united states (continental)
Or merchant marine outside the united states inland waterways.

Call your voting board and ask?

yeah... I asked via email the election board person who helped me out w/ my account.

 

[dank69]

If you are hospitalized or bedridden, but not a veteran, FOAD?

 

[HomerJS]

I am overseas for work and won't be able to vote at my polling place. So i went thru the process of applying for an absentee ballot. it's not intuitive and if i wasn't so passionate about voting this year, i probably would have given up. most of my co-workers and fellow expats will probably not follow through. I missed the primaries because they messed up my account and didnt get it fixed in time.

1. applied to the PA website- have to physically mail an application to the board of elections
2. get an e-mail for access to a PA state website
3. sign up for said website with special access code
4. wait a few days, then get a confirmation e-mail to log into a different pa state website to print my ballot out.
5. log into website, ballot does not show up
6. dig through said website to find my election board official- email some lady in doylestown who then forwards the mail to another dude and wait for them to fix my account... after i followed up with them twice.
7. finally get my ballot on the website

but now here is what really ticks me off about the absentee ballot itself and is more confusing than it should be.

I basically need a supporting declaration from my employer to certify that i am who i am and that i can vote?! wtf is this crap. Also the wording is not clear. i "may" have to fill out the supporting declaration if i am a citizen temporarily outside of the us. but the supporting declaration states in convoluted legalize english

"TO BE COMPLETED IN CASE OF ELECTOR, SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT OF ELECTOR
IN RELIGIOUS OR WELFARE ORGANIZATION ASSISTING SERVICEMEN, CIVILIAN EMPLOYED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES (CONTINENTAL) OR MERCHANT MARINE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES INLAND WATERWAYS."
so if i am none of these... i dont have to let my manager that i am going to vote and i can leave it blank... i think... right?!


this is not as easy as it should be.

This is new to me. I vote absentee in PA. because I'm away a lot. Its always sent to my house. Do you have someone at the house who can forward it to you to avoid that step?

 

[Thebobo]

Thankfully in MD you don't need any reason to absentee vote. Register or Sign up online receive ballot in mail or online fill it out and mail it back or drop it off.

 

[dainthomas]

If you are hospitalized or bedridden, but not a veteran, FOAD?

Yeah, I guess if your 96 year old grandma can't get out of bed and isn't a vet then no vote for her.

 

[evident]

This is new to me. I vote absentee in PA. because I'm away a lot. Its always sent to my house. Do you have someone at the house who can forward it to you to avoid that step?

At the time, no I didnt, but the process is already done for me so dont have to worry about this anymore. I never thought about just having it mailed to me because i honestly thought that printing it out online would have been the easier option, lol! and at that time, i was pretty close to the primary deadline, which i wasn't able to vote in anyways because they fucked up my online account.

You could have just filled in the generic absentee ballot but oh wait yeah, how the hell do you find out who the hell is running in your down ballot elections?!?! good luck using THAT website!

the election board guy got back to me... Dont need to fill out any supporting declaration if none of those things applied to me. but that's still shitty if it was...

 

[Thebobo]

At the time, no I didnt, but the process is already done for me so dont have to worry about this anymore. I never thought about just having it mailed to me because i honestly thought that printing it out online would have been the easier option, lol! and at that time, i was pretty close to the primary deadline, which i wasn't able to vote in anyways because they fucked up my online account.

You could have just filled in the generic absentee ballot but oh wait yeah, how the hell do you find out who the hell is running in your down ballot elections?!?! good luck using THAT website!

the election board guy got back to me... Dont need to fill out any supporting declaration if none of those things applied to me. but that's still shitty if it was...

Yea thats some shity wording and the all caps just makes it harder to read, at least with me ;l

And grats

 

[hal2kilo]

Thankfully in MD you don't need any reason to absentee vote. Register or Sign up online receive ballot in mail or online fill it out and mail it back or drop it off.

Mail in ballets. So simple.

 

[Jhhnn]

Mail in ballets. So simple.

The best. sit down at the computer with the ballot & research all the initiatives, bond issues, candidates, all of it. It promotes high participation rates, too. Scares the shit out of the GOP.

 

[brycejones]

The best. sit down at the computer with the ballot & research all the initiatives, bond issues, candidates, all of it. It promotes high participation rates, too. Scares the shit out of the GOP.

We need a DNA sample from at least 4 different parts of your body, if any of the required parts are missing you will need to provide documentation of when the required body part was removed, including a notarized signature of the remover plus medical records which include your original long form birth certificate and your mortgage statements going back at last 25 years.

Don't have mortgage statements? Provide a note from your landlord giving you permission to vote.

GOP solution for at home voting.

 

[K1052]

Actually just signed up today to vote by mail again in IL. Super easy...took like 2 minutes.

Voting by mail and the DMV are surprisingly efficient here.

 

[Vic]

As an Oregon resident, the last time I voted at a polling place was when I voted yes for universal vote by mail.