Whether you're willing to say it or not, you've probably already made up your mind about whether or not you're going to vote in the upcoming election. But for what it's worth, regardless of your political views or who you support, register to vote.
Re:That doesn't always help
Ovid on 2004-10-04T04:11:03
Hmm
... I need to be an expat again. I'll not hold my breath waiting for the opportunity, though. When do you usually get your ballots?
Re:That doesn't always help
hfb on 2004-10-04T10:29:54
They should have arrived a week or three ago. We're well into the early side of October and the election is less than a month away. The IHT had a story about this recently and how the US Military is making sure that the troops in Iraq will be getting ballots but that the rest of us are likely SOL. I guess ~5million voters who are far more likely than average to vote democrat just don't matter these days.Re:That doesn't always help
da on 2004-10-04T13:26:00
This is the first election I've been expat, in Canada; I haven't received my ballot yet either. (for my use.perl brownie point, I found the IHT article at: http://www.iht.com/articles/541803.html about the US military). I sure won't be impressed if I don't get my ballot.
Incidentally, looking for that article, I found: http://www.iht.com/articles/540442.html... which says there's an ombudsman if we haven't received the ballot two weeks before the election; but that's cutting it pretty close. I guess I won't be impressed if I don't get my ballot, but I won't be too surprised either.
hfb, are you voting in MA? I wonder if this could be a state-by-state problem, though I have no real way to find out.
Re:That doesn't always help
hfb on 2004-10-04T14:58:21
Indeed. Two weeks beforehand won't do shit for getting your ballot in time to vote and have it arrive in time to get counted. Sadly, yes, I'll be voting in MA instead of MO since I was living in Boston before I expatriated. What state are you?Re:That doesn't always help
da on 2004-10-04T15:26:10
Oh, MA/boston too. I think I left more-or-less contemporaniously with you (late summer '01?)Re:That doesn't always help
hfb on 2004-10-04T15:53:05
Ah, right:) I didn't recognise your nick right off. Well, the upside even if we don't get to exercise our right to vote is that we don't have to live there and don't live in countries on the Axis of Oil. I haven't been back since I left. Re:That doesn't always help
KLB on 2004-10-13T18:34:59
in miami constance kaplan, head of elections, said absentee ballots were going out this week, the week of 10/11/04Re:That doesn't always help
zatoichi on 2004-10-04T13:12:43
You are right. Let's just make up a conspiracy theory that the elections are rigged and it doesn't matter anyway.Re:That doesn't always help
hfb on 2004-10-04T15:03:08
I don't think ~5million people not getting their absentee ballots in time to vote is an acceptable 'error' considering that this election is supposedly going to be close. Have you been keeping up with the voting issues in Ohio and Florida? The corruption in government is so pervasive that it's no longer a wacky conspiracy theory, I think it's just bald faced truth sitting out there for all who are willing to see it. I don't think my vote will be counted, but those fuckers better start sending those ballots soon so I can at least have the illusion of voting like it matters.Re:That doesn't always help
mary.poppins on 2004-10-04T22:15:54
Don't you oppress me with your so-called scientific reality! I prefer to believe that Wonder Woman *did* create the universe twenty years ago.Re:That doesn't always help
pudge on 2004-10-07T00:37:49
I don't think ~5million people not getting their absentee ballots in time to vote is an acceptable 'error' considering that this election is supposedly going to be close.
Not in MA it won't be. If all you care about is the Presidential election, a vote in MA is meaningless anyway.
Anyway, I thought absentee ballots, for expats, were handled by the states, not the feds? Or do the feds handle it, but apply your votes to the respective states?Re:That doesn't always help
hfb on 2004-10-07T08:30:01
you bastard, my vote does too count!;) I figure if Dumbya takes MA, it'll be a good sign something is horribly rotten. As far as how they are handled goes...i think the feds are involved by supplying the ballots, etc, but the states do the paperwork. I know people here from Cali, MN and MD and noone has gotten their ballots yet.
